While traveling is a great hobby and lets you experience great things with either friends or family, I personally think the most immersive form of traveling is going solo. When you go on exploring all alone, you not only become more confident with all the obstacles you face but you learn a lot more than you would while traveling with someone.
My first solo trip
I visited Copenhagen for my first solo trip as it is one of the safest places one can visit alone. It was a great trip, so different from my previous one when I had visited there with a group of friends. And I didn’t simply travel solo, I planned the whole trip on my own as well. From finding cheapest flights from London Heathrow to Copenhagen Denmark to budget planning. I admit that things got a bit messy but I was determined to do things independently and when I came back from my wonderful journey, I had more confidence in my own self.
Is traveling solo safe?
Well, it depends where you’re planning to visit. Some cities or countries are ideal for solo travelers while other not so much. Here are top three things that make it safe for solo travel so wherever you’re planning to visit, just look up if the place has all these among other things:
- Low crime rate: This is clearly very important because you can’t have a good time while guarding your things like some gatekeeper.
- High tourism: If a place has a lot of tourism, chances are that it has enough facilities to accommodate solo travelers as well.
- Popular for solo travel: Nothing is more assuring than learning that someone had a positive experience there while visiting alone. Look up travel logs and see how many people recommend the place for traveling solo.
General precautions
Since you’ll be on your own, I highly suggest that you don’t take along to much luggage so it’s easier to look after it. And even though you’ll have more chances of interacting with strangers, locals or otherwise, you should still stay defensive and not be too gullible. Last but not least, stay alert. Being aware of your surroundings will keep you a lot safer than normal. Of course, don’t let any of this hinder your fun but for me, a balance of alertness and fun is a good way to discipline oneself.
Things that make solo travel great
- Total freedom
For me, this one was the best part. Previously, I always had to compromise for my companions and couldn’t go on random strolls to just take in the atmosphere. I guess I’m one of those travelers who wish for a quiet trip. So when I visited alone, I could do whatever and whenever I wanted. The freedom to just do what my heart wanted was a wonderful experience. And since it was just me, I saved up a lot of money and managed to dine at some high-end restaurants as well.
- A more immersive experience
When you travel alone you focus more on the destination than on other things. When you have no to distract you, you get a chance to truly take in the sights and the sounds. This allows you to learn more about the culture and also about yourself in a way. By learning about different cultures you tend to become more diverse, accepting other races more easily. This happened to me on my solo trip to Copenhagen. Even though I had already seen most of the charming city, I still felt like I was visiting for the very first time. Really cool experience.
- Better opportunity to meet new people
When you have companions along, you won’t be looking for company. But when you travel alone you are more open to the idea of making new friends. Besides when you travel alone, you look more approachable so even local people find it easy to talk to you. Just be careful though and don’t trust strangers all that easily.
- Increased self-confidence
When you do something on your own and get good results you start to believe in yourself more. And when you travel alone, you’re likely to encounter many obstacles and when you overcome them, you get a nice confidence boost. This not only teaches you how to deal with things on your own but also to trust your abilities. One thing though, if something doesn’t go right or if you fall for some obvious tourist trap, don’t be discouraged. Everyone makes mistakes, but the wiser ones simply learn from them and move on.
- You can do random silly things
When you travel with friends or family there is a certain level of hesitation. You’d rather not make a fool of yourself in front of people that are close to you but when you travel alone you can let go and just have fun. Anyone there is simply a passerby in your life so you don’t need to worry about lasting impressions. Oh, all the silly things I’ve done when I traveled alone. Still makes me smile.
- Gives you time to reflect
With all the alone time you get from traveling solo, you’re given the opportunity to reflect on your life and get your thoughts in order. If you’re someone that has some kind of emotional unfinished business then solo travel can give you the breathing space to sort that out. By being alone you can choose whether to have a wild fun trip or a calm peaceful one. Whichever helps you the best you feel a lot better after your solo trip.
- Flexible plans
Since it’ll be just you, you can change your plans last minute. If you’ve made a reservation somewhere but don’t feel like going there then you don’t have to. Just call and cancel it. Of course, you can’t do that when traveling with people because you need to be considerate of their choices as well. Like when I visited Bangkok alone, I had made a reservation at this amazing spa, but surprisingly the weather that day was really good so I canceled that and enjoyed a nice stroll at the Lumpini Park.
- You manage your own time
When you travel solo, you only need to follow your own schedule. If you like someplace you’re free to spend as much or as less time as you please. Of course, this isn’t possible with group or family travel because you need to work with everyone to make the trip better. I remember my solo trip to Copenhagen, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at Café Miao just cuddling up with cute cats. No regrets, those furballs were worth every second.
- It makes for a great challenge
When you’re forced to deal with everything on your own, you become more self-reliant. This helps you in your everyday life as well. Plus that sense of achievement you get once you come back from your trip is just amazing. You may even get hooked to the feeling!
