Strategies for traveling solo
We are all alone. . Photo: varunsuresh / Flickr Creative Commons
Traveling alone can be a rush. You don’t have that cocoon of familiarity if you travel with friends, which can insulate you from the experience. You’re free to come and go as you please. Want to spend the whole day sightseeing? Want to spend the whole day at a coffee shop reading a book? You can! There’s no one to argue with you.
That being said, traveling alone can be . . . lonely. Luckily, The Guardian UK tapped some travel experts to share their best tips on how to cope with being a lone vagabonder. The result was this massive article: No group holiday buddy? Try going alone.
This article seemed like a summation of what a lot of backpackers learn after a few years on the road. More than once, I found myself nodding my head and thinking, “That’s so true!” For example: “The more people spend on a hotel, the less likely they are to talk to each other.”
Of course, one of the best things about traveling alone is that, paradoxically, you meet more people. You’ll be more open and sociable than if you had a close friend to fall back on. When you go on a trip by yourself, you almost always return home with more friends than you had before.
Have you traveled by yourself? What tips and tricks did you use to get social?
August 6th, 2010 at 4:17 am
Make an effort! If you really want company–and you’re near people, chances are someone else has the same thought. It’s human nature! I mostly travel alone. There is a big gap between wanting to travel and actually doing it. Most of my friends say they want to, but never actually go do it!
Finding places to be social: If you are in a hostel—go to the common room. In a city, head to the park. Go to a café and place yourself in the middle of action, not at the far back. Unless you are in the back country (which I find myself solo in a lot also) Just look around for opportunities….and remember you are not the only one!
August 6th, 2010 at 5:41 am
I think there aren’t no strategies for traveling alone, you may be on your own for a couple of days but soon you’ll feel the need for human contact.
August 6th, 2010 at 7:27 am
GypsyGirl, you are spot on! I know people who say they want to travel but don’t. My friends were shocked in 2007 when I said I was going to the UK by myself (brought a backpack) for the International Fringe Festival. I did it and have the pictures to prove it. They all “wished” they could do that. I stayed in a hostel which was a blast. The common room and kitchen are great places to meet and get to know people.
Most people won’t travel because of fear and insecurity. And, many women can’t go to the bathroom by themselves; they always have to have one or more friends go with them. If you can’t go “potty” by yourself, how will you be able to travel solo?
August 6th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Well Said Rebecca…Good on yeah!!
I travelled through Aussie and N.Z. alone and am convinced i would not have had the great time i did , had i travelled with someone. I almost perfer it. Anyone that has stayed in a hostel, will tell you ….your never alone. alwyas people coming and going. To stay in a hotel…is wasting valuable money and resources. To each his own…travel well!
DPB
August 6th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Good post! I have actually wilderness backpacked alone: one summer in Idaho I went cross country (not staying on trails) and I didn’t seen another sole for three days. Another time in Virginia, on the Appalachian Trail in the winter, I was alone for four days/three nights… it’s a powerful experience. Last time was a couple years ago–a couple days in the back country in Great Basin National Park and I didn’t see anyone except near the trailhead. Many times I have hiked alone where there were other people around and do quickly make new friends. Some you never see again, others such as some I made the summer I hiked the Appalachian Trail, I still occasionally hear from 20 some years later.
August 6th, 2010 at 10:51 am
I far prefer to travel solo, but find that I’m never really solo for long. If you are backpacking and staying in hostels, you meet so many people, and I’ve found myself turning down more invitations to ‘come with us!’ than I could ever accept. Its great to travel with someone you just met… sometimes its clear after a few days that it isn’t working, and sometimes I’ve traveled together with different people for months at a time, and became lifelong friends because of the experience. To me, connecting with other solo travelers (or couples, or small groups) and traveling together for a while is one of the greatest things about setting off solo. You have the freedom to walk away at any time, and you have the opportunity for the greatest of relationships and experiences.
August 6th, 2010 at 11:30 am
[…] ends up taking a solitary holiday. There are many pros and cons obviously, so check out this great guide to survival from […]
August 6th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Hi, I noticed your blod on travelign solo. I thought I would share my about my book Because I’m Human,published this past April. It’s a memoir of my years in college in the USA as an international student from Chile. There were a few trips in between those years to other places and it ends with three months in Italy, then back to Chile for 8 months then on a plane back to the USA. I did all solo but I relate how I met GREAT friends along the way and how impacting that friendship was.
If this interests you you car read more what the book is about in my webpage http://www.createspace.com/3441878
Warmly,
Claudia Munoz
August 6th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
People who travel with others are always asking me, confused, why I am alone. Eventually I figured out the response:
“Alone? Not really. The world is full of people.”
I have learned to make it clear to others that I am indeed alone, like sitting at a counter table or bar instead of a table. This seems to invite people to come join me.
August 6th, 2010 at 6:52 pm
I traveled across the US alone, moved to Germany alone, traveled through Europe and Turkey alone. But rarely was I really alone. People are fascinated by the sight of woman traveling alone, so I often had company in the form of families or other travelers or even cafe staff. I think everyone, but especially young women, should have the experience of traveling solo at least once. It helps you to realize that 1) the world is full of really nice people, and 2) you are perfectly capable, just as you are. You don’t need the security of the herd at all times.
August 6th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
“The stature of a man is measured by the amount of loneliness he can stand.” — Benito Mussolini
I think that’s an accurate statement.