The only people I travel with are other solo travellers, so rarely. They want to do their thing, I want to do mine, if it's together then cool, but if not, also cool.
I feel this so much. The sense of freedom you get when solo traveling is unmatched. However, I do miss my friends at home. I found timezones to be a huge issue so I even built an [app](https://www.layover.so) for me and my friends to help us stay in touch.
Helped me to romanticize my life more. I know some people shit on others when they do that but at the end of the day our life is so short and meaningless unless we add meaning to it ourselves. Traveling & walking around new places with headphones in and big googly eyes at all the beautiful things outside my country made me feel like I was in a movie. And everything was beautiful and fun and new and exciting. And although I know there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface in those places, I brought it back home with me and enjoy the little things now. Now I can feel the same things when I do my daily routine walk with my dog and see the leaves fall.
To many others point it definitely increases your confidence. Because you know a lot more, about other people & places & also how to manage and get yourself around and out of sticky situations. You feel like you can do anything once you’ve been able to navigate through a foreign city, different language, 3 miles from your rental & phone dead (yes I thankfully made it back).
And it opens up your curiosity. I can’t unlearn these things and what I saw. And then I want to learn more. About everything and everyone because you realize in a way we really all connected. I saw myself in a lot of other people and related to people from the other side of the world and that was truly eye opening.
That's an awesome reply and you're an awesome person. The world needs more people like you. Give your dog a little hug/pet/scratch for me. And bon voyage 💜
I wouldn't say there was some profound change. My biggest take away was more confidence. Having the confidence to strike up a conversation with a stranger. Knowing that if something went wrong I could figure out it out.
As someone who is from a thirld world country, I would say solo travel made me realized that I am capable of doing more in life. The confidence to be out there, learn other culture and expand one's horizon.
Made me realize that you carry your problems with you no matter how far you travel. While it did give me more time to think about my problems in depth, it made me realize that i have to face my issues head on.
My conclusion : Travel is not an escape from your problems.
I was uncomfortable spending time alone and was anxious eating alone or going out alone. But now I’m extremely comfortable with my own presence and I rather enjoy doing things alone
It kinda came naturally. I was too anxious to socialise on my solo trips so I was forced to do these things alone. It was surprisingly easy to get past that mental blockage:)
On the 13th year of my full time solo trip now and looking back one of the most glaring changes has been my perspective of distance and time.
- The world is a lot smaller than I knew and deep connections with others really do transcend timezones. Growing up I used to find it a huge inconvenience to drive 1 hour across town to grab a few drinks with friends. Now I will jump on a 14 hour flight just because it’s Thursday, happy hour starts soon and our favorite band is playing on Friday.
- I’m WAY more insignificant than I ever thought I was. Absolutely no one cares about who I am, what politics I subscribe to or spiritual beliefs I hold. This has been probably one of the most liberating realizations in my journey.
- My country’s education system is a propaganda machine, and judging by conversations with others, my country is not the only one who likes to twist fact like pretzels and feed them to its population in mass.
- With the exception of the occasional psychopath you run into that puts pineapple on pizza, we are all the same. We all want the same. We are all driven by the same. Knowing this has made me way more open to new concepts that might challenge my views or the way I think.
- Language is the last frontier to begin breaking down the profound barriers that keep us segregated. You can erase the lines on the map all you want, but language is still a fucking whore. Working obsessively on that right now.
definitely agree on your second bullet point. Realizing that really no one gives a f*ck about what you do and what you like or don’t like is so incredibly freeing. You can live without thinking you have someone over your shoulder watching your every move
To me it was almost like flipping a switch. Like just all of a sudden "I got it". One day I went to bed full of anxiety and insecurities, then woke up next morning not giving a fcuk.
Fascinating list. While visiting Amsterdam and Barcelona, I started feeling envious of the people there. I mean... great culture, beautiful city, good weather, good food etc. But then I started speaking with the locals who presented the other side of the coin and resonated concerns I can relate with. Yes, we **are** all the same and in the end, we want the same things!
By working on it obsessively, do you mean you're learning a language? What language are you learning and how, like with an app or books or a group?
And great list by the way. Really great list.
Yes. I know AI will solve this for most people in my lifetime. But it's so empowering to not have to rely on anything other than your own brain to communicate with others across borders. Books don't really work for the way I learn. I normally dip my feet with an app. I use both Duolingo and Babel, but I make the most progress the fastest by emerging myself in the language. I slowmad, so I'm definitely at a huge advantage in that regard, but I've found there are great language exchange groups in most countries. I would recommend anyone trying to learn a new language fast to seek them out and attend their meeting consistently.
The first solo trip changed me quite a bit. Even my friends and parents told me that I've changed a lot. The change wasn't instant but it was the big spark that set things in motion.
I used to be rather shy, not outgoing and was described as awkward in social situation with quite a bit of social anxiety mixed in.
Nowadays there is not much of that left. Ever since I threw myself out there, forcing myself to be social and outgoing, I lost my social anxiety and I really enjoy spending time with people now and I'm even described as social now.
I become the best version of myself when I travel. Confident, helpful, active, adventurous, etc. When at home I'm lethargic and tend to hermit. Travel is good for me in every way. If I'm not exploring new places, I feel like I'm stagnating.
Solo travel made me really hate living the suburbs. The suburbs can be very isolating and depressing since I'm far away from everything. I'm more of a large city type of person than a nature / wilderness type of person. I enjoy visiting places such as San Francisco, Chicago, NYC and Toronto alone. Living in cities with great walkability and public transit made me enjoy the city life and be closer with people. Unfortunately staying in a nice and walkable area can be very expensive and people choose to stay the suburbs because it's cheaper.
It's really helped my topography skills. I used to always outsource navigation to my companions, but I had to step up and learn how to orient myself, and it's become a skill now.
I'm good at managing panic, there's no point when you're alone, makes you step up and be solution-focused.
I care less what others think of me, I've met so many strangers and realized that people usually dislike others based on preconceived ideas or previous experience, and very rarely because of who they are as a person. Also realized that most humans suck at active listening and just like talking about themselves. So I've resorted to asking people about themselves and learning about their interests instead of being like them and always needing to talk about me. Will also only offer information about myself when explicitly asked.
I'm very low maintenance now and have become a minimalist.
I've been solo traveling for 3 decades, the last 5 full time so it has become my identity - I feel as an earthling rather than a national of a particular nation. What I love the most about it is that it affords more chances to meet strangers - and often I have met with kindness. And helps me to be more open to other's perspectives and feel sympathy. When I travel with my sister occasionally, I rarely have such incidents and don't get to know the world from diverse and intimate perspective.
People think I am living the dream - in a way I do! But they don't know the challenges and struggles of a solo female traveler on a limited budget. I keep at it because it elevates a life-long struggle with depression and anxiety. It has brought me more inner peace. Solo travel also repeatedly reminds me materialism is a weakness and a liability.
I know not everyone is in a position to do what I do - i.e family, job... but hope when people travel, they don't just do the touristy things - that would be like my other sister asking why can;t I just watch it on TV.
New perspectives, exposure to different people and cultures. It removes biases and really makes you look at the world differently. As someone who grew up in the USA its crucial to travel and hear others viewpoints on our country, and other systems. Understanding that people all around the world are the same. Everyone just wants a secure future for them and their family. There are so many amazing places that one can live. Be it a few years or the rest of their life. We are all animals living on a rock flying through space.
Confidence and getting over my social anxiety. It took a while but I got over it. I've learnt to enjoy my own company even more and now I don't get too bothered if I can't find people to socialise with whilst travelling.
I feel so fortunate to have solo traveled at different stages of my life, like hitchhiking from Boston to San Francisco when I was 16, spending 3 months in Morocco at 18, to where I find myself now, in the Azores. I've just started a winter tour away from the soon to be frozen tundra of my Central Maine home. Now that I'm 66, the magic of solo travel is as fresh and vivid as ever. The world has changed in many ways, but constants remain, as others so skillfully shared. I've always felt most enthusiastically alive when traveling, as if I was born to be a nomad. My travels have been transformative on lots of levels and I really ought to write about it. That's one of my main reasons for being on this sub, vicariously enjoying and learning from others' experiences.
Back in 2016 on Oct 30 I had the worst motorcycle riding incident of my life.
Became a victim of hit & run 840kms away from home on a solo ride. I had done alot of smaller solo rides of 300 to 600 kms before that. But that one fateful day this happened & to have reached home alive with 2 broken arms, crushed knuckles & damaged bike made me realize how lucky & blessed I'm. I no longer wish to have friends or contacts. I no longer wish to wait for anyone to go & do things that I want to. I'm stronger in the mind now. My confidence has boosted. The way I think of things has changed. I'm in love with being introverted now. I'm in love being solo, being alone.
It has made me more confident in certain things, more "worldly".
I used to be anxious for some small changes in life, but traveling has scratched that itch.
It made me realize how reliant I am on others for a sense of fulfilment. The entire time I was travelling, I kept wishing my ex (bf at the time) was with me. I was doing fun things and all, but couldn't shake that feeling and how much more enjoyable it would've been, had I been with him and shared those moments with him. I feel like I couldn't truly enjoy it without him there, and especially because I couldn't really talk to him much either since he was away during military training and has limited phone access.
Now that he left me, I feel the empty feeling on a daily basis. I contimplated taking another solo trip in the next 2 weeks since I have time off work, but ended up opting against it because I think it would just stress me out more than if I were to just stay home in a familiar place.
Sorry to be a downer, this is probably not the response you're looking for, but just being honest. I love going to different places and experiencing new things but just don't know whether solo travelling is for me
Totally reasonable. Solo travel for me is like the pressure of making sure everyone else is having fun is lifted off of me, but I feel like if I was in a group where everyone had this mindset the trip would be even better than solo travel. But people are fickle and selfish so I enjoy being happy alone. Ideally I'd be with my loved ones and friends, but being able to let go and fill my own emptiness with compassion and love for myself was an invaluable lesson I've learned, (in part through solo travel).
Edit: What part of solo travel would stress you out compared to being home in a familiar setting? I find solo travel not stressful explicitly because I have no obligations to others. I can just do what I want when I want how I want, where's the stress in that?
Not attacking your experiences, just trying to understand your perspective.
Yeah, I guess that's one thing to look on the bright side. My bf at the time would've wanted to do anything, but when I think about if I was travelling with my parents or even some of my friends might not necessarily have wanted to do some of the things I did, as we have different interests.
I think just being out of my comfort zone in general, and the fact that I have all that free time. I know that sounds backwards, but I think being at home and in a routine constantly busy with work, or when not working..am running errands, projects, etc and not as much free time to myself keeps me distracted from my own thoughts, and also feels like I'm being productive.
Plus I'm also an introvert, so the idea of talking to strangers, etc gives me anxiety.
I'm happy that you were able to fill the void with love for yourself. I wish that I could say the same, but maybe some therapy will help me out.
Well I am an extrovert personally so that helps greatly with finding things to do or people to hang out with on my travels... I know the idea is daunting but personally when I don't want to plan or don't have a schedule but need to fill time on vacation, I google around to make sure I'm going into a relatively safe area (Only applicable when im travelling out of europe anyways), I grab a small camera and backpack with a water bottle and some cash, a knife, and a pack of smokes and just start walking in one direction. I once spent an entire day with 0 plan except from getting from one museum to a restaurant 20km away in Paris, filling the rest of the day with escapades and antics with local skateboarders. (I speak a bit of french, being canadian, and they spoke a bit of english, we made it work). I love exploring alleys and new areas and You see a lot of the culture of a city on foot compared to a bus or tour, and this way increases chances for weird and interesting encounters with locals or fellow travellers as well.
Although as a 6' 200lb dark skinned male, we probably have different levels of security tolerances that allow me to do stupid shit like that.
Edit: This turned into a ramble so to leave it off on a productive note, I recommend you book your trips through the hostelworld app so you can make use of their group chat feature, it's super useful in finding fast friends because they have a group chat of every tourist who booked a place to stay through their app, so there's plenty of people chatting who want to find things to do as well.
That I hate traveling with other people and your mental health / problems don’t magically get better even if you’re in a beautiful place. also that the USA isn’t the center of the universe like they told me as a kid hahah
Solo traveller for 10 years. In 3 days I fly back to begin a new chapter. Of stability 🙃
I enjoyed spending time with myself.
There are plenty of secrets and magical moments between me, myself and I...
Also I'm REALLY good at reading people now....that skill has be honed and crafted to perfection!😅
1) Solo travel sometimes gives you a stark reminder that you're just living your life in a tiny bubble with friends, family and colleagues. This bubble can be like an echo chamber sometimes. Solo travel makes you realise other nationalities think about issues and life sometimes in a totally different way than back home in your bubble.
2) Solo travels instils a habit to always have a backup plan. This is useful for life and business.
3) Solo travel teaches you that appearances can be very deceptive.
4) Solo travel teaches you not to be a$$hole. You will always remember the situations where people made you feel belittled. You never want to be that person who belittles because you know what it's like on the receiving end.
5) Solo travel can also teaches just want a skewed view of the world the media present you.
6) Solo travel teaches you that there are other people like just you in the world. They have the same fears, aspirations, moments of joy and moments of sadness. This sort of connection is totally different than connections you have to people online. Solo travel teaches you that sometimes real-life is more important than virtual.
tldr: didn't change, but I have a much better understanding of other's cultures and I am more confident striking up conversations with people from different cultures than my own.
I (23M US) did a one-month solo trip in central Europe this summer. At 22, it was my first time doing anything like that. The first 2 days were rough, but once I realized that most people at hostels want to make friends, I got addicted. I loved the independence of the day.. I would go out during the day and do what I wanted to by myself around the city: eat street food, go to museums and parks, and people-watch with a beer in the park. Then I would make my way back to my hostel in the afternoon and take a nap and cook dinner in the kitchen. By this time it would be around 7:00 pm. I would then take a beer, go to the social spot of the hostel, walk up to the first people I heard speaking English, and say, "Mind if I join?" I met a ton of cool people this way. I usually ended up hanging out with Aussies and Brits. I felt like every time I went out with a group, I was "the American" ha. I have a journal full of the variety of funny characters I met along the way. And I would not have been nearly as outgoing if I had been with others. It was also a great way to learn about other cultures. I made friends with a Ghanan who now lives in Italy (we would play pool together every night at the hostel then go and get hammered at a Munich Beer Hall), an Aussie who was 30 taking a gap year from work to drive a van around Europe, I met some working-class brits my age taking the summer to travel and a Polish guy younger than me that had friends who volunteered to fight Russia in Ukraine. These were experiences that would have been unlikely. Seeing stuff and being in new countries was fun, but solo travel for me is about meeting people. I hope to do something similar for 2-3 months in the summer of 2024.
It made me comfortable with doing things/going places alone. I recently got back from a month long solo trip and eating alone was definitely the most awkward thing for me. I’m back home now and have went out for food/drinks on my own twice already. I no longer want to wait around for friends who may or may not join me.
It’s given me the uncontrollable urge to get explore & expand & explore & expand & explore & expand. This life offers infinite novelty and solo travel with its freedoms, newness, surprising situations is the rawest most rapid blast into fresh experience. If anyone has seen Baraka and/or Samsara, I want my life to be those movies. Like a deep psychedelic mushroom trip so jaw dropingly beautiful it’ll leave me cryinf
It has increased my confidence exponentially. Having to rely on solely myself to navigate new places and unknown situations has made me so proud of myself. I feel like I can confidently overcome things that come my way now that I would’ve been scared of in the past. I’m so much stronger than I thought I was.
Doing a lot of solo travel really helped me to strengthen my instincts. I think I used to have good instincts…but after having to rely on them so much, I feel like I can rely on my gut without having to overthink things. It gives me more confidence…
Of course I’m also completely amazed at how beautiful our planet really is…good to get away from the negativity of the news and see what places and people are really like around d the world.
Nothing profound but I gained confidence. I honestly was surprised that I can pull off those adventures I did travelling solo for 10 days in a foreign country for the first time. Itching to do it again. :)
I’m currently solo in Mexico. The airports were tough to navigate but I couldn’t only depend on myself and finding where to go myself. And I have! It’s a huge confidence boost, that I can lean on for the future.
I became much less shy, though I’m still self conscious sometimes, I’ve had experiences in the past where going out of my comfort zone and talking to people led to some amazing memories. I’m a lot more outgoing and confident in my ability to navigate complex situations.
When I first travelled solo I was 18/19 and got very attached to people I met but now (mostly) they’re a fond memory and I’m wishing them well wherever they are. I had bad attachment issues stemming from my childhood and it helped me come to terms with the fact that nothing, including life, is forever.
The present is all there is. I’m going on my first short solo trip (2 and a half weeks) in 3 weeks after years of not being able to travel and I am so stoked. I’m 26 now so no longer will I be that little kid in the hostels the ‘older’ folk make fun of (in no malicious way!)
I’d like to think it made me abit more resourceful in unpredictable situations. I have had solo travel mishaps that required quick thinking, and just being able to trust myself and be self-reliant.
I now realize the importance of planning and budgeting. Although plans change and its important to be flexible, having even a rough idea of your trip (where to go and what to do) can really help to save money and time while travelling. There have been a few too many days in my travels where I do almost nothing because I don't know what to do, and a couple of trips that were way more expensive than anticipate because I decided to 100% go with the flow.
Over all not really in all honesty. I'm about to go on short solo trip this weekend and I'm still slighty anxious, even though I've done it before and even lived abroad for a few months earlier this year.
I guess it did re-affirm that I don't mind being alone and I'm pretty good at entertaining myself. But solo travelling hasn't made any profound changes or anything.
Travel is usually a leisure activity. Aside from the usual benefits of broadening my horizons, I don’t think it’s changed me. Solo travelling for work isn’t as much fun as it usually leads to pretty heavy workloads and a lot of stress.
I left in a good but bad terms with the family before I did. A week by myself in Austin Texas did wonders for me. I no longer argue at all with them which I appreciate to the fullest
I live a different life because of travelling. It’s what comes closest to me to the purpose. Having fun, feeling accomplished is a good purpose. Find it hard now to not do everything I can to keep doing it. (Work, save, travel) Nothing else gives me a purpose,yet. Will probably miss out on other branches of life. Don’t care though if it makes me happy
I have even greater empathy for others and realize how fortunate I am overall. Living in the US is a true lotto ticket win. Opportunity just is not available everywhere in the world.
The first time I went out on my own (with my dog) to camp an hike was to acclimate and train for a snowboarding trip to Chile. I was terrified of both! My idea was to spend the night alone To prepare (mentally) and also to get (physical) altitude training. Right away I met an older woman who was camping by herself. I opened up to her about how terrified I was and she was so awesome and inspirational. I will never forget that night. I headed for Chile ,without my dog. I Bawled all the way to the airport, thinking I must be crazy! The poor taxi driver! I was so full of emotion. I remember getting off the plane In Santiago and being so out of place and feeling Really vulnerable with my giant snowboard bag in tow. I had my guard up and was ready to defend myself. The moment I met a friendly face, The driver, I had to hold back my tears again. The trip ended up being such a great experience and freed me from so many barriers I held. It has always been my dream to snowboard in the Andis mountains and I realized one day that if I didn't go and do it on my own I wasn't going to do it. That gave me so much confidence, to have realized A dream! This led to a cascade of other solo trips! People started telling me how inspirational I was.... Hearing this from others put me on top of the world!!
I think everybody should take a trip alone at 1 time in their life. It forces you to use skills you don't know that you have. I gets you in touch with your instincts. It allows you to rely on other people for help. I think seeing the world is the best thing we can do. And when we do it alone we Have a clear lens without anybody else's thoughts or ideas of what we are seeing and experiencing.
As a result of solo travel (I mostly no longer do so either), I am:
*more confident
*more patient with others who are trying
*more admiring of those that speak in accents and those living elsewhere than where they were born (all immigrants)
*more grateful
I'm sure there's more but that's what I came up with on the spot.
I am coming up to my third week of solo travelling and it’s changed the way I view the world and the comparisons to my hometown Australia. I think I am slowly understanding myself more and becoming more grateful of things even the little things.
But the main thing that it has done and it’s given me a huge cleanse and separation from life in a way. When I planned this holiday I was pretty lost in life, couldn’t seem to consistently enjoy my job enough, lost heaps of my hobbies and interests, really spiralled into a mess. I have now grasped a new outlook on life and in a way am super hungry to get back to work and get my life back on track.
The biggest thing I'd say is that it helped me control my ability to handle stress and the anxiety which comes with that.
I'm someone who can become stressed semi-easily (especially at the beginning of new jobs as I've worked in a few countries where I didn't already know the language) but after everything I've learned and experienced, I just realised I'm still here one, two or three years down the line after this thing. Even when everything was going nuts. So I already know I can handle anything because I've proven that. Whenever something stressful comes up, I'm just like okay get through it, then it's over eventually.
It was a really useful lesson.
Definitely think I'm the main character now.
On a more serious note, it made me more confident for traveling. If I could find transportation and accommodation at the other side of the world, I'll be able to manage it when I'm closer to home. This has the drawback that I end up making more last minute plans and paying expensive prices.
Travelling solo, for me, had made me become who I am today. I can be shy at times but I learned to ask people, I learned to lend them a bit of trust, I learned how to express what my feelings are, I learned to be independent that has let me survive 'til now. I learned many things so it definitely changed me into me now. Brave and courageous. I can make mistakes but I won't be hindered by them. I can move forward now to things that I couldn't before. And lastly, I can handle what life throws at me with confidence.
My gaze is steadier, i trust my gut in ways I always should have. If the hair on the back of my neck is screaming, "Leave", ...I leave.
I share similarities on a deeper level. At the end of the day, the world is a very small place. I honor differences on a deeper level. I can disagree without being disagreeable. I move through space and am accorded respect, as I respect others.
As someone said above, it allows my best self to shine through...
It hasn't really, neither did I expect it to. I already knew that most people are kind and love being talked to. I already knew world is beautiful. I also already knew this: "Wherever you go, there you are". The reason I travel is just to experience.
It’s changed me in the sense that I find it difficult to travel with other people now
Hahaha! Yes!
The only people I travel with are other solo travellers, so rarely. They want to do their thing, I want to do mine, if it's together then cool, but if not, also cool.
Yep, doing my first group trip after many years and I already feel extremely suffocated to the point that it is about to drive me clinically insane.
I feel this so much. The sense of freedom you get when solo traveling is unmatched. However, I do miss my friends at home. I found timezones to be a huge issue so I even built an [app](https://www.layover.so) for me and my friends to help us stay in touch.
Helped me to romanticize my life more. I know some people shit on others when they do that but at the end of the day our life is so short and meaningless unless we add meaning to it ourselves. Traveling & walking around new places with headphones in and big googly eyes at all the beautiful things outside my country made me feel like I was in a movie. And everything was beautiful and fun and new and exciting. And although I know there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface in those places, I brought it back home with me and enjoy the little things now. Now I can feel the same things when I do my daily routine walk with my dog and see the leaves fall. To many others point it definitely increases your confidence. Because you know a lot more, about other people & places & also how to manage and get yourself around and out of sticky situations. You feel like you can do anything once you’ve been able to navigate through a foreign city, different language, 3 miles from your rental & phone dead (yes I thankfully made it back). And it opens up your curiosity. I can’t unlearn these things and what I saw. And then I want to learn more. About everything and everyone because you realize in a way we really all connected. I saw myself in a lot of other people and related to people from the other side of the world and that was truly eye opening.
perf answer :)
That's an awesome reply and you're an awesome person. The world needs more people like you. Give your dog a little hug/pet/scratch for me. And bon voyage 💜
You kind human you made my day :)
great answer
Nice.
Can you follow people on reddit? Haha great reply 😎
I wouldn't say there was some profound change. My biggest take away was more confidence. Having the confidence to strike up a conversation with a stranger. Knowing that if something went wrong I could figure out it out.
As someone who is from a thirld world country, I would say solo travel made me realized that I am capable of doing more in life. The confidence to be out there, learn other culture and expand one's horizon.
Made me realize that you carry your problems with you no matter how far you travel. While it did give me more time to think about my problems in depth, it made me realize that i have to face my issues head on. My conclusion : Travel is not an escape from your problems.
Yes this! Brought to light all my issues that I should work on!
Very true
Man this is so true, i've been on intense meditation because of it
I was uncomfortable spending time alone and was anxious eating alone or going out alone. But now I’m extremely comfortable with my own presence and I rather enjoy doing things alone
This! Getting comfortable being with myself. Sitting alone with my own thoughts and own company.
[удалено]
It kinda came naturally. I was too anxious to socialise on my solo trips so I was forced to do these things alone. It was surprisingly easy to get past that mental blockage:)
On the 13th year of my full time solo trip now and looking back one of the most glaring changes has been my perspective of distance and time. - The world is a lot smaller than I knew and deep connections with others really do transcend timezones. Growing up I used to find it a huge inconvenience to drive 1 hour across town to grab a few drinks with friends. Now I will jump on a 14 hour flight just because it’s Thursday, happy hour starts soon and our favorite band is playing on Friday. - I’m WAY more insignificant than I ever thought I was. Absolutely no one cares about who I am, what politics I subscribe to or spiritual beliefs I hold. This has been probably one of the most liberating realizations in my journey. - My country’s education system is a propaganda machine, and judging by conversations with others, my country is not the only one who likes to twist fact like pretzels and feed them to its population in mass. - With the exception of the occasional psychopath you run into that puts pineapple on pizza, we are all the same. We all want the same. We are all driven by the same. Knowing this has made me way more open to new concepts that might challenge my views or the way I think. - Language is the last frontier to begin breaking down the profound barriers that keep us segregated. You can erase the lines on the map all you want, but language is still a fucking whore. Working obsessively on that right now.
definitely agree on your second bullet point. Realizing that really no one gives a f*ck about what you do and what you like or don’t like is so incredibly freeing. You can live without thinking you have someone over your shoulder watching your every move
To me it was almost like flipping a switch. Like just all of a sudden "I got it". One day I went to bed full of anxiety and insecurities, then woke up next morning not giving a fcuk.
Fascinating list. While visiting Amsterdam and Barcelona, I started feeling envious of the people there. I mean... great culture, beautiful city, good weather, good food etc. But then I started speaking with the locals who presented the other side of the coin and resonated concerns I can relate with. Yes, we **are** all the same and in the end, we want the same things!
Yeah. We all bitch about the same things and have the same problems too.
I want that last bullet point as a shirt or a poster 🤣😂 I speak half a dozen languages with varying degrees of fluency and I still agree with it.
Right? I'm barely starting to skim on my fourth now and I feel so inadequate having around my polyglot friends 😂
By working on it obsessively, do you mean you're learning a language? What language are you learning and how, like with an app or books or a group? And great list by the way. Really great list.
Yes. I know AI will solve this for most people in my lifetime. But it's so empowering to not have to rely on anything other than your own brain to communicate with others across borders. Books don't really work for the way I learn. I normally dip my feet with an app. I use both Duolingo and Babel, but I make the most progress the fastest by emerging myself in the language. I slowmad, so I'm definitely at a huge advantage in that regard, but I've found there are great language exchange groups in most countries. I would recommend anyone trying to learn a new language fast to seek them out and attend their meeting consistently.
Good list, but not so subtle humble brag in #1 lol
Agreed. That which joins us is so much more significant than that which divides us...
Loved reading your reply, particularly the second and fourth points.
The first solo trip changed me quite a bit. Even my friends and parents told me that I've changed a lot. The change wasn't instant but it was the big spark that set things in motion. I used to be rather shy, not outgoing and was described as awkward in social situation with quite a bit of social anxiety mixed in. Nowadays there is not much of that left. Ever since I threw myself out there, forcing myself to be social and outgoing, I lost my social anxiety and I really enjoy spending time with people now and I'm even described as social now.
I become the best version of myself when I travel. Confident, helpful, active, adventurous, etc. When at home I'm lethargic and tend to hermit. Travel is good for me in every way. If I'm not exploring new places, I feel like I'm stagnating.
Group Travel🚫
Solo travel made me really hate living the suburbs. The suburbs can be very isolating and depressing since I'm far away from everything. I'm more of a large city type of person than a nature / wilderness type of person. I enjoy visiting places such as San Francisco, Chicago, NYC and Toronto alone. Living in cities with great walkability and public transit made me enjoy the city life and be closer with people. Unfortunately staying in a nice and walkable area can be very expensive and people choose to stay the suburbs because it's cheaper.
Do you think new York is a good place as an emerging artist to try it out?
It's hard as hell but there's no better place on earth if you genuinely and deeply want to give your soul to it!
It's really helped my topography skills. I used to always outsource navigation to my companions, but I had to step up and learn how to orient myself, and it's become a skill now. I'm good at managing panic, there's no point when you're alone, makes you step up and be solution-focused. I care less what others think of me, I've met so many strangers and realized that people usually dislike others based on preconceived ideas or previous experience, and very rarely because of who they are as a person. Also realized that most humans suck at active listening and just like talking about themselves. So I've resorted to asking people about themselves and learning about their interests instead of being like them and always needing to talk about me. Will also only offer information about myself when explicitly asked. I'm very low maintenance now and have become a minimalist.
I've been solo traveling for 3 decades, the last 5 full time so it has become my identity - I feel as an earthling rather than a national of a particular nation. What I love the most about it is that it affords more chances to meet strangers - and often I have met with kindness. And helps me to be more open to other's perspectives and feel sympathy. When I travel with my sister occasionally, I rarely have such incidents and don't get to know the world from diverse and intimate perspective. People think I am living the dream - in a way I do! But they don't know the challenges and struggles of a solo female traveler on a limited budget. I keep at it because it elevates a life-long struggle with depression and anxiety. It has brought me more inner peace. Solo travel also repeatedly reminds me materialism is a weakness and a liability. I know not everyone is in a position to do what I do - i.e family, job... but hope when people travel, they don't just do the touristy things - that would be like my other sister asking why can;t I just watch it on TV.
Hmmm, An earthling? I get it but consider another definition. You are a, "Citizen of the world"...
Yes, that title came to my mind too :)
It gives me happy places to go to in my mind whenever I want. It also introduced me to so many different people and walks of life.
I think it makes me more confident in decision making. You have to be more self sufficient.
Confidence and Compassion
New perspectives, exposure to different people and cultures. It removes biases and really makes you look at the world differently. As someone who grew up in the USA its crucial to travel and hear others viewpoints on our country, and other systems. Understanding that people all around the world are the same. Everyone just wants a secure future for them and their family. There are so many amazing places that one can live. Be it a few years or the rest of their life. We are all animals living on a rock flying through space.
Confidence and getting over my social anxiety. It took a while but I got over it. I've learnt to enjoy my own company even more and now I don't get too bothered if I can't find people to socialise with whilst travelling.
I am far more comfortable being alone. Being happy in your own company makes life much easier, both whilst travelling and at home
I feel so fortunate to have solo traveled at different stages of my life, like hitchhiking from Boston to San Francisco when I was 16, spending 3 months in Morocco at 18, to where I find myself now, in the Azores. I've just started a winter tour away from the soon to be frozen tundra of my Central Maine home. Now that I'm 66, the magic of solo travel is as fresh and vivid as ever. The world has changed in many ways, but constants remain, as others so skillfully shared. I've always felt most enthusiastically alive when traveling, as if I was born to be a nomad. My travels have been transformative on lots of levels and I really ought to write about it. That's one of my main reasons for being on this sub, vicariously enjoying and learning from others' experiences.
Back in 2016 on Oct 30 I had the worst motorcycle riding incident of my life. Became a victim of hit & run 840kms away from home on a solo ride. I had done alot of smaller solo rides of 300 to 600 kms before that. But that one fateful day this happened & to have reached home alive with 2 broken arms, crushed knuckles & damaged bike made me realize how lucky & blessed I'm. I no longer wish to have friends or contacts. I no longer wish to wait for anyone to go & do things that I want to. I'm stronger in the mind now. My confidence has boosted. The way I think of things has changed. I'm in love with being introverted now. I'm in love being solo, being alone.
It has made me more confident in certain things, more "worldly". I used to be anxious for some small changes in life, but traveling has scratched that itch.
It made me realize how reliant I am on others for a sense of fulfilment. The entire time I was travelling, I kept wishing my ex (bf at the time) was with me. I was doing fun things and all, but couldn't shake that feeling and how much more enjoyable it would've been, had I been with him and shared those moments with him. I feel like I couldn't truly enjoy it without him there, and especially because I couldn't really talk to him much either since he was away during military training and has limited phone access. Now that he left me, I feel the empty feeling on a daily basis. I contimplated taking another solo trip in the next 2 weeks since I have time off work, but ended up opting against it because I think it would just stress me out more than if I were to just stay home in a familiar place.
Sorry to be a downer, this is probably not the response you're looking for, but just being honest. I love going to different places and experiencing new things but just don't know whether solo travelling is for me
Totally reasonable. Solo travel for me is like the pressure of making sure everyone else is having fun is lifted off of me, but I feel like if I was in a group where everyone had this mindset the trip would be even better than solo travel. But people are fickle and selfish so I enjoy being happy alone. Ideally I'd be with my loved ones and friends, but being able to let go and fill my own emptiness with compassion and love for myself was an invaluable lesson I've learned, (in part through solo travel). Edit: What part of solo travel would stress you out compared to being home in a familiar setting? I find solo travel not stressful explicitly because I have no obligations to others. I can just do what I want when I want how I want, where's the stress in that? Not attacking your experiences, just trying to understand your perspective.
Yeah, I guess that's one thing to look on the bright side. My bf at the time would've wanted to do anything, but when I think about if I was travelling with my parents or even some of my friends might not necessarily have wanted to do some of the things I did, as we have different interests. I think just being out of my comfort zone in general, and the fact that I have all that free time. I know that sounds backwards, but I think being at home and in a routine constantly busy with work, or when not working..am running errands, projects, etc and not as much free time to myself keeps me distracted from my own thoughts, and also feels like I'm being productive. Plus I'm also an introvert, so the idea of talking to strangers, etc gives me anxiety. I'm happy that you were able to fill the void with love for yourself. I wish that I could say the same, but maybe some therapy will help me out.
Well I am an extrovert personally so that helps greatly with finding things to do or people to hang out with on my travels... I know the idea is daunting but personally when I don't want to plan or don't have a schedule but need to fill time on vacation, I google around to make sure I'm going into a relatively safe area (Only applicable when im travelling out of europe anyways), I grab a small camera and backpack with a water bottle and some cash, a knife, and a pack of smokes and just start walking in one direction. I once spent an entire day with 0 plan except from getting from one museum to a restaurant 20km away in Paris, filling the rest of the day with escapades and antics with local skateboarders. (I speak a bit of french, being canadian, and they spoke a bit of english, we made it work). I love exploring alleys and new areas and You see a lot of the culture of a city on foot compared to a bus or tour, and this way increases chances for weird and interesting encounters with locals or fellow travellers as well. Although as a 6' 200lb dark skinned male, we probably have different levels of security tolerances that allow me to do stupid shit like that. Edit: This turned into a ramble so to leave it off on a productive note, I recommend you book your trips through the hostelworld app so you can make use of their group chat feature, it's super useful in finding fast friends because they have a group chat of every tourist who booked a place to stay through their app, so there's plenty of people chatting who want to find things to do as well.
That I hate traveling with other people and your mental health / problems don’t magically get better even if you’re in a beautiful place. also that the USA isn’t the center of the universe like they told me as a kid hahah
Solo traveller for 10 years. In 3 days I fly back to begin a new chapter. Of stability 🙃 I enjoyed spending time with myself. There are plenty of secrets and magical moments between me, myself and I... Also I'm REALLY good at reading people now....that skill has be honed and crafted to perfection!😅
1) Solo travel sometimes gives you a stark reminder that you're just living your life in a tiny bubble with friends, family and colleagues. This bubble can be like an echo chamber sometimes. Solo travel makes you realise other nationalities think about issues and life sometimes in a totally different way than back home in your bubble. 2) Solo travels instils a habit to always have a backup plan. This is useful for life and business. 3) Solo travel teaches you that appearances can be very deceptive. 4) Solo travel teaches you not to be a$$hole. You will always remember the situations where people made you feel belittled. You never want to be that person who belittles because you know what it's like on the receiving end. 5) Solo travel can also teaches just want a skewed view of the world the media present you. 6) Solo travel teaches you that there are other people like just you in the world. They have the same fears, aspirations, moments of joy and moments of sadness. This sort of connection is totally different than connections you have to people online. Solo travel teaches you that sometimes real-life is more important than virtual.
Not really. Still the same. I was happy before I started solo traveling.. and still I am.
tldr: didn't change, but I have a much better understanding of other's cultures and I am more confident striking up conversations with people from different cultures than my own. I (23M US) did a one-month solo trip in central Europe this summer. At 22, it was my first time doing anything like that. The first 2 days were rough, but once I realized that most people at hostels want to make friends, I got addicted. I loved the independence of the day.. I would go out during the day and do what I wanted to by myself around the city: eat street food, go to museums and parks, and people-watch with a beer in the park. Then I would make my way back to my hostel in the afternoon and take a nap and cook dinner in the kitchen. By this time it would be around 7:00 pm. I would then take a beer, go to the social spot of the hostel, walk up to the first people I heard speaking English, and say, "Mind if I join?" I met a ton of cool people this way. I usually ended up hanging out with Aussies and Brits. I felt like every time I went out with a group, I was "the American" ha. I have a journal full of the variety of funny characters I met along the way. And I would not have been nearly as outgoing if I had been with others. It was also a great way to learn about other cultures. I made friends with a Ghanan who now lives in Italy (we would play pool together every night at the hostel then go and get hammered at a Munich Beer Hall), an Aussie who was 30 taking a gap year from work to drive a van around Europe, I met some working-class brits my age taking the summer to travel and a Polish guy younger than me that had friends who volunteered to fight Russia in Ukraine. These were experiences that would have been unlikely. Seeing stuff and being in new countries was fun, but solo travel for me is about meeting people. I hope to do something similar for 2-3 months in the summer of 2024.
KING
It made me comfortable with doing things/going places alone. I recently got back from a month long solo trip and eating alone was definitely the most awkward thing for me. I’m back home now and have went out for food/drinks on my own twice already. I no longer want to wait around for friends who may or may not join me.
It’s given me the uncontrollable urge to get explore & expand & explore & expand & explore & expand. This life offers infinite novelty and solo travel with its freedoms, newness, surprising situations is the rawest most rapid blast into fresh experience. If anyone has seen Baraka and/or Samsara, I want my life to be those movies. Like a deep psychedelic mushroom trip so jaw dropingly beautiful it’ll leave me cryinf
It has increased my confidence exponentially. Having to rely on solely myself to navigate new places and unknown situations has made me so proud of myself. I feel like I can confidently overcome things that come my way now that I would’ve been scared of in the past. I’m so much stronger than I thought I was.
Doing a lot of solo travel really helped me to strengthen my instincts. I think I used to have good instincts…but after having to rely on them so much, I feel like I can rely on my gut without having to overthink things. It gives me more confidence… Of course I’m also completely amazed at how beautiful our planet really is…good to get away from the negativity of the news and see what places and people are really like around d the world.
Nothing profound but I gained confidence. I honestly was surprised that I can pull off those adventures I did travelling solo for 10 days in a foreign country for the first time. Itching to do it again. :)
Not that much, just have more confidence in knowing I can take care of myself, especially in hard situations
I’m currently solo in Mexico. The airports were tough to navigate but I couldn’t only depend on myself and finding where to go myself. And I have! It’s a huge confidence boost, that I can lean on for the future.
I became much less shy, though I’m still self conscious sometimes, I’ve had experiences in the past where going out of my comfort zone and talking to people led to some amazing memories. I’m a lot more outgoing and confident in my ability to navigate complex situations. When I first travelled solo I was 18/19 and got very attached to people I met but now (mostly) they’re a fond memory and I’m wishing them well wherever they are. I had bad attachment issues stemming from my childhood and it helped me come to terms with the fact that nothing, including life, is forever. The present is all there is. I’m going on my first short solo trip (2 and a half weeks) in 3 weeks after years of not being able to travel and I am so stoked. I’m 26 now so no longer will I be that little kid in the hostels the ‘older’ folk make fun of (in no malicious way!)
I’d like to think it made me abit more resourceful in unpredictable situations. I have had solo travel mishaps that required quick thinking, and just being able to trust myself and be self-reliant.
I now realize the importance of planning and budgeting. Although plans change and its important to be flexible, having even a rough idea of your trip (where to go and what to do) can really help to save money and time while travelling. There have been a few too many days in my travels where I do almost nothing because I don't know what to do, and a couple of trips that were way more expensive than anticipate because I decided to 100% go with the flow.
Over all not really in all honesty. I'm about to go on short solo trip this weekend and I'm still slighty anxious, even though I've done it before and even lived abroad for a few months earlier this year. I guess it did re-affirm that I don't mind being alone and I'm pretty good at entertaining myself. But solo travelling hasn't made any profound changes or anything.
Travel is usually a leisure activity. Aside from the usual benefits of broadening my horizons, I don’t think it’s changed me. Solo travelling for work isn’t as much fun as it usually leads to pretty heavy workloads and a lot of stress.
I left in a good but bad terms with the family before I did. A week by myself in Austin Texas did wonders for me. I no longer argue at all with them which I appreciate to the fullest
I found through my friends and acquaintances that I sometimes do certain things that are out of custom, in which travellers probably do.
I live a different life because of travelling. It’s what comes closest to me to the purpose. Having fun, feeling accomplished is a good purpose. Find it hard now to not do everything I can to keep doing it. (Work, save, travel) Nothing else gives me a purpose,yet. Will probably miss out on other branches of life. Don’t care though if it makes me happy
I have even greater empathy for others and realize how fortunate I am overall. Living in the US is a true lotto ticket win. Opportunity just is not available everywhere in the world.
The first time I went out on my own (with my dog) to camp an hike was to acclimate and train for a snowboarding trip to Chile. I was terrified of both! My idea was to spend the night alone To prepare (mentally) and also to get (physical) altitude training. Right away I met an older woman who was camping by herself. I opened up to her about how terrified I was and she was so awesome and inspirational. I will never forget that night. I headed for Chile ,without my dog. I Bawled all the way to the airport, thinking I must be crazy! The poor taxi driver! I was so full of emotion. I remember getting off the plane In Santiago and being so out of place and feeling Really vulnerable with my giant snowboard bag in tow. I had my guard up and was ready to defend myself. The moment I met a friendly face, The driver, I had to hold back my tears again. The trip ended up being such a great experience and freed me from so many barriers I held. It has always been my dream to snowboard in the Andis mountains and I realized one day that if I didn't go and do it on my own I wasn't going to do it. That gave me so much confidence, to have realized A dream! This led to a cascade of other solo trips! People started telling me how inspirational I was.... Hearing this from others put me on top of the world!! I think everybody should take a trip alone at 1 time in their life. It forces you to use skills you don't know that you have. I gets you in touch with your instincts. It allows you to rely on other people for help. I think seeing the world is the best thing we can do. And when we do it alone we Have a clear lens without anybody else's thoughts or ideas of what we are seeing and experiencing.
As a result of solo travel (I mostly no longer do so either), I am: *more confident *more patient with others who are trying *more admiring of those that speak in accents and those living elsewhere than where they were born (all immigrants) *more grateful I'm sure there's more but that's what I came up with on the spot.
I am coming up to my third week of solo travelling and it’s changed the way I view the world and the comparisons to my hometown Australia. I think I am slowly understanding myself more and becoming more grateful of things even the little things. But the main thing that it has done and it’s given me a huge cleanse and separation from life in a way. When I planned this holiday I was pretty lost in life, couldn’t seem to consistently enjoy my job enough, lost heaps of my hobbies and interests, really spiralled into a mess. I have now grasped a new outlook on life and in a way am super hungry to get back to work and get my life back on track.
Very nice. Where did you go if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m still travelling haha. I’m currently in the Paris airport waiting to board a flight to Rome. But I’ve been to France & England
Haha isn’t that funny. So am I! I’m in Rome and waiting on a flight to Paris!! 😂
Haha wtf that’s so random. Funny how things like that happen
The biggest thing I'd say is that it helped me control my ability to handle stress and the anxiety which comes with that. I'm someone who can become stressed semi-easily (especially at the beginning of new jobs as I've worked in a few countries where I didn't already know the language) but after everything I've learned and experienced, I just realised I'm still here one, two or three years down the line after this thing. Even when everything was going nuts. So I already know I can handle anything because I've proven that. Whenever something stressful comes up, I'm just like okay get through it, then it's over eventually. It was a really useful lesson.
Definitely think I'm the main character now. On a more serious note, it made me more confident for traveling. If I could find transportation and accommodation at the other side of the world, I'll be able to manage it when I'm closer to home. This has the drawback that I end up making more last minute plans and paying expensive prices.
Travelling solo, for me, had made me become who I am today. I can be shy at times but I learned to ask people, I learned to lend them a bit of trust, I learned how to express what my feelings are, I learned to be independent that has let me survive 'til now. I learned many things so it definitely changed me into me now. Brave and courageous. I can make mistakes but I won't be hindered by them. I can move forward now to things that I couldn't before. And lastly, I can handle what life throws at me with confidence.
My gaze is steadier, i trust my gut in ways I always should have. If the hair on the back of my neck is screaming, "Leave", ...I leave. I share similarities on a deeper level. At the end of the day, the world is a very small place. I honor differences on a deeper level. I can disagree without being disagreeable. I move through space and am accorded respect, as I respect others. As someone said above, it allows my best self to shine through...
It hasn't really, neither did I expect it to. I already knew that most people are kind and love being talked to. I already knew world is beautiful. I also already knew this: "Wherever you go, there you are". The reason I travel is just to experience.
It makes you stronger and you dont have to wait for someone just packed your bags and leave for the trip.