Perks and Perils of Traveling Solo

Traveling solo has been something I have done quite a few times and every time I do so, people ask me what it’s like. I had traveled to Leh solo for 9 days back in 2014 and I went to Nepal for a week a couple weeks back apart from doing numerous single-day trips to small hill stations or places of interest. I was also planning a 3-month solo backpack to Central Europe but apparently you don’t get tourist visa to Europe for more than a month. Nevertheless, here are a few aspects of traveling solo, perils first:

Safety

This is probably the first thing which comes to mind when you think about traveling solo. And mind you this will bother people around you more like your mother and girlfriend than it will bother you. But you tend to feel that you’re more vulnerable when you’re alone which could actually be true in case of women as I have heard from some of the solo women travellers. But for men, I guess it’s probably the same. Sometimes you think that your options get curtailed and you tend to get less adventurous when you’re alone. But I think it’s just about being aware of your surroundings and the situation which you also have to do if you’re in a group. I’m someone who normally takes charge when in a group and think about these things any way. The thumb rule has to be you’ll have to be more cautious and more aware.

Lethargy

Most people don’t realize this to be a peril but it’s a very important one. When you’re solo, you tend to go to less attractions in a city. For example, you’d want to skip the temples, museums, even clubs when you’re alone as these are things you usually do in groups as there is a need to discuss things. You’d believe you’ll have more fun chilling in your hotel room or just taking a nonchalant walk down the lane compared to these things. So yes things do get missed out when you’re traveling solo. When you’re in a group, even if sometimes you don’t have a lot of interest in ‘covering a city’, there will always be others to push you.

Boredom

Yes this happens. Not all days are equal fun. There are days when you’re just missing people to talk to. More so if you don’t have internet to keep you company. You don’t know how to pass the time as you don’t feel like going out as well. And then you tend to think about random things. You might start questioning your decision to come alone. Then there is the entire existential crisis which looms as well. The best thing to do in such situations is to realize that this has got nothing to do with travel. It can happen in your daily life as well. You’re alone at home with no plans and nothing to watch on internet too. But you still find something to keep yourself engaged in. And that’s exactly what you should do while traveling alone too. Read a book maybe. Read more about where you are and it’s history. Or Tinder. :)

Now that you’re aware of the perils, it’s time to talk about the perks:

No Cancellation

One of the biggest reasons I started traveling solo is because every time you plan something with other people, it almost always never pans out. I realized I have more penchant to travel than my friends/family and more time to make that happen too. Other people might not have the same so why let that be an obstacle in what you want to do. When you’re the only one, no one can cancel on you. Agreed that it’s difficult to warm yourself upto the idea of traveling solo the first time but like most other things, once you do it, you’ll fall in love with the idea of it. When I did for the first time, the circumstances were just too ripe for it. Both my friends cancelled on me for our Leh 2014 trip with genuine reasons and we had booked damn cheap flights. It felt too much to cancel and I said what the heck, it’s just nine days.

Diverse friendships

When you’re traveling alone, you’re obviously more open to talking to other people. When you’re in a group, everywhere you go, you’re mostly sticking to your group. It could be that you don’t feel the need to interact with others or you’re just plain shy. But when you’re alone, what option do you have. I have been able to forge some of the most amazing friendships when I have traveled solo and unfortunately none nearly as amazing when I have traveled in groups. Be it Tenzing who took me to most amazing places in Leh or the lawyers from Mumbai who I met in Leh and who became my Old Monk partners at night. Be it the three amazing cafe owners in Pokhara who had wonderful stories to tell about how beautiful Nepal is or the wonderful woman from Spain I met in Kathmandu who was traveling alone in Nepal for 3 months. You meet really cool people with amazing stories to tell which enrich your entire experience like nothing else.

Observation

Most people associate solo travel with internal soul-searching owing to the fact that you have a lot of time to just think about yourself. But why do that when you can observe other people and grasp their culture. A big part of traveling to different places is the local people and their cultural differences with respect to you. I love figuring out their way of life and how life would have been had you were born and lived there. You can learn about what makes them happy, their insecurities and draw patterns and interesting insights just by observing people. Like women are unnaturally shy in Nepal when it comes to interacting with other people but are no less when it comes to other things like their taste in music or the way they dress. That the Nepalese culture is really similar to that of India except maybe a few minor differences like the way married women wear their sindoor or the lesser affinity men have to wearing Jeans pants.

I hope these insights help you get rid of the uncertainties that you frighten you so when plan to travel solo. And when you do, ping me. I am a sucker for stories.

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