Travelling Solo? Why I Prefer Travelling Alone

One is company two’s a crowd – Things a solo traveller should consider:

There are as many reasons for travelling alone as there are for enjoying a trip with company. I would however maintain that being on the road in a solo state is the more gratifying and liberating of the two. Many of you may disagree with me here but let me make a case for my statement and let us see where we get to.

Before the trip there is usually a heap of planning to be done, as a solo traveller you can make this as little or as great as you wish. With no one to confer with or acquiesce to a last minute flight purchase becomes so much more exciting; imagine just going to an airport and looking for the best deal going…anywhere! I was once in Cyprus at Larnaca airport and with my luggage in hand I wandered around the travel reps in the departure area and polled them for tickets and destinations. The look of consternation on their faces was a bonus as they struggled to comprehend that I really didn’t know or care where I was going.

Skyscanner.net and other aggregators are perfect for this situation, just plug in your departure airport (you can even just suggest the country you are leaving from), choose any destination, and in no time you will have a list of places to go at bargain prices. I think that process is swifter if you can just make that decision yourself.

Sometimes travelling with others better suites your needs

Travelling with a buddy, especially one who is less extrovert than yourself will generally mean that you have company but on the other hand you have no impetus to seek out other travellers and it is too easy to become insular. You may choose a twin room over a dorm, seats together on a bus or train, ….you get the idea.

If you are really down on your budget and choose to hitchhike to your destination being solo can sometimes get you around quicker, especially if you have been frugal with you luggage. I have travelled all over Europe hitching along both motorways and side roads and have found it almost as quick as driving myself! Solo female travellers obviously have other concerns with this type of travel.

The cultural sites of a city are, of course, best shared but you can share them with new acquaintances or do them alone if you wish without offending anyone. Travelling solo is all about choice, not about being alone. Some travellers I know start off as a pair and split for a week or so and rendezvous at another location with tales to tell and new friends discovered. This can be perfect for those who have diverse interests but want to share common ones along the road.

Consider this, travelling solo you meet a cool group of fellow travellers at a beach resort but you had plans to move on the next day….plans changed and you end up staying a week and meeting that really special girl/guy. The group disperse but you keep up with everyone on Facebook finding that several weeks down the road many of you will be in the same city. It is much easier to flip travel plans on your own.

What about dangerous places you may ask? Well I maintain that if it’s really that dangerous you should think about planning that trip much more seriously. A few days ago I met a girl who was travelling through Europe and had a few days to spare before getting to Barcelona; I suggested a trip to Marrakech in Morocco.

Other travellers had warned her off, mostly those who have never been there, saying it was too tricky for a single female travelling alone. I spent some time with her going over the itinerary, including the night time Marrakech Express, and giving a few pointers. It was her choice and hers alone to go or not. Marrakech is Morocco lite and is definitely suitable for level headed travellers to venture to on their own.

She had a great time, made some new friends and managed to get a flight to Barcelona direct from Marrakech cutting out a long return voyage.

Perhaps the decisions made above would have been the same if others were involved in the process, nonetheless solo travel does give one the absolute freedom to choose the direction at a fork in the road.

Do you have an opinion about solo or group travel; have you dumped your travel partner halfway through the trip? Have you made lifetime friends that you just know you would never have met if partnered up?