I’ve gotten a lot of questions on both instagram stories and in comments on blog posts about why exactly I travel so much by myself. So I thought today would be a great time to address some of them.
1. Why solo travel?
As strange as it may seem, I love a good bit of solo traveling. It’s the introvert in me. I get to see exactly what I want to see, when I want to see it. There’s no awkward negotiating about going to museums that you don’t want to go to, or feeling pressured to skip something that you want to see. I love being able to travel at my own pace.
I also aim to travel as cheaply as possible, and not having to negotiate around someone else’s budget is a huge relief. There’s no worse feeling than a group dinner that you really can’t afford, right?
My biggest hang-up about solo-traveling used to be that I felt a bit awkward eating by myself, but I don’t mind it anymore. The biggest factor in me growing comfortable doing so was bringing a book and letting myself get lost in it whilst having a bite to eat. That eventually progressed into just being comfortable being alone and doing some wonderful people watching.
2. Does Sam not want to go on holiday?! Or do you purposefully say no?
Sam loves a good holiday! And we are excellent traveling companions. But we also have hugely different working schedules. With Sam primarily working in theatre and film photography, a large number of his shoots are on weekends and evenings, which means he has limited time away and anything he books off has to be done in advance.
A lot of my trips are last minute deals, or airline tickets snapped up whenever they are cheapest, so it’s just not feasible for Sam to go. But he’s absolutely thrilled that I get to scamper off and have adventures.
3. Is it better to do short solo than long solo?
Most of my solo trips are only 1-2 nights, which is the perfect amount of time for me to be alone. However, I did a 10 day solo trip last year and I hugely enjoyed it, but I did wish that I had someone to share it with. So for me, I enjoy shorter trips more.
4. Do you try and make friends or just do it all alone? So many solo travellers seem really keen on meeting people but to be honest I’d rather just hang with myself and a book I reckon.
I’m of the school where I just like to hang out by myself with a book in a new place. That’s not to say that I haven’t made friends on my travels, but I’m not one to actively seek them out. I’m definitely not the girl hanging out in the hostel keen to socialise. I usually keep myself to myself and I enjoy it. (Which sort of makes me sound like a weird loner.)
5. If I want to do a solo travel where is the best place to start?
For your first solo-trip, sticking close-ish to home is probably your best option. So if you are based in the UK, I’d consider Ireland, Germany and France great places to visit as a first time solo-traveler.
If English is your first (and really only) language, I’d also advise picking a destination where English is fairly-widely spoken for your first trip away alone. Language barriers can be frustrating and stressful as a traveler at the best of times, but when you’re on your own for the first time, it can really ramp up the anxiety.
Here is a selection of some of the places that I’ve traveled to by myself:
Prague
Bratislava
Gdansk
Dublin
Copenhagen
Malta
Naples
Sicily
Barcelona
Gibraltar
Would you ever go on a trip by yourself? If you already have, where did you go?
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:
10 Ways to make the most out of your cruise
10 Things to do in Berlin
10 Things to do in Bratislava
10 Things to do in Barcelona
10 Things to do in Naples
Exploring Gdansk, Poland
10 Things to do in Fuerteventura
