I love travelling in general but I have a particular love for solo travel. Of course, there are some disadvantages to travelling solo, but the freedom to plan my trip around things I want to do and see, far outweighs any potential issues for me. Sure, travelling solo is often more expensive as there’s no one to split costs with, and this is especially apparent when it comes to accommodation and the dreaded “single supplement” that pops up in tours, cruises, and other types of travel. But the freedom of designing the trip you want is generally worth the extra cost, at least it is for me. Okay, not the single supplement but I tend to avoid the types of travel that it pops up in as I’m not big on tours and oddly enough, I’ve never been on a cruise (other than a day cruise) despite loving boats/ships. And staying in hostels at least some of the time helps mitigate the accommodation costs.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, I also like travelling with friends but those trips, in my opinion at least, tend to be more general interest trips that are as much centered on spending time together as they are about the destination. When I have a specific destination or activity in mind, I prefer solo travel and the freedom it provides. Of course, you may have a friend (or two), significant other or family member who shares similar interests as you do and then you can build a trip around what you both want to do with little compromise the quality of the trip. I have a core group of friends that I go camping with most summers for example, and it’s always a blast.
But schedules, interests, passions, and sometimes finances don’t always match up, which is how I discovered the joy of travelling solo a bit more than two decades ago (not that I want to date myself).
Back then I was planning on doing a year abroad with two of my university friends and roommates after graduation but one got pregnant and the other got nervous… and I was left with all these plans but no one to go with. So instead of canceling, I tweaked my plans, decided to get a working holiday visa for the UK to make the trip more affordable and off I went. Best decision ever! I had a blast, got robbed, learned a ton about myself, published my first travel articles (which are unfortunately, no longer online), and discovered how much fun – and how much freedom – there was travelling solo.
Fast forward to 2023, I’ve traveled solo several times over the years and that wasn’t the only time I packed up and moved abroad. But that trip holds a special place in my heart as the first one that didn’t include going to school abroad (which I did twice beforehand, once in high school and once in university). Here are a few of my other favourite solo travel experiences and why I think it’s so important to travel solo, at least once.
South Korea
Almost 18 years ago – wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long – I was unhappy with my job and decided I needed a change so I posted my resume online and within 24 hours, I’d received numerous replies about teaching English in Asia, with most coming from South Korea. So I quit my job, packed up my apartment and off I went. I’d originally thought to go for a year, have an adventure and then return home but loved it so much I ended up staying for three years, with a gap of three months between year one and two for travel. While it was more living abroad (solo) than solo travel, it certainly had a huge impact on my life with lasting friendships and an appreciation of Korean culture and pop culture that led to a new career as a writer. Plus you learn a lot about yourself living and working in a foreign country.
I’ve also returned twice since for visits and more travel, with the last visit in 2018.
Thailand
In between my first and second year living and teaching English in Korea, I took time to travel (and also to return home for Christmas). For six weeks, I traveled Thailand recharging myself with a 10 day mediation retreat at a Buddhist monastery (10 days of silence is WAY harder than it sounds but worth it), a seven day full cleanse (also really worth it) that takes two weeks with the before and after stuff, a cooking class, and more. I learned a lot about myself (like I will fall asleep during sitting meditation and fall over which the monks frowned upon, lol) and left rejuvenated. Plus I still use recipes I learned in the cooking class, more than 15 years later.
SXSW
Sometimes it’s the short trips or experiences that have an impact and making the decision to attend SXSW in Austin, Texas solo as media seven years ago was one of them. I met some amazing people and again, made lasting friendships (such an important thing) and had a blast. While Toronto certainly has major music and film festivals, there’s something special about traveling to one. Plus SXSW is one of the friendliest festival I’ve ever attended and I’d highly recommend it. I went back a few times because it was definitely worth it.
Scotland
Even with traveling solo and living abroad a few times, I was still reluctant to hike solo. But since I love both traveling and hiking, it seemed like the next step in my solo travel adventures. In 2019, I decided to stop waiting to find someone to go on a walking/hiking holiday and go solo. I did some research to find the best place to solo hike and found several websites and blogs recommending Scotland as a great place with established long distance walks. So I started planning a two week solo vacation that included a solo hike of the second half (approximately) of the West Highland Way.
It turned out to be another trip to remember and gave me such a feeling of accomplishment that it totally whet my appetite for more long distance trails in Scotland, and long distance walking/hiking in general. I can’t recommend the experience enough. In fact, I loved it so much, I had planned on heading back the spring of 2020 to hike the Speyside Way, complete with the Dufftown Loop and Tomintoul Spur – approximately 140km of walking (and whisky). But then the pandemic hit. So it’s on my bucket list for now.
Final Thoughts
I’ve never regretted any of my solo travel experiences, despite being robbed (twice! – once in London, England and once in Ulsan, Korea) and a crazy scary motorcycle taxi trip in Bangkok (still not sure how we survived), and I strongly encourage it. Each solo travel experience, including those where I lived abroad, has enriched my life and made me a different, and hopefully better, person. I can’t wait for my next trip!
Have you ever traveled solo? What’s your favourite solo travel destination?
Rambles and Walks 