When I first went traveling I was a little nervous. I would be traveling by myself, and in the back of my mind I pictured myself as an outcast- while everyone else made friends and enjoyed themselves, I would be sitting alone or crying into my dorm room pillow.
Of course, this couldn’t have been more wrong. The first hostel I ever stayed in by myself was in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and I was immediately welcomed by many other solo travellers, and as we went out for dinner that night we all told each other our stories- why we were traveling and where we were going next.
Most hostels go out of their way to make solo travellers feel welcome, ensuring that everyone has a good experience. You’ll find that some of them have food tours, cooking classes and games nights, while others take you out on bar crawls or have a bar inside the hostel so everyone can socialise together.
When people hear that I travel solo, they often think that I must be constantly lonely. However, singles holidays are great for socialising, and if anything I make more friends when I’m by myself since people are more likely to talk to me and not feel intimidated by a group of people traveling together.
Of course, you do still need to get slightly out of your comfort zone- especially if you’re naturally a shy person. I’ve never had a problem making friends, but even then it can be intimidating to introduce yourself to a room full of people, and I can imagine it would be even worse if you had social anxiety. For me, the trick is to realize that I can choose if I would like to spend time with other people- I need a lot of alone time anyway, so I tell myself that if I don’t feel like talking to anyone that’s ok, and it reduces the amount of pressure I’ve put on myself to make friends.
One of the best things about solo travel is the fact that you can go wherever and do whatever you want- without needing to worry about whether or not someone else is down with your plan. Travelling solo simply means no compromise, no fights, and no spending precious travel time going to see or do something that you couldn’t care less about.
Since all of your decisions are yours, it also means that you really have to trust yourself and work hard to get out of tricky situations. Whether you get lost, you don’t speak the language, or you end up ripped off by a local, you’ll find yourself growing and becoming more confident with every challenge you overcome.
In fact, solo travel is definitely a priceless way to learn to be more open, confident, and friendly. Since it’s also an excellent way to meet people, I would recommend that everyone takes at least one trip solo, and you may find that you prefer it much more when compared to traveling with others.
