Solo Travel
It can be hard to find the right fit as your travel companion, it’s no wonder that people have memorable trips when they go solo.
Imagine, you have 5 vacation days you want to use before you “lose” them at work. You start a group chat/text with your sibling, best friend from childhood, bestie from college, and your favorite coworker. You’ve all celebrated milestones together but never traveled domestically or internationally. Everyone is excited about going somewhere so ideas are thrown around for a day. The majority have decided that Turks and Caicos is the ideal location. Unfortunately, your childhood best friend doesn’t have a passport and based on the timeframe, it wouldn’t be processed and returned in time for travel. Now the trip is down to four people.
Since you are a natural planner, you begin to look at accommodations in the area. You have a certain lifestyle that you want to keep while on vacation but your coworker is on a tight budget and can’t afford the accommodations. They suggest a lower-end hotel since you only plan “to lay your head at night”. You make a compromise and choose a resort that can satisfy the budget and your comfortability.
All accommodations and flights are booked, now it’s time to travel. The first night you all have a welcome dinner and are ready for the adventure. The next morning, you are dressed and ready to explore the island. But you look in the room and your college best friend is still in the bed with no indications of waking up or getting dressed anytime soon. You decide to go grab breakfast and hopefully by the time you are done, everyone is up and ready to go. To your surprise when you return to the room, everyone is in bathing suits and headed to the pool with no desire to venture off the resort. Now you’ve wasted prime time waiting on people and you could’ve been enjoying the sights.
For the rest of the trip, things didn’t get better. You return home and realize that you should’ve gone on this trip alone.
Has this happened to you in some type of way? I haven’t had a trip that I regretted taking with friends but there are some missed trips because personalities/ destinations/ timing didn’t align.
Some benefits of traveling solo:
Budget - the accommodations, dining, excursions, overall experience is determined by what you are willing to spend
Time - either the calendar date or times of the day, you have free range to travel when it fits you. A sunrise boat ride or star gazing in the desert can be accommodated because you don’t have to check with fellow travelers
Location - a 3-hour drive or 13-hour plane ride, your options are endless and could become a multi-city vacation
Experience - it will push you out of your comfort zone, from dining alone, meeting new people on the cliff diving excursion, and haggling street vendors for a bracelet
Some negatives of traveling solo:
The illusion of safety - the saying there is safety in numbers, so naturally majority think traveling alone is dangerous. You should always let someone know your travel plans, become familiar with the staff at the front desk, walk in well-lit areas, and leave valuables in the safe are just a few tips to stay safe while solo.
Pictures - you’ll need to come prepared with a tripod/ selfie stick since you won’t have your friends to capture the perfect shot. OR get comfortable with asking strangers to snap the picture
Heck, I can’t think of many negatives….my goal this year is to have at least two solo trips. Destinations haven’t been chosen but I can’t wait to share my experience.