Last Updated on January 11, 2024 by Christine Kaaloa

If you ask me, I think everyone should travel alone at least once in their life. Being a female solo travel blogger of over seven years, I attribute much of my confidence, life and personality transformation to traveling solo.  It’s made a monumental difference in my life!

A couple of months ago, I put the question out to my solo travel followers on Facebook.  I asked you what were your top reasons for traveling alone.  I got a lot of great answers.   Narrowing it down was hard, but it eventually hinged upon what I could perform.

This is what you said…

16 Reasons for Solo Travel

1. Learn about your independence

Traveling alone, you learn about yourself a lot – your strengths, weaknesses, resourcefulness- while growing your confidence in your ability to care for yourself.

“You get to stand on your own two feet, make your own decisions and find out whether you like your own company or not.”  – Sarahonthe808 Photos Blog Travels

2. Financial control

You want to go budget backpacker or splurge for a luxury hotel? No problem. Solo travelers can control their own budgets and experiences without worrying about breaking up with a travel buddy over money problems.

“Not having anyone to care about what anybody wants to do/can’t afford/can afford… I can focus on having the best experience possible.   ”  – Jennifer Phillips

3. Embracing the Unknown

 Solo travelers find that with more solo experiences, you develop a stronger trust in yourself and your ability to improvise where you need… including in the unknown.  If you’ve landed on your feet journey after journey, then you only need to make sure you land on your feet. You also realize that the world is not as big or scary as your imagination makes it out to be.

The unknown is a very scary place, but once you start traveling solo, you realize it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.  Many things can go wrong when you’re traveling. By tackling it on your own, you learn to harness it. You begin to see it as a positive advantage., not only in your travels but in your life! You become more comfortable winging situations and more flexible to change.

4. Life affirming

“It’s all about perspective.  ”  Solo travel reframes your perspective about life and self completely as you experience a destination without distraction or the filter of another. Experiencing and connecting directly with other cultures can feel life-changing  You experience a destination on your own terms, spending your quiet time listening to your environment, feeling its affects upon your thoughts and feelings.

“Because its life affirming to discover that you can reach out of your comfort zone all alone and survive it Not to mention Quite possibly have the time of your life…  It’s a beautiful thing!  ”   – Tracy Aaron

5. Flexible Schedules

Traveling with others, plans can be rigid and hard to change. Additionally, you might feel bad if your choice turns out badly. When you travel alone, your plans can change at a moment’s whim, upon meeting another traveler with shared interests to deciding you’d rather eat street food at a marketplace over going back to your hotel restaurant for a meal.

Read: Food Safety tips to avoid getting sick abroad

6. Learn to Trust Yourself

 ” You’ll have so much more faith in yourself…  ”   – Winged Turtle

Traveling alone as a woman teaches you to trust yourself. Self-trust is something women can have difficulty with; they can be given to self-doubt and overcompensating to make up for any flaws they feel they have. But when you are on the road alone, dealing with getting sick and taking yourself to the doctor or avoiding scams and  dealing with beggars or touts, you learn to become your safety net.

7. Be your own adventure

Traveling alone is to recognize that you are the hero or heroine of your journey and have the power to change or edit your own story. From trekking in the jungle to getting a PADI scuba certificate or staying at a yoga ashram, you create you choose the way you’d like to live your vacation, finding confidence in each step.

“Travelling solo is were YOUR journey begins. As you start your journey, you quickly learn you are not alone. Happy travels, the biggest educator.  ”  —  Hoof Ingit

8. Passion  | Carpe Diem

“Because you only live once, it’s an unique experience.  ”  – Carmen Yang

9. Develops Character 

“Opens you up to the character you didn’t know you had.  ” – Badre Cogan

10. Self discovery  

 “Well I always think that travelling solo will gives you much freedom ….but its more than that.It lets you know more bout yourself and your capabilities as an independent traveller. Furthermore if you are a frequent solo traveller,you will distinguish between what you need and what you want in your life hence a simple and happy life.  ”   – Nathaniel Ong

11. Capability

When you first discover you are capable moving beyond your comfort level of traveling a destination alone, you awaken to a new life, which is full of courage, confidence and joy. You discover how remarkable you are to tackle the monsters of your imagination and that you are capable of living the life you dream of.

“To prove to yourself that you CAN.   It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”    – Kelly Klobucher

12. Growing Confidence

Traveling alone can feel scary on your first trip or your 100th. But when you find yourself capable of all those things you never thought you were capable of… when you can get yourself out of scams, fend off unsavory characters, navigate a city on your own terms, your confidence grows. It sets the motion for the next trip.

“I travel alone because I can.”  –  EdesYeung

13. Self reliance

Self reliance or in other words, resourcefulness is a valuable life skill that some don’t realize is at their fingertips when things don’t work out. When a trip goes awry, solo travelers learn quickly- to think on their toes, change plans and find resources to make their trip work.

” To test your self-reliance. to truly experience things for yourself without having to worry about someone else. It is really hard to travel with someone once you get used to travelling solo..you simply can’t do what you want unless that person has a very similar mind.”     – Alexandra Meriç 

14. Zero regrets

Some people wait their entire lives for someone to help them live their dreams. Solo travelers have learned not to wait for regret to happen, but to grab that dream.

“I would definitely travel with someone else. I just don’t want to be near the end of my life and tell people I never did something cause I couldn’t find someone to go with.  ”  –  Tristan Rodeback

“I’ve got places to see … “   –Kari Mendoza

15. Connect Deeper with your Environment 

Romance, falling in love doesn’t only happen when you are a couple. A solo- moon is the single traveler’s version of a honeymoon. Solo travel invites an awakening and falling in love with yourself and your destination, completely. Without others to distract you from indulging deeply in your destination, the romance is between you and your environment.

“I don’t have time for “maybe” answers from friends when I ask them to travel with me. If you have to think about it, then the answer is already no. Traveling alone have been a wonderful experience because it has made it easy for locals to approach me and start a conversation. ”    – Kahi Constance

“It opens your eyes and your soul to things you would never experience when you’re with someone you know.” – Cary Michio Inayoshi

16. You meet more people

Traveling with partners can be fun, but it can also create a bubble which keeps you from reaching out to other people. Solo travelers have a tendency to make friends on the road, because they are not intimidating and standing alone, they are open, if not vulnerable. More than often, families, men and women, may offer to take a female solo traveler under their wing of protection if they feel there is anything dangerous around them. It is also easier to meet and befriend other travelers.

” When your faith in the good nature of humanity is restored. And you meet so many “gentlemen” too, who will assist you.”    – Diva Muni

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For more solo travel tips, check out some of my other solo travel videos and posts. Let me know what you think~ why do you think everyone should travel alone once in their life?