Solo Travelling - It's not for everyone...or is it?

I have just returned from 5 weeks travelling in Europe solo.  Admittedly for 2 weeks I was staying in a village in Sicily where I have many friends, however I only got to know these friends from, you guessed it, travelling alone!  See future blog posts for details on my trip...it was so much fun.

Solo travel can be a daunting prospect, however you can gain so much by attempting it yourself.  To be honest, travelling alone is not so difficult....hmmm, maybe I shouldn't say that too much, it's so great getting all the compliments of "how brave", "you're amazing", and even "I'm in awe of you".  ;)  OK, so it's not always easy, but there can be so many advantages in going it alone. 


So first up, if you haven't read my profile, I am writing this from the point of view of a single woman in her mid to (ahem) late-ish 40s.  Even though we're now in 2017 it can be difficult to be a single woman travelling alone in the world and there are some places that I would definitely not attempt to travel alone, however I know that some women do travel to these places!  So does this make me a wimp?  Or simply cautious?


Some of the advantages that I have found in travelling alone are: 

• An incredible boost to self-esteem and self-confidence from having navigated from point A to point B on the map and if there are difficulties along the way EMBRACE THEM because the feeling of accomplishment is a huge adrenaline rush of happiness at the end of the day!  I have had moments where I just wanted to sit down and cry, but when you're on your own you either have to plough through or quit...and I'm not a quitter.
• You can go where you want, see what you want, sleep where you want, eat what you want....whenever you want.
• You meet amazing people along the way who are more than happy to stop and chat, have a meal or a drink and maybe even pass the time with you if you want company to visit one of those beautiful monuments.  People are more likely to talk to you if you're alone so don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with the person beside you, the cashier at the supermarket, buskers in the street, police...you name it, most people are more than happy to pass the time and talk to you about their own adventures and the best places to go and see/eat/drink/etc. in their little part of the world.
• People think that you are amazing / courageous / strong...insert your own positive pronoun here...for travelling so far from home all alone.
• It's amazing how strong (mentally) you become when you don't rely on others for help or company.

 

Some of the disadvantages can be:

• Loneliness - yes it can get lonely at times and sometimes you want someone to share memories of that special place...but for me this has been fleeting and passes very quickly and the more I travel, the less it occurs.
• Carrying suitcases/packs up several floors in older accommodation with no elevators...yes, this is the main time I wished I had some company!
• Extra expense - in most places a single room costs as much or almost as much as a double/twin room.  It can become a lot more expensive to travel alone...however if you intend to stay in dorms then this is not an issue.