How To Travel Alone For The First Time?
September 7, 2022
Travel Guide
By guy yefet
Solo travel has many advantages: you can do what you like, be spontaneous, meet new people, and have special experiences. Here you will find all the reasons why you should travel alone and how to do it right.
When was the last time you were alone?
Without people around, acquaintances or strangers, without the phone? Just you and your thoughts.
For most of us, to be alone scares us, and when it happens, we always look to escape to the phone to distract ourselves from our thoughts.
As a child, it was difficult for me to do things alone.
If I wanted to go to a concert, for example, I would look for someone to go with otherwise I wouldn't dare to go.
The same thing when I wanted to travel.
My love for traveling has met the fear of traveling alone.
Until one day I dared - and it changed my life.
Traveling alone does not mean loneliness, and for me, at least the diagnosis is clear.
The choice to travel alone comes from a clean, inner, personal place and has always been a part of me.
People ask me, "How are you walking around for hours and hours, disconnected from everything? Doesn't it drive you crazy? After 20 minutes of walking around the neighborhood, I look at the clock and want to go back home."
I offer a slightly different point of view that is worth examining.
I think a large part of people feel lonely and are unable to be alone. They need noise that covers the feelings they may encounter when they suddenly have to be with themselves, without the "background noise".
In my eyes or my approach, this is practically loneliness.
When you feel lonely, the natural tendency is to immediately feel differently and then turn back to the background noise.
You immediately look for your cell phone or turn on the TV or find someone to talk to for no reason, etc. The main thing is not to feel loneliness.
Many people are reluctant to travel alone abroad, and I can understand why the truth is that traveling alone is not suitable for everyone.
How will you know if you are suitable for traveling alone?
The best way is to try it with an open mind and know that even if you don't like it, then nothing happened.
It's better to try and be disappointed than to be disappointed that you didn't try and if you come prepared in advance, then I'm sure it will be a good start to your trip.
Let's start by choosing the destination.
Choose a destination that suits your style. Let's say a city or nature.
If you don't have a problem with being alone most of the time and hiking then that's great, but if you're worried that it will make you feel too lonely then maybe it's better to start with a short trip to a European city like three days in Prague or a weekend in Amsterdam.
After you have more experience and confidence in yourself, you can rent a car on your own to travel for two weeks in Scotland or do the famous Camino de Santiago route alone.
No matter where you are traveling, it is advised to research before you fly to your destination and build an itinerary of things you want to do. That way you won't find yourself bored.
When you travel with a partner, even if there is nothing to do it is not bad, but when something happens when you are alone, it suddenly feels lonely and sucks.
If you want to meet people, then a good way is to sleep in a hostel, because many people travel alone. But if you prefer a hotel, another option is to visit the hostels.
For example, different hostels have bars, so you can go and sit in a hostel bar to meet people.
An important thing is that the place to stay will be in a central location that will be accessible and that there are always people on the streets and even at night you will feel safe walking around the area.
Take a good book and headphones with you so you can listen to music whenever you want, so you can pass the time with fun in cafes, restaurants, and parks.
The advantage of big cities is that they have a selection of tours. Tours are a great way to get to know the city, not feel alone and even meet new people along the way.
When I was in Barcelona alone, I took four different tours and I met amazing people who I even went out to hang out with after that.
The most important thing is to try.
At most, you will find that it at least suits you, but you may find that it is an amazing experience and that now and then you will want to fly, and you will not find someone with whom you decide to fly alone.
People ask me all the time why I'm traveling alone.
I'll list my reasons, and you decide for yourself if it's right for you.
The peace of mind you get on a solo trip is worth everything. Another significant advantage is your independence on the trip.
It might sound a bit antipathetic, but when you travel alone, you can travel exactly how you want from where to walk and the pace of walking to when to get up in the morning, what to eat, and where to stop for a break.
You don't have to compromise on anything.
Of course, traveling alone is the easiest trip to organize.
You don't need to look for travel partners, you don't need to coordinate tight schedules and there are no constraints other than ours.
Solo travel does not mean loneliness.
When traveling in a group, we usually won't meet new people along the way, but traveling alone is a great opportunity to meet new people.
Our new relationship is not binding.
If we want, we can say thank you and goodbye to the travelers and continue alone.
When traveling with friends or a partner, we have to think about their desires.
You have to choose a restaurant that will be acceptable to both of you, go to attractions that are suitable for both of you, and even if you split up - you have to arrive on time at the chosen meeting point. There are always frictions, whether about where to go or where to drink coffee.
When I travel alone, that's the only time I have to choose what I want.
Do things at my own pace. Deciding if I want to meet people I know, travel alone, or rest.
One of the reasons I like to travel is to see a different culture.
The best way to do this is to come alone and with an open mind.
True, it's nice to hear someone who speaks my language and understands the longing, but the goal is to get to know other options.
You can always get to know cultures and people even when you travel with a partner or friends, but when you are alone - unconsciously, you are more open to talking and the chance that interactions with other female travelers will happen is higher.
Today I understand the importance of using the language to improve it. When I travel, especially in destinations where less English is spoken, such as in small villages passing through the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the importance of language is enormous. When I'm alone, I have no choice but to try and learn the local language or at least know useful words that can help me.
Every time I travel alone, I find myself in new situations that I was not prepared for.
For example: Missing a train, a torn shoe, a bad place to stay, or surprising acquaintances.
I react to these situations when you are with a partner differently than when I am alone.
When you are alone, you have no choice but to manage on your own.
It is an empowering experience from which you learn a lot every time.
*It's getting up and deciding that today you are more sociable than yesterday.
*It's finding a point of light every morning anew and holding on to it.
*It's sleeping alone in dorms full of people you don't even know.
*It's trekking solo but meeting with five other close friends.
*It's thinking many times "How do I do it all over again?" but then realizing that you are doing it. And it doesn't matter what you are, who you are, and how much every day you thought you couldn't do it.
*It's meeting amazing people from different parts of the world that you never thought you would meet.
*It's the freedom to decide what you like and if you like it and maybe you don't like it at all - and that's fine too.
*It's looking for flights alone, getting tangled up in the field, and making mistakes but getting ready for the next time.
*It's not always knowing what's happening tomorrow and where you'll be next Saturday.
*It's doing things you never thought you'd do in your life, but suddenly you have no choice anymore.
*It's finding what you're good at.
*It's breaking your teeth on a new language but smiles because you can manage and also learn a new language.
*It's celebrating a birthday with ten people you met three hours ago and saying it was the best birthday of your life.
Traveling alone does not mean loneliness.
If you do it correctly and safely, a solo trip can be a powerful experience.
After a slight adaptation to being alone, which I think is part of the experience, the trip can give us peace of mind and teach us something about ourselves.
I recommend you try it at least once. But be careful! It's addicting!
Read My Other Blogs:
Annapurna Circuit Solo: The Detailed Itinerary
The complete guide to solo travel in nepal
3 Days In Kathmandu: The Ultimate Kathmandu Itinerary
12 best reasons to visit nepal
Scotland road trip Itinerary for 14 days
How to plan the ultimate norway road trip
15 most amazing places in Norway
8 most scenic routes in norway
how to spend weekend in Amsterdam
2 weeks in sicily: the perfect sicily road trip
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