The magic behind a solo trip

And why everybody should travel on their own - at least once.

Everybody has heard about it: solo traveling. The popular trend of booking a ticket to the furthest possible place and taking a backpack as your only travel buddy, is growing — and it is growing fast. Both male and female travelers have been increasingly daring to adventure alone. And although the benefits of it are endless, there is still a big number of people who doubt. Who wait. Who stay.

But… why?

“Solo traveling is not for everybody” was the most common answer we got when asking around for a possible reason. This might be true to some extent, but there is an undeniable truth behind solo traveling that can’t be ignored: when you are out there on your own, you change for the better.

Solo traveling not only makes you understand more about who you are as an individual, but it actually connects you to the rest of the world in a completely new way. You suddenly grow relationships with people you would have never met and appreciate things you would have otherwise never really noticed. Not because you are in an unfamiliar place, but rather because you aren’t with familiar people.

See, taking away that travel partner of yours or that tight group of friends with which you would usually be globe trotting around, will catapult you to a completely different level of traveling. And sure, all types of traveling connect you to new cultures and make you develop as a person, but being solo adds that little cherry on top.

You’ ll have to get out of that comfort bubble. And when you do so, things start to change.

First of all, finding yourself alone in a new country will inevitably push you to talk to strangers. Unless you want your trip to turn into a silent self-discovery journey with a 0% human interaction rate, you will be forced to be more extrovertive. You will start asking, complimenting, making eye contact. Connecting.

Aka: Getting out of your comfort zone.

Secondly, you will slowly but surely try new things and even become more spontaneous. Why? Well, when you become friends with new people you are unconsciously opening a door to their own interests. Therefore, you’ll join activities and experiences that you would have never attempted to do otherwise, even while being abroad!

Aka: Getting out of your comfort zone.

Next, being solo will make you a more confident and independent person. Challenges and setbacks are a part of traveling — everyone knows that — but when you are alone you actually need to find your the solutions yourself. There is no one there to help you out.

Aka: Getting out of your comfort zone.

And lastly, traveling solo will skyrocket your sense of self awareness. See, in those few times where you are actually alone (which won’t be that many), all the moments and lessons of your trip will put you in a level of self-reflection you had never experienced before. Questions like “who am I?”, “what are my passions?” or “what am I good at?” will start to write themselves down in your head — without stress, without doubts, without fear.

“Traveling alone will be the scariest but also the most liberating and life-changing experience of your life. Try it at least once!”

This quote pretty much sums it up. This is what solo-traveling will do for you. And even if your first solo trip might not be a perfect one, it will change you. Before you know it, that “uncomfortable” side of being alone will bloom into becoming your number one asset for the future.

So just do it.