Travelling Solo: What They Don’t Tell You

A current trend in travelling is the concept of solo travelling. It is being lauded as a cure for all: lack of self-confidence, lack of discipline, lack of goals in life… the list goes on. I recently even read that one can only become the master of one‘s destiny if they have had this experience at least once in their lives.

As a person who has travelled alone at least 7 times, I think that there is another aspect of solo travelling which should be highlighted – the more maybe-negative points. Please note this article is not anti-solo travelling. It only urges readers to keep additional aspects in mind while planning such a trip. Also, the safety of female travelling solo is not mentioned here. I feel that every woman is already aware of safety concerns associated with travelling alone and this point has not been emphasised again in this article.

So here are some other points to consider when you are on that quest to become the master of your destiny.

1) Sleeping with One Eye Open

So, you’ve planned the trip and sorted out all the travel and accommodation details. Your work is done, right? Wrong! Double check everything and make contingency plans. Remember there’s no one else to ask for spare change when you run out of local currency or no contacts saved outside of phone if you happen to lose your bag with all the valuables. Tip: Send people your itinerary with the bus and hotel names and make sure that you check in with them once to let them know everything is going according to plan. Stay aware of your surroundings at all the public places.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why Women Should Travel

2) Going To The Toilets With The Bags On

Ha! Bet you didn’t think of that one, did you? Another advice is to take the purse and the carry-ons with when you are not in your seat. If the seats in the flight or the bus are very close, this might not make you very popular with all the fellow passengers, especially at night. But hey, safety first, right?!

Also Read: Unable To Travel? You Can Now Transfer Your IRCTC Ticket To Someone Else

3) Requesting People For Photos

I realise that this sounds superficial but what girl does not want <strong”>glamorous shots at beautiful locations? You’ll be stuck with asking fellow tourists to take photos. All the cool poses of staring into the distance while someone takes candid pictures will not be possible while solo travelling.

Also Read: Ditch Your Ride And Travel Through Goa In A Classy Catamaran

 4) Money!

Another thing out of experience: nobody saves money when travelling solo. Even if you are staying at hostels, travelling only by buses or via car sharing and buying food at the grocery stores, you will still be giving out more money than couples and living in less luxury in comparison. But hey, you’ll travelling and taking breaks on your own terms and that is also important, right?

Also Read: Here’s How A 12-Year Old Boy Flew To Bali On A Solo Vacation Trip

My final recommendation to you regarding solo travelling is to do it once. It gets lonely sometimes and safety will always be a problem but the experiences you will gather on the way will be absolutely priceless!