Solo travelling: the good, the bad & the ugly

As someone who has been travelling the world for years now, oftentimes alone, I definitely have firsthand experience of the best and worst parts of solo female travelling. I will always advocate for it, but we also have to openly talk about the downsides of this travel style. I am hoping that talking about everything and anything related to solo travelling will encourage women across the globe to travel alone while also being aware of the potential downsides of it.

Wondering around in the beautiful island of Madeira

The good:

I could talk about this part for days, so I will try to summarise it. The best part of solo travelling is definitely the self-development element of it. No podcast, self-help book, or life coach can help or test you more than being alone on the other side of the globe, trying to figure it all out, at times even under stress or pressure. Travelling the world alone can help you feel so free, yet responsible. Since you are your own company most of the time, you discover things about yourself left, right, and centre. You will be your best friend and advisor. You will be the one in control and the one who needs to solve problems. Your patience will be tested on a daily basis, and sometimes life will ask you: how bad do you want this? But this is what will shape you into a better human being.

Another thing I would mention is that travelling alone makes you more sociable. A lot of the time when I tell people I travel alone, they think it must be very anti-social. But I beg to differ. In my experience, travelling alone makes you more open to starting a conversation or opening up to people. Especially if you want to find company, making that first move and being courageous is your only chance at socialising and making connections. I admit, this is not something that you will always find easy, but it is definitely a habit that you can get into very easily.

And of course, your increased level of confidence. I mean, after climbing mountains with food poisoning or sleeping on the airport floor because a storm delayed all the flights, you learn to be so confident on your own, so that simple, everyday tasks seem like a walk in the park.

Exploring Peru

The bad:

You only have yourself to rely on. There will be certain situations, when you will have to rely purely on your instincts and making the best possible decision for you. If you are naturally very independent this may not seem like a big deal, but if you are the type of person who likes to discuss matters before making decisions, this may be something to prepare for. Don't worry, most of the time this doesn't mean some grand, life changing decisions, but some of these can also alter the course of your travels or the way you experience things. As negative as this sounds at first, I think it is also a very beneficial element of travelling on your long term life quality, responsibility and independent thinking are skills you can literally transfer to any other area of your life.

The ugly:

You can feel alone and lonely in the most beautiful destinations. It may only hit you after a while because initially, you have that feeling of freedom and excitement. But eventually, that wears off, and sometimes you experience the most amazing locations on your own. Which is good on one hand, because you really learn to enjoy your own company. But when you spend a few weeks or months in a great location but don't seem to find the right kind of people to share the experience with, you can feel pretty lonely. Depending on the length of your trip, this may not occur because, in my experience, this is more like a 4-5 week mark when this issue arises, but it's definitely something to be aware of.

I hope you found this honest take on solo female travelling insightful. Obviously, it's all my personal experience and doesn't necessarily apply to everyone, but I hope that it will give someone the courage to book that trip and embark on their own adventures as solo female travellers.

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