If you love travel, then you probably surround yourself with people who love it as well. If this is the case, you've probably been told how much fun Solo Travel can be. People say it's liberating; some say it's a must for every nomad. If you are on the fence about Solo Travel, read on to see why it may be an inevitable but enjoyable experience!
You get to vacay on YOUR time
You get to vacay according to your own rules! You may want to sleep late, and tour the city after breakfast and yoga by the beach. Or perhaps you want to spend the day wandering throughout museums, or reading french books on the sidewalk in Paris. Whatever you want to do, you can.
You will find the world is not as scary as people make it
Traveling along forces you to meet new people and potentially make new friends. Through this experience you will find that people all over the world can be genuinely nice! Having experienced talking with a native in a foreign country will allow you to make your own educated judgement on the people of the world. You may even leave feeling more connected to a place than before, if you engage with locals.
Yes, it is liberating
There is nothing more liberating than doing something major on your own with no help! Like the first time you rode your bike without training wheels or swam without a life jacket, solo travel is the first time you will ever conquer the world (or your own backyard :)) by yourself! Imagine how liberating and empowering that would feel. Coming back from a summer in Europe by yourself- you basically could tackle anything after that!
So now that you have 3 solid reasons as to why you should venture into Solo Travel, here are some helpful tips:
1. Stay Connected- With smartphones and a ton of apps, it's easy to stay in touch with loved ones and friends while abroad. Download apps like Snapchat, Whatsapp, Periscope to chat and share videos in realtime. This way you won't feel totally alone.
2. Meetups- You won't be the only one traveling solo! While you're away, search for meetup groups (e.g. meetup.com) to see if there is a gathering for people visiting the town.
3. Talk to the locals. If you are in the coffee shop or at a restaurant, ask the waiter/waitress the best places to meet new people, people watch etc. Or ask them their favorite thing to do in town. This will make it feel like home away from home instead of you being an outsider in a foreign land.
4. Try solo in your own country first. If you have never done solo travel within your own country first, try taking a solo trip to the neighboring town or visit a different coast if you're feeling spontaneous! Test the waters before you go head first into international solo travel.
So, how about adding Solo Travel to that ever growing bucket list?!
-JSD
3 comments:
You should check out Tripping With Tina on Facebook. Ourfellow NSB alumni who I graduated with in 85. Although she has recently settled in Istanbul,she has been travelling the world solo. She has lots of pictures and tips on the whole solo travel thing. :)
You should check out Tripping With Tina on Facebook. Ourfellow NSB alumni who I graduated with in 85. Although she has recently settled in Istanbul,she has been travelling the world solo. She has lots of pictures and tips on the whole solo travel thing. :)
Thank you Kristina! We will check her out!
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