The Perks of Being a Solo Backpacker
Nowadays’ almost unlimited freedom for getting around the globe and the continuous exposure to other travellers’ stories and experiences, steadily trigger and make it possible for people to enjoy first-hand the most exotic and uncharted territories.
However, to this day a lot of people remain hesitant about and discard the possibility of travelling solo. I can easily spot people’s surprise in their eyes every time they learn that I’m going on my next travel adventure, embarking on it with my backpack as my only companion. I can imagine what they are probably thinking:
Isn’t it dangerous? Don’t you get bored? Don’t you feel lonely? Don’t you have any friends to go with at all?
I still perfectly remember how it all came to the point of me backpacking solo for the first time. It started because of my master graduation, when I figured I deserved a big celebration and to treat myself with the trip of my lifetime: A month wandering around the stunning lands of New Zealand. At this point, none of my friends could possibly make use of the time and money that this trip required. I found myself dealing with an internal conflict about the fact that if I was indeed to go, I had to do so completely on my own. Until one day I simply asked myself: Why not?
Ever since, I try to travel solo as much as I can. It not only gives me the chance to share incredible experiences with great people from all over the world, but also to continuously grow as person. But, how?
1. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
How many times have you been hesitant about doing something that seemed to you out of the ordinary? Something that excited you but at the same time scared you because it’s new and different, or because it simply meant that you had to put yourself out there?
Travelling solo means that you’ll have to plan and stand on your own throughout your adventure. Humans are social animals and we love another people’s companion. Also, even if having a person by your side doesn’t per se solve a problem, such as your car breaking down in the middle of an empty road, it though sure gives you moral support and reduces the likelihood of you having a potential panic attack.
Backpacking on your own for the first time will quite likely scare the hell out of you, but it’ll also empower you as you’ll learn to go through your journey and withstand on your own, and to constantly be in charge of your decisions and actions.
2. You give room for self-discovery
In today’s busy world most of us barely spend time on our own, being constantly surrounded by colleagues at work, family, flatmates, or friends. Taking a break and being alone from time to time provides you with the opportunity for thought and reflection about yourself, your life, and the people around you that is so crucial for personal growth.
When travelling, you’re being constantly exposed to new experiences, beauty in multiple forms and interaction with cultures other than yours. When you’re on your own, you have the time to think about and evaluate yourself and everything that surrounds you, which is crucial for understanding where you stand, what you love and value, and who you ultimately are and want to be as a person.
3. You embark solo, but you’re hardly ever alone
People tend to have the wrong idea that when backpacking solo, you’re always alone and hence feeling asocial and lonely. This confusion might probably be caused by the term solo itself. However, while you embark on the trip on your own and you’re the one accountable for making decisions, you’re almost never alone (unless you really try).
If you’re travelling solo, you’ll probably stay in a shared dorm of a hostel (the cheapest and most social option for any backpacker). That means you’ll be constantly meeting new people, whether it’s in your dorm, at the hostel facilities, or during the many activities you’ll be part of. You’ll probably team up with other solo travellers or groups to do activities and trips together, and even move on to the next destination as a pack until someone decides that it’s time to go solo again. Which brings me to the next point…
4. What you do is exclusively your own choice
Let’s be honest: You can do whatever you want, whenever you feel like it. And the best part is that you don’t need to compromise and agree with anybody else but yourself.
Travelling solo is about total spontaneity and personal indulgence. Whether you feel like moving to the next destination or staying in the area for a bit longer, performing one activity or another, and doing so on your own or with other fellow travellers: Be my guest! You don’t need to answer to anyone.
5. You force yourself to meet new people
I really notice a big difference in the amount of new people I meet when I travel alone or with friends. When you’re alone, you self-compel to talk to other travellers unless you’re really looking for a hermit-like trip. You’re constantly talking and interacting with new people with a similar mind-set as yours: travelling around, learning about the world and its inhabitants and generally craving for freedom and discovery of new spots and experiences.
When you travel with someone else, you don’t have such a big need of interacting with other people because you already have your friends with you. Hence, unless you really have the goal of making new friendships in mind, it’s more likely that you’ll stay in your comfort zone and go around just with your friends.
6. You live intense short-term experiences
Backpackers’ way of travelling involves being constantly exposed to new people and immediately feeling connected and hanging-out for a while (which can range from one day to several weeks, or even months). Travelling together, doing different activities, trips, and sharing multiple intense experiences, and then sooner or later everyone will follow their own way. Regardless of the time you spend together, you’ll share experiences and discover great things around for a specific period and then the time to say goodbye will eventually come.
Coming back to the questions I posed in the beginning:
1. Isn’t it dangerous? No.
I can understand the safety concerns that pop-up when backpacking alone, especially for female travellers. However, the world itself can be a dangerous place, and that doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) stop you to live and make the most out of it. That said, of course you should always inform yourself and make a decision whether it’s worth the risk of travelling solo (there are a few places I wouldn’t go alone), and if so, take any necessary precautions.
2. Don’t you get bored? No.
You’ll be impressed of how many things you can enjoy on your own or with new people you meet around.
3. Don’t you feel lonely? No.
You’re constantly being “pushed” to be social and hang-out more with other fellow travellers, you can literally never be alone if you wish so.
4. Don’t you have any friends to go with at all? Yes.
But a) those have their own busy-bee lives, and b) being that the main reason why I started travelling solo on the first place, I now purposely do it this way regardless of whether I could travel with someone else or not.
Give it a try yourself. Fight those myths about traveling solo, break free and get lost somewhere you’ve always dreamed of. Life is too short to spend it in your comfort zone, and I can assure you, you’ll never feel the same way again…
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This post was originally published on my travel blog Wandering Serendipity. Don’t miss out my posts about Costa Rica and Azores.
