Traveling solo can be seem intimidating at first. But what if your friends or family are settled and no longer have the ambition to go backpacking on another continent? Store your own travel plans? Or leave your comfort zone and book a solo trip? Here are some reasons why traveling alone is an unique experience.

Planning is easier

Planning a trip requires a lot of work. Especially if you travel with a group to another continent where you not only have to worry about accommodation, transport, but also the visas. If you travel alone, you only have to apply that organizing talent to yourself.

Work on your own bucket list

This is perhaps the biggest advantage. Throughout the journey you can plan activities that you have always dreamed of, without having to take those less enjoyable activities of your travel companion. It would be a shame to abandon your dream of bungee jumping in New Zealand or climb Kilimanjaro because your travel companion does not fancy it. Especially if you have traveled so far.

You make new friends

When traveling in group, the need to meet new people is lower. After all, you have a very good friend with you, right? If you travel alone, you will quickly be attracted to new people. Maybe that other backpacker also travels alone? Or asking the way to a local can quickly start a conversation.

Your confidence gets a boost

Traveling alone can be intimidating. All alone on a flight to a destination that lies thousands of miles from your familiar surroundings. That means as much as you will have to solve problems yourself if they occur. If you are traveling with a friend, you still have the idea that your travel partner will be able to solve it if there is a problem. But why would your traveling companion be able to do that better than you? Now that you have to make all the decisions yourself, you will undoubtedly have a serious confidence boost.

When I travel to Argentina to climb Aconcagua in 2016, my girlfriend decided to visit Cuba instead. It was her first solo trip and she claims it was a life-changing experience.

You can travel within your budget

A travel budget is always a point of discussion when traveling. Everyone has their own way of spending money and priorities are not always the same. Solo travelers, however, have the advantage of spending their money on what they want. They have their entire travel budget under control.

You will experience complete freedom

Every decision you make, whether it is a planned route or a last-minute decision, is one that you have made entirely yourself. During your entire solo trip you have everything in hand. What are you going to eat? Where do you stay overnight? What are you planning for the next few days? You have complete freedom.

You gain lots of life experience

Traveling is the best way to gain life experience. You not only get to meet new people and cultures, but you often go beyond your comfort zone even more than you would do at home. Those traveling alone will undoubtedly have to rely on capacities that they have never used before. And of course you have a lot of interesting stories to share afterwards.