You think about travel alone should or whether you take someone with you? Then I would like to give you 13 really good reasons to travel alone in this post. I can promise you now that you will never forget the vacation alone and especially develop personally. By the way, as I write these lines, I am sitting in my bed on the sleeper bus from Mumbai to Goa. Let's go! 😉
13 reasons to travel alone
The following reasons for your next vacation alone are based on my personal experiences and the experiences of many travelers around the world. You will notice that the topics of personality, fear and freedom play a big role when traveling alone.
1. travel alone strengthens your personality
From my own experience, I can tell you that you will personally develop a lot by traveling alone. You will have much more confidence in yourself as you master more and more challenges on your travels over time. The experience will make you more confident and you will come home a different person, especially after your first longer vacation alone. I mean that entirely in a positive sense. Because you will have a lot of stories to tell, which really only you have experienced. That you personally mature incredibly, is for me one of the most important reasons for traveling alone. Tip: If you are good, you will also learn on your trip how to really sustainable travel can.
2. from mainstream to experience through the vacation alone.
For example, on a "couples' vacation" people often tend to take the path of least resistance and go along with a pre-planned tour of the hotel. This is expensive and boring. Because nothing will happen to you on such tours that hasn't happened to thousands of other people before. If you travel alone, you will realize that you don't do such tours. Because you will sleep less in expensive hotels and more in homestays, AirBnb's (save 30€ for your first booking) and hostels. By not planning everything in advance, you make your vacation alone a surprise bag and will experience a lot. Try it out!
3. you overcome your fears by traveling alone
Are you perhaps traveling alone for the first time? Unless you're a totally outgoing personality, you may have a few fears before your first vacation alone. For example, the fear of getting lost, missing your flights, or getting stolen from. Well, of course, all this can theoretically happen, but it is still important to fight against these fears. And in this case, traveling alone is the best medicine. With every vacation alone you become more confident and, as I said, more confident.
4. get to know unique people
Whether here just on the night bus from Mumbai to Goa, at the Beach CleanUps or on my Indonesia trip at the waterfalls. I meet on my travels alone so many unique and positive-crazy people that I would most likely not have met when traveling as a couple or with several people. This is also because I trust myself more on my own without the critical eye of my usual environment and because I have traveled alone so far. I have nice stories to tell because I have chosen to travel alone and therefore get into conversation with other people much faster. This is anything but a mainstream vacation, but a true experiential journey. A really valuable advantage of vacationing alone.
5. have valuable conversations that you wouldn't have otherwise
It's about growing personally. And you don't do that if you spend your summer vacation every year at Ballermann on Mallorca. There are no valuable conversations there either. When you travel alone, you automatically become more open to conversations with other people, because you don't want to be alone your whole trip. You'll also often meet people who are worse off than you and still have a glow on their face. Conversations about life's goals, the customs of other cultures, and the quality of life in other countries will help you mature personally. Traveling alone will automatically lead you to these valuable conversations.
6. do what you want on vacation alone
When traveling alone you have all the freedom and can do what you want. You can plan everything for your travel time, what you have in mind. If traveling becomes too much for you, then you simply take 1-2 days off and set off to your next destination a little later. No one is stopping you, because you decide what happens next when you travel alone. Don't always take the path of least resistance, but get involved with the people and the foreign cultures, then you will have a lot of fun and learn a lot during your vacation alone.
7. travel alone without conflicts of interest
When you travel together, conflicts of interest can always arise. Whether before or during the trip. You might prefer to go mountain rafting, while your partner would rather go on a shopping spree. When vacationing alone, that doesn't happen. On the contrary, you often meet like-minded people with whom you can continue your trip. Since you can decide for yourself what you want to do and where the trip goes next, you avoid these conflicts of interest when traveling alone.
8. when traveling alone you get to know yourself
While you might have been trapped in the classic 9to5 routine before your trip, you'll finally get to know yourself when you go on vacation alone. Because when you travel alone, you automatically force yourself to be more independent. Don't worry, this will do you good either way. Because this way you'll look outside the box and get to know sides of yourself that you didn't know before because you just didn't challenge them. You might also realize that traveling alone is not for you at all. Everything is possible. In any case, you will know much more about yourself after traveling alone.
9. receive admiration for your courage to travel alone
People at your travel destinations as well as friends and family at home will admire you for your courage to travel alone. Many have never dared to take this step in their lives and are all the more happy for you. This is good for you and gives you more self-confidence. Both when traveling and in all other situations in life. Maybe this pat on the back is exactly the confirmation you needed? Who knows.
10. people are more open to you alone
You may know this yourself. We tend not to approach people in groups as readily as people who are alone. This phenomenon also applies on vacation. Therefore, when you travel alone, many more people will approach you and ask where you're from or what you're doing locally. Provided that you open up to people and consciously look them in the eye. The resulting conversations will open new doors for you. From my own experience I can tell you that traveling alone is really fun!
11. traveling alone makes you more grateful
Traveling alone will make you more grateful, for example, when you are once again wandering around with your smartphone and Google Maps and an older gentleman shows you the right way without prompting. Traveling alone will also make you more grateful when you've booked a bus but there's no bus stop in sight far and wide, but more and more people join you to wait with you for an hour for the delayed bus. You feel so much gratitude when traveling alone, because these situations are so great and unfortunately we don't experience them in Germany every day anymore. Because so much unselfishness is almost unusual for us, we become so incredibly grateful when traveling alone.
12. you can travel alone, when and where you want
When you travel alone, you can not only do what you want, but you can also travel when and where you want. You decide for yourself when the trip starts and where the trip goes. Traveling alone makes you independent of time and place. When traveling with your partner, you are often bound to the vacation time submitted at work. If your partner only allows you to take a short vacation due to a lack of vacation days, this also significantly limits your choice of destination. On vacation alone you do not have these barriers and can travel when and where you want.
13. you are very much looking forward to home
I'm honest about that, too. Especially if you are on the road for a long time, let's say everything from 2 months, you are looking forward to home again despite the beautiful experiences. When you travel alone, not everything always goes according to plan and that becomes challenging here and there. Challenges are something positive. Nevertheless, when you get back home, you can relax a bit and plan your next trip in peace 😉 .
Everyone should travel alone once!
I think it's incredibly important to have traveled alone at least once in your life. Because by going on vacation alone, you get to know yourself much better in addition to unique people. Traveling independently without a partner makes you more confident in all aspects of life. Try it out in any case and do not make the mistake of looking at traveling alone on unusual destinations not to be trusted in advance.
On my Instagram channel you can follow my personal travels if you like.
Do you have questions or suggestions or your own experiences with traveling alone? Then feel free to write me a comment under this article.
Have a good trip,
PS.: In the Nature Travel Blog from CareElite, you'll get more great inspiration for your next travel experiences. If you are looking for sustainable accommodations, I can offer you bookitgreen where you can also get $20 off your first trip through our partnership with the code CAREBIG.
PPS: The article Zero Waste Journey will give you another boost of extra motivation for a trash-free trip.