The Pros and Cons of Solo Travel

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Pros of Solo Travel

PRO It’s brave and empowering. Not everyone is willing to take the leap and travel solo so not only is it brave, but solo travel makes you stronger and more confident. Successfully navigating a new-to-you city where you don’t speak the language takes life skills that they don’t teach in any school. This confidence applies not only to travel but to other areas of your life as well. Despite having a four-year degree, I’ve always felt that traveling solo gave me a far better practical education.

PRO You can save money. You manage your own budget and don’t have to keep up with the Joneses (aka: a traveling companion) who may have deeper pockets than you do. If you want to book a budget-friendly hostel and splurge on a MICHELIN Star dinner, no one’s going to question your priorities.

PRO You can do whatever your heart desires. Well, within legal and moral reason. Don’t end up in jail! But if you want to spend a week (or two or three) in Italy learning the language, there’s no one to throw up any objections because it’s not something they’re interested in. The only person you have to answer to is yourself and that’s a wonderful freedom to have while you’re traveling!

PRO Self-discovery. You learn a lot about yourself when you travel solo. When you get to pick all the activities without input from anyone else, you learn what you truly enjoy doing. When you eat alone or walk along the Seine alone, you spend time with your thoughts. When travel plans go sideways and you have to pivot, you learn skills and strengths you didn’t even know you had. You learn to trust your gut and avoid potential bad situations. Having time away from work and the pressures of daily life lets you focus on yourself and gain a better self-understanding.

PRO You can improve your language skills. Maybe, like me, you’ve got a few years of basic high school Spanish. Spending a week or longer immersed in a Spanish-speaking country as a solo traveler gives you a chance to improve your language skills. If you were traveling with an English-speaking friend, you’d have them to talk to. But if you’re traveling alone it pushes you to step outside your comfort zone and practice your language skills with locals. It may feel awkward at first and you will make mistakes (trust me, I’ve been there!) but the more you do, the more your skills will improve.

PRO You can meet new people and make new friends. One of my favorite memories from my safari trip to Tanzania happened during breakfast following my hot air balloon flight. I was seated with the balloon pilot, who was Australian, and a lovely Hungarian couple who brought Palinka (a Hungarian hard apple liqueur) from home in a water bottle. Their English was minimal and my Hungarian is non-existent, but we had a lovely “chat” with the English words they did know and charades. Then they insisted that we had to try the Palinka and the pilot and I ended up sharing a toast with them in the middle of the Serengeti.

PRO You can get the last seat at the bar. I say this half-jokingly, but I was recently on an overnight getaway in St. Augustine, Florida and the restaurant I wanted to eat at was quite crowded and had a waitlist. However, when the hostess saw that I was traveling solo, they said there was one open seat at the bar and it was mind if I wanted it. I sure did and was seated immediately, much to the dismay of the groups who had been told their wait time would be 40 minutes. It’s always easier to make room for “just one more” than it is for groups!

Cons of Solo Travel

CON It’s scary and hard. Sure, there are times when traveling solo can be a little overwhelming and uncomfortable. And for a lot of people, the unknown is scary. But growth and amazing things exist just outside your comfort zone and if you can push past that discomfort, amazing experiences and personal growth await!

CON It’s not safe. Anyplace and I mean any can be unsafe. Heck, even your hometown can have its unsafe moments. And sure, there are some places that you probably want to avoid (check the US Dept of State website for Travel Advisories) but as long as you do your pre-trip research, practice the same safe behaviors you’d use at home, and trust your gut, you can avoid most truly unsafe situations.

My favorite travel safety tips

CON It’s expensive. Honestly, it can be. Certain types of travel, like cruising, cater to couples and have double occupancy pricing. Heck, I want to go to Antarctica, but the double occupancy cruise pricing hurts me just to look at! Maybe someday! But you’ll also find that there are a huge number of options out there that don’t cost you an extra penny as a solo traveler. And sure, you may not have a buddy to split the cost of your hotel room with, but there are other more affordable options like hostels.

CON Decision fatigue. Sometimes you get tired of making choices and just want someone to say, “We’re having pizza for dinner tonight.” I get it and I’ve felt this way, especially if I’m overtired or under the weather. For the most part though, I love being in charge of my fate and being able to make the choices that best suit me.

CON It’s lonely. I mean, it can be. But sitting on your couch alone too, right? For me, I’d prefer to be lonely in a foreign country exploring temples or museums or taking a surf lesson. And if I’m craving connection, I’ll go out to dinner and sit at the bar or text some photos to a friend and share a story from my trip. (Note: I never post real-time on social media for safety, always after I get home). Another great way to be around people is to join a tour at your destination. You’ll get to see the sights and be around other travelers. Who knows, you might even make a new friend!

CON You get the crummy table crammed in by the kitchen. This can unfortunately be true. Some restaurants will give solo travelers the less desirable tables in favor of couples or groups getting the prime spots. I find that you can mitigate this somewhat by eating at off-peak hours when the restaurant isn’t particularly crowded and they’re not trying to pack the tables.

CON If you get sick, there’s no one to get you food or medicine. When I was in Japan I ended up under the weather with a high fever and body aches, but since I was traveling solo, I had to drag myself to the pharmacy for medicine and to the konbini for food.

CON It’s harder to get cool photos of yourself. Like most things, there are ways around this! You can always pack a tripod and I love this ring that lets me remotely take a photo on my iPhone. But what I also like to do from time to time is splurge and book a private photo shoot experience. It can be a fun way to connect with a local, do an interesting activity, and get great photos!

CON You don’t get to play passenger princess. I don’t love driving and I especially don’t love driving on the opposite side of the road than I’m used to. When you’re solo traveling, you’re stuck driving and navigating, and honestly, sometimes I miss being a passenger princess!

CON People might judge me. Who cares? The older I’ve gotten, the less I worry about what other people think of me, especially strangers. It’s incredibly freeing. That being said, I often find that the people I meet while traveling think it’s cool that I’m traveling solo and are excited to chat and hear about my experiences. Of course, there’s always going to be that one Negative Nancy, but don’t let that grumpy gal get you down when you’re living your best life sipping Aperol Spritzes in Rome.

CON This is a silly one, but it drives me nuts! When you have to pee at the airport you have to drag all your bags with you, rather than leaving them with your friend to watch while you take turns. Why are airport bathroom stalls so dang small? I told you, it’s silly, but it’s a definite con in my book!

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