Anyone do any solo travelling? What's it like?

[CharlesAznable]

I've never been much of a traveller but recently got the travel bug and want to try it. Unfortunately my income is a lot higher than most of my friends, so I'm unable to do it much with them. I was opposses at first, but have gotten increasingly more curious about it. Anyone have any experience doing this? I want to start domestically, with visiting other parts of the US first, but also want to eventually try it internationally as well.

 

[UnluckyKate]

It's great. Go where you want, see what you want, for as long or as short as you want if its better or disapointing.

I've travelled solo for a bit, sure its not as fun as sharing the experience, sights, food and memories with friends / loved one / familly but it can be VERY cool nonetheless to not compromise and just do what you want.

 

[Deleted member 33533]

I always wanted to do it as well. I just fear that it'll be a lonely experience as I'm not the most extroverted person.

 

[turbobrick]

I'm not much of a fan. Last time I went to Japan I was mostly by myself except when I met up with friends, and when I was by myself I was kinda bored. I mostly just like having someone to talk with about stuff.

 

[wenis]

Pretty neat. Just doing whatever you want. No planning if that's not your bag, meals are cheap if you want them to be and you can stay or leave as soon or as late as you want. Great way to travel.

 

[Temascos]

It's great for nature exploring! But I really struggle with breaking the ice with people in places like bars and clubs, so for social stuff it's not been good lol.

But setting your own time, pace and goals with no pressure otherwise is FANTASTIC.

 

[Justin Bailey]

I think that unless you're the type of person that can strike up a conversation with folks you don't know pretty easily, it would be kinda boring.

 

[Makoto Yuki]

It's fantastic just be careful and aware of your surroundings.

I found it so liberating going to a different country and just exploring without having to plan with others. Just doing what I feel like or see at a whim.

 

[Lari]

I'd love to travel by myself but I wouldn't feel safe in the slightest so it's probably never going to happen.

 

[Saturday]

Magnificent. Travelling long-term on your own schedule is great.

But definitely a more challenging experience. Less of a safety net, for one.

There are plenty of other solo travellers out there, so while you do have to be social, it's not uncommon to be invited/tangled up with other traveller groups. You do have to tailor your experiences accordingly; a lone traveller in a club is different than a lone traveller in a bar.

 

[KillLaCam]

Its fun. As long as you're comfortable trying to meet new people I think it can be an enjoyable experience.

Traveling solo or with 1 other person is the most enjoyable for me because you have way less restrictions on what you can do.

 

[KamenSenshi]

It's very fun like traveling in general. You set your own schedule or don't, plan a day or don't. Choose a direction and see what's there. To just go exploring is awesome, find lots of good diners and such that way.

 

[gozu]

I traveled solo a couple of times. I was hoping to have some fun with someone local. had a 50% success rate.

It's not as fun as traveling with friends or SO but both trips were enjoyable. I did end up reading a lot though, so maybe I didn't make the most sightseeing possible.

 

[krae_man]

I do it a lot. You need to plan your trips and have stuff to do. It's no fun paying for flights and hotels only to not go anywhere.

 

[nullref]

I had a job for a while that gave me opportunities for interesting travel, and I'd take advantage by tacking on some vacation days to those trips. But while I managed to have some memorable experiences, I don't know if it's my thing. I'm not naturally very social nor much for planning in advance, so it was a struggle at times to keep things fun and interesting.

Going solo to a South African safari resort was so awkward it flipped around and became kind of fun.

 

[lake]

Highly recommended.

But yeah, as someone said you need to have a well-developed plan about what you want to do so you don't end up just sitting around freaking out over wasting your valuable vacation time not doing anything.

 

[entremet]

It's the best. Also great way to meet others. Group travel, which is great, tends to be insular by nature. It's not a knock btw, it's just the facts.

I've made international friends this way.

 

[Tuorom]

Unless you can easily make friends you will probably be lonely at some point if you're just being a tourist in cities or something.

But if you have some good activities planned like say going to Austria to snowboard. Super fun to do stuff like that by yourself.

Also, I find it much more satisfying to do volunteer work abroad (and you meet some nice people). Staying in one spot and getting to actually know the area is a great feeling. Example I did 10 weeks giving tours in Costa Rica and my fondest memory is the atmosphere of the place. It was up in the mountains, the people were friendly, the food was good, and the flora and fauna were really interesting. Leaf Cutter Ant highways, Howler Monkeys, and my favourite the Bell Bird. Just great sights and sounds that I wouldn't have fully appreciated had I just stopped through for a day or so.

 

[bangai-o]

I think that unless you're the type of person that can strike up a conversation with folks you don't know pretty easily, it would be kinda boring.

Click to shrink...

I think people try to go solo traveling for the sake of getting away from other people.

 

[Senator Toadstool]

I do. Won't do big trips for another year or so until hostel traveling as safer.

it's fine precovid if youre young you can meet people and there's always tours and what not. I also liked being able to decide on my own when to do things and change things up

 

[Senator Toadstool]

I think that unless you're the type of person that can strike up a conversation with folks you don't know pretty easily, it would be kinda boring.

Click to shrink...

I mean this isn't hard. There's tons of tours, especially walking tours where you can meet people if your willing to and grab lunch or a museum afterwords.

Nature travel would be boring though

 

[maigret]

I've done it a few times in the US and Europe. It's great because you don't have to worry about someone else's schedule or agenda or interests. However you may experience loneliness especially if you're more of an outgoing type. I'm very introverted but even I have felt lonely at times during these solo trips. I like to plan my days usually because if I have too much open time I may find my thoughts wandering and start to feel lonely. It is perfectly natural to feel that way though and there are ways to deal with it as a solo traveler.

I would recommend actually looking into hostels wherever you travel because that can be a good way to socialize with very little expectations. You don't even have to stay in one (or if you do, you can book a solo room if you need your own space), since in most major cities you can find hostels that have bars or restaurants. That's a great way to meet other travelers if you're feeling the need to socialize. However hostels are really not that common in the US the way they are in Europe so for domestic travel you don't have many options. You'd probably want to look into some online option when traveling in the US - either a subreddit or maybe find someone here from ResetERA who wants to hang out.

My first solo travel was NYC. It was awesome, I got to experience all kinds of new things that I wouldn't have if I was waiting on taking that trip with somebody else... The same can be said for a lot of trips - if I didn't take the leap and do it, by myself, I was going to be waiting forever. My advice is if you want to go somewhere, don't be afraid to go by yourself, you may not have another opportunity.

It also taught me that I'm stronger than I thought and more independent. I never considered these aspects of myself before I did any solo traveling. It can be a good learning experience being by yourself and having to rely on yourself for everything. It also removes you from your comfort zone which is good to do periodically.

Also there's a subreddit for solo travelers that has lots of good tips and advice, especially location specific:

www.reddit.com/r/solotravel

 

[RetroHippie]

It depends. I consider myself more introverted than extroverted but keep in mind that travel may put you in a mindset where you're more open to share your experiences. So even if you're introverted you may find yourself getting the blues after a while.

I've solo traveled a lot and the best advice I can give is to PLAN YOUR TRIP as best as possible. If you're wandering a city or country without having much of an itinerary, it can really affect your mood since you may be less inclined to be spontaneous without someone else with you. Other advice is to step out of your comfort zone, with an app to meet people as a minimum.

 

[Gernau Morat Gurgeh]

Personally I love it.

 

[nitewulf]

Yes, it's very cool.

 

[Pbae]

I love traveling solo. It's so very rewarding and you learn lots more about yourself and the destinations you choose. I was hesitant originally because I too thought it would be lonely and scary but after experiencing it, I wish I took the plunge earlier in my life.

After landing the journey is at your beck and call. You want to see monuments and the sights? Go for it. You want to have a lazy morning and eat a late brunch with the locales? You got it. Want to throw some pints back and start a fling in a new continent? Yep, yep.

Just be sure to do your studies especially with all the covid restrictions. For instance, you need to have a negative covid test result within three days of arrival to enter back into the US. I made sure to locate a rapid test facility and was all good to go coming back but some were denied boarding because they lacked the documents.

 

[Deleted member 2533]

I backpacked around Europe for 9mo about a decade ago. I just stayed in hostels and campgrounds. There are some hostel booking sites that I used. Also check directly with the hostels themselves because that's sometimes cheaper. You can also get an ultralight single-person tent, an inflatable bedroll, and a lighter sleeping bag and that gear can fit into a backpack no problem.

Get a couple pairs of quick-dry socks/underwear/shirts and you can wash them in a sink and hang dry them really quick.

Rolling, rather than folding clothes seems to work.

I ended up doing a small suitcase and a small backpack, so one checked and one carry-on bag if I needed to fly. Some people just like one giant bag, but that seems like a hassle.

 

[Justin Bailey]

I think people try to go solo traveling for the sake of getting away from other people.

Click to shrink...

Depends on where you go but if you travel to another city somewhere you're going to be around a lot of people.

I mean this isn't hard. There's tons of tours, especially walking tours where you can meet people if your willing to and grab lunch or a museum afterwords.

Nature travel would be boring though

Click to shrink...

It depends on your personality. For example, I am barely an extrovert and it takes me a while to feel comfortable in a new environment, so by the time I got to that point it would probably be time to leave.

 

[Tavernade]

I've done it but only to Disney parks (both Land and World). It's pretty great. I'll likely be doing a semi-solo trip to Japan once this whole everything going right now goes back to normal.

Low-key the best thing about solo traveling is if you're in a bad mood or having a bad day you can just… not tell anyone.

The worst thing is that there are certain experiences which just feel kinda awkward doing solo. Luckily those experiences are generally the more expensive ones so you save some money avoiding them.

 

[Glasgow Mega-Snake]

Has it's pros and cons, but definitely worth trying

What's missing are of course the shared memories, stories you can look back at together with your friends years later. Unless you happen to make actual friends along the way, and not just acquaintances you'll never see again.
Still, if you're staying in hostels, it's pretty easy to meet people and maybe even visit some sights together (and I'm saying that as someone who's normally terrible at approaching strangers)

But what's great about it is the freedom of just doing just whatever you want in a foreign country. When you travel in a group, in the end every decision is a compromise, and you might not go to, dunno, that one museum or out-of-the-way sight you really wanted to see, because of course others have their preferences, too. Alone you can just go for it.
Want to be a masochistic traveller who tries to take in every sight in a city you can possible cram into a day? Do it! Want to just ignore all museums and high-culture stuff and just spend the day at the beach? Do it!

 

[bangai-o]

Depends on where you go but if you travel to another city somewhere you're going to be around a lot of people.

Click to shrink...

Being around people versus actually talking to people. That's what I mean. Sometimes people just want to go on vacation to get away from having to talk to people.

 

[Doggg]

I did it for a few years. It's challenging and can be stressful, but you learn a lot about yourself and the rest of the world.

 

[julia crawford]

It's so good

 

[sirap]

It's fun and I miss being able to travel. Travelling alone with a camera is an incredible experience.

 

[John Dunbar]

I've never been much of a traveller but recently got the travel bug and want to try it. Unfortunately my income is a lot higher than most of my friends, so I'm unable to do it much with them. I was opposses at first, but have gotten increasingly more curious about it. Anyone have any experience doing this? I want to start domestically, with visiting other parts of the US first, but also want to eventually try it internationally as well.

Click to shrink...

this sentence is kinda fucked up.

1. "unfortunately" your income is a lot higher than your friends? that must be so hard for you.
2. you are able to do it with them just fine, they might be unable to do it with you if you are only interested in luxury travel.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

I'm assuming it depends on how comfortable you are in any setting being by yourself. I've traveled alone and love it but I'm also perfectly happy being by myself anyway. It's no problem for me to go to a restaurant or movies or whatever alone, so wandering around a new city or country by myself doesn't feel any less comfortable. If you don't like doing things locally without company, I imagine you wouldn't like traveling without company either.

 

[SP.]

Depends on the destination but I find it to be a pretty incredible time for the most part. You'll get a lot of people around you that think it's weird but just ignore it.

 

[Deleted member 27938]

I used to travel for work. During the day I'd be busy but at night it was open game. I'd make a list of all the tourist stuff, shops, restaurants etc I wanted to do and cram in as much as possible each night. No kids and family, just me, it was great. Thing is, I found myself a little sad that they weren't there with me and I'd spend the whole time buying stuff for them.

If traveling alone is your only realistic option, then go for it. Better that than to never go at all

 

[CharlesAznable]

this sentence is kinda fucked up.

1. "unfortunately" your income is a lot higher than your friends? that must be so hard for you.
2. you are able to do it with them just fine, they might be unable to do it with you if you are only interested in luxury travel.

Click to shrink...

Except i've asked them directly and they've said they don't have the money too and I say "unfortunately" because i'd like to travel with them, but they can't do it. If you're going to make presumptuous remarks and not contribute you can fuck off.

 

[____]

Fanfuckintastic is what it is

 

[MisterSnrub]

Enormously liberating, easy to drift into new social circles all the time. Also easy to make and change plans because it's just you. Also to get laid. Do it.

 

[ninnanuam]

I enjoy it.
I like being able to set my own schedule. It takes alot of the pressure off and it means if you do at some point crave human interaction you will have to put yourself out there a bit.

I like it to the point that usually even if I am travelling with friends I will try and add a couple of days or a week at the beginning or end to go solo.

 

[Darren Lamb]

I've done a little solo traveling while in Europe, and a week in Mexico I guess. On the whole it was great, and I'd highly recommend it, but I did find it difficult at times. I could generally find enough activities to keep me occupied, but it was the "where should I grab dinner?" or "should I try to hang out with the hostelers?" that I found tough to navigate. I'm pretty reserved though, so it might be easier for you to meet people.

I did get better at realizing what I liked to do solo, though. Museums, hikes, long runs, ruins/historical sites, concerts, and bike tours were sure bets. Irish pubs were also a familiar place, tended to go to those to watch soccer games and usually had a good time. Also felt super comfortable in the UK and Ireland coming from Boston

 

[Griffith]

I only traveled alone once, to a country foreign to me, where I didn't understand the language and where for the first time I felt discrimination for being a foreigner and for not speaking the country's language. It was an enlightening experience to me because most of the time, I only had myself to contend with and it helped me discover more about who I was, what I truly enjoyed doing and being more selective with the things I chose to enjoy or appreciate.

Wherever you go, your journey will only be as good as how much you appreciate yourself and how much you enjoy stepping out of your comfort zone to find new things.

 

[robot]

I backpacked by myself through Japan for two months and had a blast. I'm a pretty introverted person but figured out a routine that worked for me.

I kept a travel blog and updated friends and family with pictures all the time. Seeing their comments kept me connected with them.

For actual traveling I was poor and had to stick with hostels, but I think that helped a lot too. It was easy to socialize with other travelers whenever I wanted, or set off on my own if I wanted some quiet. Eventually I got to be friends with the staff of one hostel and came back there several times as sort-of a "home base" when I was on the way to new places.

All of that kept me from feeling lonely and isolated even for such a long travel time.

 

[Roxas]

I worked abroad and traveled on my own while I was there, it sure gets lonely, but you can make it work, specially if where you're going is interesting. Keeping the family updated/video calls from interesting spots also helps a lot

 

[TheKid]

I did a cross country trip around the us by myself and realized about halfway through that most people did not want my Hispanic ass around. Also was bored most of the time and I felt like I was just checking off things from a list just because they were there. A real bummer. Glad I saved some of the good stuff to see with my now gf , way funner this way

 

[Deleted member 4090]

Liberating. I feel like I accomplish about twice as much per day when I travel solo than I do with friends, and maybe even more.

 

[Dyle]

Higher highs, lower lows. Would not recommend if possible without significantly more planning than group trips

 

[Senator Toadstool]

for people saying planning is necessary what do you mean?

I get for like catching a plane or train. but my daily itinerary? I'd have a rough idea but if I saw a cool museum or hike, I liked the freedom not to have firm plans, and could just do what I wanted and make the decision then and there