Solo travel is the ultimate form of self-care – learning to find delight in your own company against the backdrop of an unexplored city brings a new light to both. It’s not often we’re gifted with the time to inwardly and outwardly reflect without the rush of others around us (excited kids and chatty friends, we’re looking at you). Although it may seem daunting to fly solo, we’re here to lay out some of the top benefits of solo travel. Read on to discover what makes spending your precious time alone so worth it...
- A Completely Flexible Itinerary
- Meet New People
- Learn More About Yourself
- Improve Your Language Skills
1
A Completely Flexible Itinerary
Do you like to mooch around art galleries? Or hike through the jungle? Or kick back and people watch from a pavement cafe? Travelling by yourself means you get to decide exactly how you spend your precious holiday time. You could spend the morning absorbing all the ancient history of Athens, then pivot your plans and spend the rest of the day indulging in Greek culinary delights. Without the mixing pot of multiple people’s preferences, your itinerary is as flexible as a circus act – museums, beaches, restaurants, hikes and shopping lay at your feet, ready to be enjoyed in whichever order you desire. It’s one of the main benefits of solo travel – you can be utterly selfish in your fulfillments, and no one will bat an eye.
2
Meet New People
While it’s true that solo travel can be spent – as the name suggests – completely solo, if the thought of being a little too alone fills you with dread, fear not. The world is full of friendly faces and you can often strike up a conversation no matter where you find yourself. Whether you’re at a bar trying to amusingly grapple the meaning of a foreign language joke, or by the pool chatting to someone you just met who it turns out lives two streets away from you back home (it happens!), there’s no shortage of delightful people to meet and conversations to be had. You never know, maybe you’ll even have your own Before Sunrise moment as you arrive by train into charming Vienna...
3
Learn More About Yourself
Self-reflection is scary. It’s why meditation is hard, self-help books aren’t for everyone and therapy can leave you feeling a little too exposed. And yet, it’s one of the best ways to develop as a person. Frustrating, right? But what if you could unintentionally find out how you cope under pressure, how far your patience stretches and how you deal with alone time all while on holiday? One of the benefits of solo travel is that it opens doors into parts of yourself that may have been previously unexplored. Approaching a group of strangers takes courage, navigating a foreign language tests adaptability, and overcoming bumps in the road (we can help there) teaches you to listen to your intuition. It’s why we love solo travel – it teaches you how to truly understand yourself.
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Improve Your Language Skills
Travelling with a group makes it all too easy to stick with what you know, fumbling your way around in English knowing you have safety in numbers when it comes to translation. But venturing out solo removes that safety net – you have no choice but to throw yourself in headfirst. Ordering something in French, greeting someone in German or asking for directions in Spanish are small but mighty ways to practice a new language. You may receive a questioning raised eyebrow or incomprehensible response, but the fun is in the sheer art of trying.
Written by Evie Buller