There are tons of blogs that hardcore advocate for solo travel. They'll tell you it's the best thing since sliced bread. They'll tell you that you're missing out on one of the greatest experiences ever in the history of your life and that you're a terrible person if you can't go on a trip alone to be one with yourself. Sound familiar?
Don't listen to them.
It's a perfectly natural feeling to be hesitant about traveling alone. We're human. We need interaction. We need to feel like we belong to something or someone in most facets of our lives. Travel is no different.
I've traveled alone to a couple of places. I'm traveling mostly solo through Zambia right now. I did not know anyone when I arrived a month ago. I even have a solo trip coming up this weekend to Cape Town, South Africa. I am going alone because:
- I've always wanted to go;
- There's a long weekend so I don't have to use any vacation days; and
- I'm already in Zambia, so why not?
But is this my preference? No.
I like having someone to talk to when sightseeing and to have a drink with, to people watch and laugh with, and frankly, someone who's inherently built-in to take my pictures (Not kidding!). I like sharing the overall experience of traveling with someone.
Does this invalidate any of my other experiences or make me a less-experienced traveler? No, it doesn't.
Now, I'm not saying that there is something wrong with solo travel. Quite the opposite. I think solo travel is perfectly fine if that's your cup of tea. You should absolutely do it without apologies. But I refuse to be discouraged because it's not my shot of tequila.
I'm also not saying that you shouldn't travel alone because you're scared to. If this is your fear, my suggestion is to conquer it head on and to take a weekend trip to a nearby destination to see if you can. You may actually like it. But if it turns out that you don't, don't beat yourself up. There are plenty of other people out there who feel the same way you do.
How do I know that I don't like solo travel? Because I've traveled solo.
Now if your fear or lack of desire to travel solo is keeping you from traveling and living your life...then, we have a problem.
