Why You Should Be Travelling Alone

Today I want to talk with you guys about travelling alone. It's probably one of the best kept secrets in life.

I remember the first time I did a solo trip by myself. I had asked my closest friends and family if they wanted to go to NYC with me. I was met with a series of bullshit excuses like “I don’t have time, I’ve used up all of my vacation days, I don’t have money, etc”. I’m sure you’ve encountered the same typical excuses yourself. In the past I would have buckled and given up, but this time I was determined to not let anyone get in the way of my goals of travelling to another country.

So I planned and mapped out my trip, told my friends and family, and off I went. Prior to going, I faced a lot of resistance as well. The same group of people who had turned me down now was telling me I shouldn’t go, and that it was dangerous or that they would go with me at a later time. I refused to listen and let anyone get in the way of my plans so I said to hell with them and went anyway. Sure I had heard stories about people getting killed or robbed or other crazy shit you always hear about on the news, but despite this, I wanted to persevere. I was willing to take that risk and plunge head first into the unknown and face my own fears. If my trip backfired I was prepared to deal with the consequences but I was unwilling to not take any action and to be held back by others.

What followed was a series of memorable events and adventures that made me feel more alive than ever. For the first time in my life, I felt free and independent, like I could accomplish anything by myself, not having to rely on anyone.

When I got back to Canada, I felt this huge sense of accomplishment. This euphoria that was like a drug or something. I experienced a range of emotions from fear, loneliness, sadness, joy, excitement, to even humour during my time away from home. I smiled for days after that trip. To this day, I still chuckle at some of the crazy shit that I experienced when I travelled alone.

Travelling alone allowed me to grow as a person and become more independent, not having to rely on others or to seek their approval.

We are taught to stay within our comfort zones and accept the social norms. This means travelling with family and friends and to go to places which are deemed safe at least according to your parents and friends. But what if you decided to venture out into the unknown by yourself?

Travelling alone comes with many benefits such as:

Teaching you Independence and Self Reliance

Travelling alone teaches you independence and tests your resolve. You will come out of the trip a stronger person who grew from the experience. This is something you cannot learn in school or in your typical 9-6 cubicle office job.

Meet and Network with People from Around the World

When you travel alone, it forces you to interact with and befriend people, especially if your trip is more than a few days, although I have made a few friends just staying in one country for a few days. This forces you to face your fear of talking to strangers and in the process your social skills will improve.

If you make an effort to interact with other people while on your trip, you will develop friendships with people all around the world. What this means is that in the future if you wanted to go to a specific country that your friend lives in, you now have a contact there who can show you around and who you can hang out with. Travelling alone gives you the opportunity to mix and mingle with the local crowd and learn about the culture and history in the country that your travelling to.

Gives you Freedom and Choice to do Whatever you Please

Travelling alone gives you the freedom and choice to do exactly what you want to do. Now you don’t need to argue or compromise on the things you want to do with other people. Want to go see the Eiffel tower but your friend wants to go hit up a bar? Problem solved! Now you don’t need to spend money on booze or unwanted nightclub fees or other bullshit added costs just because your friends want to piss away their money. No longer will you need to spend extra money booking rooms at a hotel with a price premium because your friends were too lazy to research and book ahead of time.

Teaches you to Accept Responsibility for Yourself

Travelling alone teaches you to accept responsibility for yourself and your actions. You will no longer be able to blame anyone else for how crappy or great the trip was. Whatever happens on the trip is a result of the actions you took. So if you end up in a shit hole place to spend the night, then it was your fault for not researching and booking ahead of time. Likewise if you end up snagging yourself a steal of a deal at a place, you can pat yourself on the back.

Travelling solo can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. No need to compromise on what you want to do, where you want to go, and for how long. You have total control. You will walk away from this with a sense of freedom and independence.


If you haven’t ever done this before then I encourage you to give it a shot. You won’t regret it!


photo credit: via photopin (license)