Why Everyone Should Do a Solo Trip at Some Point in His or Her Life

Would it be a solo trip without awkwardly asking a stranger to take a picture of you??

Travelling solo can be intimidating. Trust me, I know. I'm the quiet one in most of my friend groups. Tell me to introduce myself to a random stranger, no problem. Tell me to just start hanging out with a group of people I don't know, now that's a little harder. I don't want to intrude or barge in on anything, so I separate myself out. In some groups, though, I talk a lot and take charge. I guess I'm a bit of a social anomaly, but maybe you can relate. So for all of you introverts who are afraid to go to a country where you don't already have close friends, I understand, but you will grow so much and come out much more confident. And to all the extroverts who are dreading having quiet time, I get that also, but I have good news for you: there are so many travelers out there just dying to meet people! In other words, you have no excuse. Travelling solo is something everyone should do at least once because, like every travel blog says, it will change your perspective on the world, and it will show you just how much you are capable of, and I bet it'll be more than you expect.

So let's get to it! Here are my reasons on why you need to finally book that plane ticket (or at least turn on the price drop alert on your favorite airfare search engine ;) -- try Skyscanner) to the destination you have always dreamed of visiting. No more holding back until you can convince someone else to go with you. Sure, it's fun to have someone to laugh and adventure with, but being spontaneous and simply going for it is pretty fantastic too.

1) You won't have to worry about missing out.

If you wait around for someone else forever, who knows if you'll ever get to go. Plus, everyone has a different travel style and trip priorities. For some people, it's really important to eat well at nice restaurants. I, however, would rather eat dry cereal all week to save money for other activities. Some people prefer exploring big cities, but I would always choose the nature routes and the less touristy sites. I'd love to see it all, but mountains and paying for amazing views and experiences top skyscrapers and restaurants with white tablecloths any day in my book. All that to say, travelling with other people requires compromises. It lets you try things you wouldn't have done otherwise and lets you create memories with others that you can share forever, but you might leave wishing you could have done that one thing on your list that the other person had no interest in.

While in Iceland, I went super cheap on food and lodging in order to splurge on tours of Iceland's natural wonders, swim in a geothermal lagoon, and go ice climbing on a glacier. I didn't have to worry about if other people were ok with that budgeting plan, the harsh weather conditions, or all the walking I planned to do. When I was in the lagoon, I wished I could turn to someone I knew well and see the excitement in his or her eyes as I expressed how amazing the experience was, but at least I got to do it. I learned to occupy myself better without constantly feeling self-conscious about being seen alone. I was able to just enjoy myself and my surroundings. If I had given up on my dream of visiting Iceland when nobody else was able to go with me, I would have missed out on so much.

2) You'll experience a freedom like none other.

Being able to make all of your own choices is great for your budget and bucket list, but it's also great mentally. You feel so different when you have that kind of freedom. You are able to wander wherever, whenever, and that is something so completely unique for me and many other people. When I looked at Google Maps and made an itinerary for Reykjavik with all

the attraction and photo spots I could find, I did not have to worry if they'd end up being interesting or not. All I cared was that I was exploring a new place on my own, using my own strength and ambition. If I saw somewhere else along the way, I didn't care if I stopped to explore that spot and never made it to the previously decided destination. That kind of freedom is so refreshing -- to not have any responsibility besides for that of making sure you stay safe. Having responsibilities is important to give people a sense of purpose and direction, but getting a break from that is equally important. It's when you release all your worries and just go with the flow that you really learn. You see what's important to you and how you react to surprises and other circumstances. Freedom is stunning.

3) You'll Make New Friends

Meet my new friend, Leah. She's almost ten years older than me and comes from a completely different part of the US than I do, but we both went on the same South Coast of Iceland tour alone. I sat next to her on the bus, and we got to talking. At every stop, we'd explore together and be the other person's designated photographer. We still had the freedom to walk off and explore on our own, though. It was a great mix; I now had a friend and that same level of freedom I mentioned before. For just knowing each other a couple hours, we shared some crazy experiences, and she said some things that encourage me to this day.

I also met a guy named Bruce in my hostel. He's also just under ten years older than me, and he comes from England. Still, most travelers are really eager to share experiences with people and help others have the best vacation possible because they, too, understand the joy of travel. Every traveler I met was eager to help and talk to other people. It's actually great! Anyway, Bruce was always inviting people from our hostel to go on tours or explore the town with him. One time after my tour, I went out to dinner at one of Reykjavik's famous stops and ended up bumping into him there. I spent the rest of the evening exploring the town and eating with him and his friend.

My last example actually comes from Morocco where I was not travelling alone, but it is my favorite example. When I went on a desert tour with my friends, we met three other people that we clicked with right away and continued to hang out with. Again, we were younger than them, but we still became friends very easily due to our situation. In case you aren't catching this, travelers are the easiest people to befriend. Don't be nervous. Anyway, we ended up creating a group chat with all of us to talk and share pictures even after our trip. The best part is, one of the girls from that trip ended up visiting Strasbourg a couple weeks later, and we were able to show her around and reconnect. That's another perk of meeting people on vacations -- you create connections that you can use to help you travel later.

4) You will learn so much about yourself.

What do you do when all of your crutches are suddenly gone and you can't just turn to the person next to you for help? You will never truly know how you'll react until you are in the situation, but I bet you'll rise to the challenge.

I remember the first time I would really be responsible for myself in an airport. I was probably a sophomore in high school, and my grandma had asked me to fly with her because she wasn't confident that she would know what to do in the airport without someone else there. Growing up in a family that valued travel, I had flown many times to visit other countries or on the rare occasions we flew within the US, but I still doubted myself and my navigation skills within the airport. I asked my parents to lay out how it'd go once we got to the airport from bag drop to security to finding the gate. Once I got to the airport and was actually doing it, I realized I absolutely could have done it on my own without help, but I had not realized what I was capable of beforehand. It's natural to be nervous, but trust yourself. You are capable of more than you realize.

Before studying abroad, I had no clue how to plan a trip, budget money for a country like Iceland, or navigate in a far away country that uses a different currency. Those are all things that my family had done time and time again, but it had never been my responsibility. I'd helped but never been in charge, so the change was intimidating. I wanted to constantly ask for advice and help before going, but, in the end, I did it on my own and the trip went smoothly. I met lots of new people, surprised myself with my bravery in certain adventures, and revealed my own independence to myself through the trip as a whole.

Regardless of your background, you will learn through solo travel. You will realize various personal strengths and weaknesses, and your priorities will manifest themselves. I can't promise you how or to what degree, but I can promise you will grow as a result. Sometimes, you can't see growth until a ways down the road or until you reflect on your time closely, but it will be there. People are constantly changing and learning, but placing yourself into a new situation with new people and surroundings without familiar comforts will act as catalysts for that growth. It's why people bond so easily at camp or in other intense or secluded environments.

5) You'll have more time to reflect on your trip.

A key part of learning about yourself is having time to reflect on the trip afterwards. You can evaluate how you handled different situations or even just what you liked most and least about the trip. All of that says something about you -- your travel style, your interests, your attitude, etc. It also helps you plan your next trip, whether or not it'll be solo, because you'll know what kind of activities you'll prioritize in your budget and schedule.

As a Christian, it's important to be constantly reflecting on what you're doing and how God is with you through it, guiding, protecting, and shaping you. It is especially easy on solo trips to think you are doing it all alone by your own strength, but you can also use solo trips as a special faith adventure by relying on your relationship with God and realizing that He is in control. After all, all good things come from above. When you feel lonely and want to turn to the person next to you to marvel at a beautiful waterfall or glacier, you can instead compliment God's creation directly to Him. You can have an ongoing dialogue with your Father throughout your trip. I won't lie, this was hard for me. I am much better at the spurts of conversation here and there, but I will say it was much easier when there was no one else to talk to and when I was surrounded by His gorgeous works of creation. I've learned, though, that God knows my heart and motives. He doesn't expect perfection. He just wants to know me and my heart. I've found myself praying over and over for help to grow closer and rebuild that communication, and a trip like this brought me a step in the right direction.

Whether or not you are a Christian, you can still enjoy some reflection time to learn about yourself and your heart. I think you'll end up being very proud of yourself and finding more confidence in your abilities as a result.

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All in all, it can be scary to take those steps and go on a solo trip, but you won't regret it. Iceland was not my favorite trip because I did miss having close friends to share it with, but, looking back, this trip was one of the best ones for me, and I would recommend it to everyone.

If you are ready to try it out for yourself, here are some things to look into before going:

1) The country's currency

Not all countries in Europe accept Euros, and countries outside of Europe typically all have different currencies. Some countries will accept credit cards most places, so you won't have to pay ATM fees. In other countries, it will be necessary to withdraw money. If you plan to shop in a market, cash is pretty much always necessary, even if the country is very developed and accepts a credit card most places. Also, be careful with money changers. While an ATM will tell you the conversion fee in your native currency, money exchange places will tell you it in the local currency or, in Europe, possibly Euros. Note the difference. ATMs will typically always give you a much better deal than currency exchange places, though, so it's best to avoid the exchange counters in general.

2) Your phone plan

Some phone plans advertise international coverage, but it only applies to certain countries. Some plans truly cover all countries, but it's worth double-checking to make sure you will have a way to communicate with people in case of emergency, especially since you will be alone.

3) Maps

Some GPS apps let you download a region offline. This is a great feature. If your phone plan doesn't cover the country you are visiting or if it acts up while there, you will be glad to have a back up. You won't be able to search for exact directions on some of the offline maps, but it will at least show you where you are and give you a general idea of how to get where you need to go.

4) Transportation Options

Often, there will be public buses that go from the airport to the downtown area for a much cheaper rate than taxis, larger bus companies, or other shuttles. Use Rome2Rio to find all the possible transportation options and chose the one that makes you feel safest and charges the least. If you decide to go the taxi route, make sure you know beforehand if the taxis are generally safe and honest in that area. When I visited Marrakech, Morocco, I had been warned not to take the taxis because they often scam tourists. Instead, we were advised to look into private driving companies.

5) Clothing Trends

Some countries are very particular when it comes to what clothes you should wear. It might be for weather purposes, which would be more obvious, but it could also be for religious reasons. Regardless of your personal religion, it is respectful to dress according to their customs. This does not mean that you need to wear the traditional or religious clothes, but try to respect the rules. If the country is Muslim or at least tends to dress very modestly, try to dress in long, flow pants or maxi dresses and skirts. The important thing si to be mindful of the culture you are entering into in order to be respectful and not cause problems.

6) Bank Regulations

Alert your bank of your travel well in advance, so your card has time to switch over and adjust your security settings. You don't want to arrive in another country and have no way of getting money. Even if you plan on using cash, you will need your bank's cooperation to withdraw from an ATM or go to a currency exchange counter in that country. Your bank will also alert you in the case that your credit card will be blocked in a certain country. while most of the time this only happens if strange purchases trigger a fraud alert or if you forget to tell the bank, there are some countries deemed too risky for certain banks to allow credit card use. In these cases, make sure to have cash exchanged before arriving in the country or bring plenty of your native currency to exchange in the airport at an unfortunately higher rate.

Travelling alone can be intimidating, and it feels like there is a lot to think through. The important things is to be ready and make sure you have money, housing, and communication lined up. Everything else will be ok. A little hurdle will just help you learn even more! Enjoy your solo travels!