People who know me are well aware of my solo travel adventures.  One of the most common questions I get asked is; aren’t you scared to travel on your own.  My simple answer is no, my honest answer is not really. I think traveling on your own is an incredible gift that you can give to yourself for so many reasons. But today I’ve limited to my 10 reasons why it’s amazing to travel on your own.

10 Reasons Why Solo Travel is Amazing

1. The People You Meet

Whenever you rock up to a new destination you have butterflies in your stomach. I’m wondering if inside the accommodation I will love the people or won’t be sad to say goodbye to them.

You make friends as you travel, you do in everyday life. And just like in general life, on the road, you can meet people who become some of your closest friends. I’ve got dear friends spread out around the world who I have strong bonds with that others can’t understand.

Don’t get me wrong, if you travel with a companion or a group you still meet people. But when you travel with someone/others you have companionship already. It doesn’t matter if you meet people or not, you have each other.

I have caught up with close travel friends years down the track. Meeting up in places like Madrid, Hawaii, Perth, Bogota, Edinburgh, several times in London and Melbourne and even my hometowns Brisbane and Mackay.

2. Believing In Yourself; Confidence and Strength

No one is there to back you up or give you confidence. You stand alone. There is a barrier to push that you need to know that you can do this. Solo travel is not for everyone, travel is not for everyone. You’ve got to be able to feel secure with yourself and have the strength that you don’t need anyone. At the end of the day, no one is there to take your photo, eat with you, party with you, share your highs and lows.

Believing that you can travel the world on your own is an incredible feeling and validation. When I was younger I never would’ve thought I could hop on a plane and go to Brazil on my own. No one gave me that strength, I had to find it and embrace it myself. For me this is a one of the top reasons why it’s amazing to travel on your own.

3. Independence and Freedom

This is the biggest and best part of solo travel. For years, friends have heard me say “I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.” You cannot compare independence and freedom on another level than when it comes to you and the world. I make all the decisions on my own. No need to ask for opinions, feedback or negotiations on anything. If I say I want to go to Colombia, I’ll go (which I’m currently in this beautiful country again). One of my favourite quotes is from Hannah Arendt.

“Loving life is easy when you are abroad. Where no one knows you and you hold your life in your own hands all alone, you are more master of yourself than at any other time”

4. Admiration For Other Solo Travelers

When you meet other solo travelers, there’s a connection already. You’ve left your loved ones behind, grabbed a bag and headed out on your own. Hearing the stories of how they became solo traveler’s or why they became solo traveler’s is always interesting. Their experiences are so much personal as you can relate to similar feelings and stories. Just like if you’re on a 1-year honeymoon and meet another couple who are on a six-month honeymoon. You can relate with the perks and downfalls.

5. Respect and Admiration From Others

Anyone likes to hear people say nice things about themselves. This also applies to solo travel. Over the years I’ve had heaps of people say they admire how I can just get up and go travel on my own. They know it isn’t easy and it can be very lonely. Getting that recognition makes me smile and it’s a reminder that I am a strong person who constantly says hi and bye to people and places more than others.

6. Love My Own Company

This will either be present right from the beginning or it happens within time while traveling on your own. After all, if you don’t like your own company you will either be miserable or constantly chase people. I wasn’t ready for solo travel when it happened to me, but I embraced it. It took a little rewiring and I never looked back.

I do not need to travel with someone and I don’t ask if anyone wants to join. Happiness comes from within and I am happy with who I am. Through traveling so far I found that it doesn’t matter if no one shares my travel memories with me. My travel stories are private and you can’t get every story out of me because some wouldn’t approve of them. If you doubt yourself, keep going, one day it’ll click and you know that you are enough.

7. No Need To Rely On Anyone

This one is a big one when it comes to solo travel. This ties in with a few other reasons why it’s amazing to travel on your own. You don’t need to miss out on things because the other/s don’t/doesn’t want to spend money or time on it. You may want to go to Europe in December and your companion/s hate winter.

You also don’t have to wait for that validation from someone else, but you validate yourself. If you don’t want to do something you don’t have to. Further strength bursts through when you take a leap and no one had to push you.

8. My Budget and Style Is My Own

I stay in hotels, Airbnb’s, hostels, with friends and have dabbled in couch surfing, camping and van life. But depending on budgets and style of travel, it can vary and you’ve got to be on the same wavelength as others. If you’re on your own you can be in a cheap hotel one night and in a dorm room with 21 people the next (yes, I stayed in a 22 bed dorm in Copenhagen). The choice is yours with how much money you want to spend and which style of accommodation you want.

9. No Fighting With Anyone

I’ve traveled with friends and family in the past and it has been memorable, incredible and the best times of my life. It also can be super sh*t when you have arguments, disagreements and silence until reconciliation. Traveling 24/7 with someone or a group of people is full on. When you’re on your own you can go through all the emotions and deal with it yourself and move on.

10. Owning It

Traveling on your own is not for everyone and that’s fine. Some people talk about me and say unkind things. Whatever. I think those people know they can’t do it themselves, they’re jealous or they’ve got nothing else better to talk about. I roll with traveling on my own because I love it. Like people who skydive, take dancing classes, become parents or write a novel – they own it. So do I.

There’s a crazy feeling of boldness and excitement when you arrive at the international airport. You check in to your flight, pass border control and get to your gate. When your ticket gets scanned and you take your seat. The last cabin door closes and your plane pushes back. The engines roar and the plane speeds down the runway. The tyres lift off from the tarmac and your dream is a reality.

That’s my list of reasons why it’s amazing to travel on your own!

It’s Not All Sunshine And Rainbows When You Travel On Your Own Though

I would absolutely be lying if I said I never get lonely, or wish someone was with me at some points. At the end of the day, you’ve got no one to share it with. There are pros and cons to everything in life and catch 22’s. While there is plenty of reasons why I am not scared to travel on my own, there are also reasons why it’s hard to travel alone. Read my 10 Reasons Why Traveling On Your Own Is Bad.

However, there are still so many more reasons why I love traveling on my own and I’m going to keep rocking it.

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