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Sightseeing on your terms. Eating ginormous plates of food without feeling guilty or judged. Dancing and prancing through the streets of whichever destination that YOU have chosen. Yup, that is definitely #TheSoloTravelLife. But real talk: Traveling solo can be a little brutal sometimes. There are amazing perks to waking up and doing whatever you want in a new city. But there are also times when traveling alone gets a little too real and you really wish there was someone else there. Yes, it’s even happened to yours truly.
Ladies and gentlemen, Are we ready for storytime? Go ahead, put on the best slow instrumental track you can find on Spotify cause I’m gonna need the dramatic effect.
One time I was on what seemed to be the world’s smallest plane, going from Paris to Madrid. I was sitting in the back of the plane next to a young French couple who were so good looking they should’ve been on the cover of a glossy pretentious magazine, but I digress. We’re flying along (Btw, the man had the window seat, the woman was in the middle, and I had the aisle.) when suddenly we hit some of the scariest turbulence I’ve ever felt in my life.
As we’re rocking from side to side, it felt as if the pilot decided to get fancy and practice figure 8’s. I was getting fearful. I looked over and saw that the couple were holding hands and comforting each other. Sweet, right? Well, that’s when things got weird…real weird.
Next thing I know, my hand had somehow magically crept to the seat next to me and was lightly hovering over this lady’s hand on the armrest. They didn’t seem to be as freaked out about the turbulence as I was and she definitely flashed me a French I-see-that-you-are-alone-and-I-kind-of-feel-bad-for-you-except-I-don’t-really-know-you-so-please-don’t-touch-me look.
Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the disadvantages of traveling alone. Clearly, ya girl was in need of some real human contact and at that moment I remember thinking, “Damn, I really wish I was traveling with someone right now.” Those moments will happen, they’re inevitable. Traveling solo is liberating and has the potential to change your life. As much as I advocate for it, it’s not all skittles and the extremely underrated peanut butter M&M’s. (Seriously, if you haven’t tried them, they are bomb!)
Stressful and scary moments will happen when traveling alone, it comes with the territory. However, it’s what you do with those moments that count. If you’re fearful of traveling solo, I get it. But before you go frantically erasing it off your bucket list, let’s take look at the disadvantages of traveling alone and the nunchucks we can use to combat them.
Table of Contents
Loneliness
We can’t have a list of the disadvantages of traveling alone without loneliness. (sigh) Ah, loneliness. It happens. But here’s the thing, it’s not talked about as often as I think it should be. I don’t think I’ve ever met a solo traveler who hasn’t dealt with loneliness at some point in their travels. It can be isolating when everything on your trip is going wrong and you just want someone to vent to and encourage you that it’s all going to be fine.
Loneliness can really hit you when you have a special travel moment and there’s no one there for you to share it with. When you’re in the middle of these moments it can feel jarring and difficult to avoid not crawling into bed and finding relief on social media. But in all honesty, every solo traveler experiences this and sometimes being in an unfamiliar place can exacerbate those feelings.
Loneliness Combat Nunchucks
- Choose social accommodation like a hostel or Airbnb with more than one guest. I once made good friends with a guy who stayed at the same Airbnb as me in London. We spent the day walking around London and we are still in touch today. This is a good way to overcome some of the disadvantages of traveling alone and a good way to make new friends.
- Keep a journal of your trip and email your highlights and adventures to friends and family. This can also help your loved ones feel like they are part of your trip as well.
- I love group chats! Send photos and audio or video messages to your friend or family group chat. My favorite apps for this are WhatsApp and Marco Polo.
- Go to a nearby bar or cafe and have a drink or tea. Hostel bars are great for meeting people! Sometimes I find just chatting with the bartender (if you both share a mutual language) or simply being amongst people can help ease loneliness.
- If you’re feeling really lonely or down, FaceTime or Skype a friend or family member and chat for a bit, familiarity can be comforting.
- Another thing I like to do sometimes when I’m feeling really lonely is to tap into my ‘network’ aka friends of friends of friends and ask around if anyone knows anyone in that particular city that I could meet up with. I did this once when I was in London during the holiday season. A friend of mine graciously connected me with a childhood friend and I was able to spend New Year’s Eve with some great people.
- Lean into it. Every moment of loneliness is a moment of growth and these moments will get easier and easier. Learn to enjoy your own company and see the time you get to spend with yourself as a gift.
Judgment
Solo travel having its moment and all right now and judgment against those traveling alone is becoming less and less of a thing—thank God, but it’s still prevalent. And that is why judgment is the second disadvantage of traveling alone. People just looooove making all kinds of assumptions when you’re out here in these streets by yourself.
“Where is your boyfriend or husband?” They cry. “You’re not here alone are you?” They ask. I get thrown all sorts of questions from people who feel the need for me to justify why I’m traveling alone. This comes from strangers sure, but also from people you know. Unfortunately, when you’re a woman, these questions are like Batman and Robin and are often paired with ridiculous presumptions about your personal life, personality, and tons of unsolicited advice about how to live YOUR life better. It’s like “Dang, can a girl just live?”
Judgment Combat Nunchucks
- Shrug it off. People are going to judge you no matter what you do so I say, do you boo and forget them. The reality is, we all filter life through the lenses of our own experiences. I have found that most of the time people who question me traveling alone have never done it themselves. And while I’m at it, I’m just going to take a moment to encourage you. *Steps onto soapbox* Ahem, attention ladies, attention ladies! Just because you see someone traveling with other people or a “significant other” in no way does that mean that they are happy, content, and living there best life. NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS. This broadcast has been brought to you by over-caffeination. Thank you. #rememeberfyrefestival #fugazi *Steps down from soapbox*
- Join communities with other solo female travelers. Talking to other ladies who are also out there traveling solo can really put things into perspective and provide a good community. I’m a member of some great Facebook groups for female travelers (like Girls Love Travel) and talking to other ladies and bloggers on Instagram reminds me that I’m not alone or weird for traveling solo.
Taking Pictures
There it is. The perfect photo opportunity. A gorgeous landscape and a sweet spot that you can just step right into and get the cutest shot for the gram. Just one thing. There’s no one there to take your picture.
One of the many disadvantages of traveling alone. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened to me. Eh, it’s just a photo and not that big of a deal, but getting photographs is, of course, easier when you’re traveling with others. But hey! Sometimes you just have to take a photo in your mind, enjoy the moment, and keep it moving. It’s a good reminder that not every moment needs to be digitally captured, plus the picture is just an added benefit, not the cause.
Combat Nunchucks for Taking Pictures
- Selfies!! Selfies can be underrated. If there’s no one around and you’ve got time, go ahead and do the best you can with a selfie. It may not look exactly as you planned, but you’d be surprised the cute shots you can get with a good ‘ol fashioned selfie.
- Selfie sticks. There are some really good ones on the market these days. Some of them are so good, you can’t even tell that they weren’t taken from someone else.
- The self-timer is also a really good underrated tool. As long as you have something good to prop your phone or camera on and there’s no-one around to swipe your stuff, you’re good to go.
- Be resourceful and ask a stranger. If someone asks you to take a photo of them, they’ll usually want to return the favor. If you’re skeptical that they’re not going to capture the shot they way you want it, take 10 seconds to set up the shot for them so all they have to do is press the shutter. You’d be surprised how patient people can be.
Guarding Your Stuff and Saving Your Spot
When you travel solo your bags sometimes become your tagalong; where you go, it goes. It can get annoying wheeling your bag into the bathroom stall or standing in a cafe line while your arms are filled with your laptop, camera, and other valuables.
When you travel with people it’s so easy to just say “hey, mind watching my stuff for a minute while I run to the bathroom?” Easy peasy. But not having someone to guard your stuff and save your spot is a disadvantage of traveling alone. Once in Lisbon, my overanalyzing self went back and forth for a good 10 minutes at the Time Out Market debating if I should try another food stall because the place was full and I needed someone to watch my spot at the table. This is one of the disadvantages of traveling alone that may happen to you a few times.
Combat Nunchucks
- Packing light with a carry-on or backpack makes taking your things with you a lot easier.
- If you’re at a cafe or food market, politely ask those sitting near you to save your spot. If you don’t speak their language, gestures and a smile usually get the point across.
Extra Fees
Traveling alone can sometimes be cheaper. Except when you’re traveling with that one friend who has a different idea of what “expensive” is then you do. Some people think every day should be a Treat Yo’self day. But there are times when traveling solo can be expensive. Believe it or not, solo travelers often cough up more dough at hotels and resorts because of single supplements. Sucks right? Thankfully, this is changing, as more and more people are beginning to travel alone. So what is a single supplement fee you ask? *puts on glasses*
A single supplement is a fee or charge that compensates hotels, resorts, and cruise lines for the hit they take by allowing one person to stay in a room. The thing is, hotels make the assumption that a room will be occupied by two people, so their prices are based on double occupancy. So to make up for the loss, they charge solo travelers an extra fee. In some ways, it can feel a bit unfair right? This is why I consider it one of the disadvantages of traveling alone. But the good news is, this is changing rapidly. There are more and more offers for solo travelers than ever before. Hotels are catching onto the change in times by creating new, smaller rooms solely for those traveling alone. Can I get an amen?!
Extra Fees Combat Nunchucks
- Airbnb is my go-to. Booking a room with usually cheaper than booking an entire apartment or house. Make sure to check those reviews and vet properly. For 15% off your next booking, check here.
- Look into hostels and hotels in your destination that have rooms specifically for solo travelers or who waive the single supplement.
Did any of these disadvantages surprise you? Like this post and let me know what your favorite combat nunchucks for solo travel are in the comments. Until next time!
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