What They Don’t Tell You About Travelling Solo (But Should)
Like Elsa strutting up the icy mountain to escape the Ball, sometimes all you need to do is let it go, turn away and slam the door. While we can’t all be ice queens like Elsa (although my ex’s would claim I come close), we can all leave our lives behind for some solo adventures when it all gets too much.
Picking yourself up and going on a solo adventure is amazing. And it’s pretty much guaranteed that anyone who’s done it will tell you that they ‘truly discovered themselves’ and all that jazz. But what they don’t tell you is that solo travel is also really tough at times.
Here’s the lowdown on what to expect:
Pro: You’re Completely Independent
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Everything from the flights to what you have for dinner is up to you. If you don’t mind flying the red eye budget provider to save money, no one’s stopping you. No whingers to worry about! If you want to sleep in/wake up early/go out/stay in/plan everything/plan nothing, it’s all up to you.
It feels really good to wake up every day knowing that your way of doing things is not going to cause any fights or drama with your travel companions.
Con: You Have To Take Responsibility For Everything
On the flip side to independence, you now have to take sole responsibility. For everything. Including the flights, internal transfers, food, what attractions to see.
While that’s fun for the first few days, there eventually comes a point where you just want someone to tell you what to do and what you want. Your brain turns to mush just trying to make sure you’re on the right bus route (and make the millions of other decisions every day) that when it comes to deciding something simple like if it’s cold enough to wear a scarf, it just about drives crazy.
Pro: You’re Challenging Yourself
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It’s more than just a trip when you’re going it alone. It’s a test of your resilience, organisation and perseverance when the only person you have to rely on is yourself.
Apart from being great job interview material, solo travel is a great opportunity to spend some time with your own thoughts. There’s nothing worse than a holiday where you feel like every moment of silence has to be filled with conversation or that every minute needs to be spent doing something.
Con: It’s A Little Lonely
The biggest thing I found when travelling solo was that I missed eye contact with people. It sounds ridiculous, but when you’re just going about your day as a tourist you don’t get a lot of it. Talking over the phone with someone back home also doesn’t help either.
I personally now have a vendetta against supermarkets that only provide self-serve checkouts. Why? That was my one shot at some quality small talk today and you’ve just ripped it away! Rude.
Pro: You Don’t Have To Waste Money On Things You Don’t Want To
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While I’m sure Train Museums are greeeeeeat, I personally don’t want to spend my minimal fund$$ buying a ticket to see the ‘Biggest Toy Train Circuit in the Southern Hemisphere’. Same goes for weird food, overly-expensive drinks and other questionable tourist attractions.
When you’re calling the shots, you can spend whatever whenever and you’re not going to feel guilty about it or ruin any friendships. While it’s important to go outside your comfort zone and explore the unknown, you can find your own way of doing that on a student budget.
Con: But You’re Also Paying For Everything Yourself
There ain’t no one to share the room fare or split the uber with. You’re on your own there. *bank account cries internally*.
It’s never going to get easy either way! Unless you actively enjoy asking strangers to take photos of you in front of significant monuments while you stand awkwardly alone.