Hear the words “solo travel” and you’re sure to have an immediate reaction. Maybe you think it’s only for the adventurous folks among us. Or that it’s lonely, or even boring. Or that it isn’t safe.
It’s time the benefits of solo travel got their moment in the tropical (or, hey, polar twilight) sun. If the idea of traveling solo has you intrigued, the perks of this type of exploring might just transform the way you think of travel overall. As with any big decision, you’ll find both pros and cons of traveling alone—but the advantages of solo travel start to shine as soon as you start germinating the idea for a trip.
Always wanted to spend a few weeks sampling the osso buco in a small town in Italy or spelunking in the Philippines? When you’re only answering to yourself, you can plot your itinerary in any way you please. And since you get to set your own pace once you’re on the ground, you’re more likely to discover the quiet corners and hidden gems of your destination, too.
Is solo travel worth it?
Whether you’re a college student debating how long you can manage to study abroad without your friends before senior year or an actual senior searching for a new adventure, solo travel is worth it for so many reasons.
Consider the benefits of travel overall. Travel can help us process everything from grief to trauma to anxiety; when we choose a trip that takes us out of our comfort zones, we can tap into increased emotional agility, empathy, and creativity as we find ways to face uncertainty and explore unfamiliar settings.
It stands to reason that going solo offers some pretty great returns. Introverts may be particularly attuned to the unexpected comforts and psychological benefits of traveling alone, but the best solo trips positively impact any prospective traveler.
11 benefits of solo travel
When you travel solo, the world is your oyster.
Choosing how you want to explore involves weighing the pros and cons of solo travel. While there are advantages and disadvantages of traveling alone, pushing yourself to look past the immediate discomfort traveling solo sometimes involves opens you to a world of possibilities.
Unexpected discoveries—worth it. Testing your limits—worth it. Facing the unknown, and getting to know yourself—solo travel is worth it for all that and more.
1. Complete freedom becomes your new best friend
The advantages of traveling alone start as soon as you decide it’s time for a trip. This adventure is yours to choose, from the big-picture destination right down to the nitty-gritty details of the hostel you stay in, the dates you’re on the move, and what you’re having for breakfast.
No matter if you’re traveling around the world on a tour of foodie destinations, backpacking to all the can’t-miss places in Europe, or ticking a visit to the Galapagos Islands off your bucket list, it’s up to you to plan your trip exactly how you want it.
2. You’ll meet new people
It’s easy to stay in your friend bubble when you’re traveling with people you know. Sure, you say you’ll get out there and meet locals, but traveling with others usually means sticking together. Your friends are familiar and comfortable, after all. Solo trips open you to interactions with the new people around you so you can make new friends while traveling.
3. …or indulge in solitude
Being alone doesn’t always equate to loneliness, and if you’re someone who craves time for yourself, solo travel can offer a welcome change of pace. Go ahead, push your reset button while you get in quiet time at a cloud forest in Monteverde or keep pace in the bustle of Beijing with your own thoughts as your prime companion.
4. Selfishness becomes your best (?!) quality
No one is around to tell you not to order the second americano!
Nothing says “you do you” quite like solo travel. You get to sample the street food while hurrying to the next museum instead of scarfing down a burger at a chain restaurant, sit for hours reading at that cute café you discovered the day before, or change your destination when you score a cheap flight just because you feel like it.
The best travel memories often come out of spontaneous, unplanned moments, and it can be harder to do what you want to do when you have a travel buddy urging you to stick to an itinerary every step of the way.
5. …but you’ll get to actively practice unselfish behavior
Traveling solo doesn’t give you a selfishness carte blanche when you’re out exploring—it’s on you to respect the locals and local culture, decolonize your experience abroad, and be aware of your impact on the environment. You might even find it easier to travel sustainably and respectfully when you don’t have fellow travelers pressuring you to change how you behave.
6. Problem-solving + decision-making = lifelong skills
You’ll draw on courage you didn’t know you had when you choose where you’ll stay and what you’ll do, not to mention solve common travel problems on your own.
You get lost with friends, and someone has a data plan to download directions. Your connecting flight is canceled during a family trip, and your sister calls the airline while your uncle books a hotel. When you travel on your own, you learn how to deal with sticky situations and function under pressure, skills you’ll use in all areas of your life.
7. Guilt-free resting can help you recharge
Whether you want to sleep in after spending an entire day on trains or you’re longing for some downtime lingering in nature, getting in necessary rest can be tough when your friends pressure you to keep going to the next landmark. Indulge in rest without the guilt and refuel for all your self-paced exploration.
8. Immersion will improve your language skills
Traveling solo in a country that doesn’t share your native language can be intimidating, but is totally worth it.
Get ready to reap the benefits of solo travel if learning a language is on your list of to-dos. Learning a language abroad is hands-down one of the best ways to learn—you can’t beat total immersion for the cultural context and immediate, concrete feedback essential to understanding the nuances of a language.
Those advantages start to evaporate when you can lean on friends who speak your language. You’re less likely to find reasons to immerse yourself in the local language and culture with someone else around to help you navigate (and act as a default conversation partner). Even if you’re not intent on coming home fluent, you’re bound to pick up helpful words and phrases when you spend all day, every day getting yourself around.
9. You’ll leave your comfort zone
Traveling alone can be scary, especially if you’ve never done it before. Making yourself uncomfortable may not sound like an advantage at first, but it’s one of the big benefits of traveling solo. From heart-thumping hiking in the Andes to practicing Arabic in Amman to just flying internationally for the first time, real growth and a belief in yourself comes from doing things you never expected yourself to do.
10. Next stop: confidence boost
Solo travel means showing yourself your capabilities: navigating new places, speaking new languages, handling bumps in the proverbial road when things don’t go quite the way you expected. You’ll see that you can survive disappointments and enjoy life’s surprises without a safety net.
11. You’ll get to know yourself
The unfamiliar has a funny tendency to spark new ways of looking at things. All those beliefs you took for granted get a little fuzzier when you’re surrounded by people who take a different approach, and there’s nothing like stumbling on a local bookshop or film festival (or signing up for skydiving to face your fear of heights) to let you in on your own interests.
Traveling—especially when you go it alone and let yourself stay open to the newness around you—means uncovering new passions and learning from new perspectives. Along the way, you’ll learn more about yourself than you ever could from a textbook or boardroom or podcast.
Are there disadvantages of solo travel?
You’ll feel free and authentic for sure—but maybe also a little lonely.
It’s more difficult to automatically set yourself up for some of the benefits of traveling solo, like constant immersion and go-anywhere freedom, when you travel with others. But is traveling alone dangerous? Is it sad to travel alone?
The truth? It’s a little bit of everything.
For all its benefits, there are also disadvantages of solo travel to account for when deciding if it’s the right move. Deciding which side to prioritize comes down to personal comfort levels and travel goals, and carefully thinking about both the pros and cons of traveling alone will help you settle on a path that allows you to meaningfully experience your destination.
1. Safety concerns may impact your plans
While things can happen whether you’re with one friend, part of a big tour, or totally on your own, solo travel does heighten safety concerns, especially if one or more of your identities fit in with a group that faces harassment and discrimination. It’s hard to enjoy any potential psychological benefits of traveling alone if you’re constantly worried about your safety.
But don’t let safety concerns put you off solo travel completely. By researching your destination and staying aware of your surroundings, you can find ways to prioritize safety and enjoy the fun and freeing side of traveling solo.
2. Traveling can be more fun when you share it with someone else
Finally working up the courage to have a chat in the local language; breathless sprints only to miss the last bus to the airport; seeing Mount Fuji shrouded in cherry blossoms, or the quivering dance of the Northern Lights, or the place your grandparents came from for the first time.
Having someone else along for the ride can make the bad parts more bearable and the good parts more beautiful, and all those weird, wonderful, in-between and undefinable moments just a little more fun.
3. All the navigation falls to you
Navigating transportation by yourself in a foreign country will make you feel unbelievably capable.
You’ll not only have to navigate unfamiliar streets and public transportation systems on your own, but you’ll also have to navigate feelings like travel anxiety and culture shock without a familiar sounding board. The advantages and disadvantages of solo travel intertwine in a lot of places: Though traveling solo is great if you’re up for a challenge, you have to be willing to deal with challenges on your own whenever they come your way.
4. Boredom and loneliness are real
Travel isn’t all photo-ready moments and priceless memories. You’ll find long lines and fizzling summer sun, hard-to-find accommodations and missed train connections creeping in between the unbeatable views and cultural experiences.
Sometimes, you just don’t have the energy to strike up a conversation in another language. Sometimes, you’d trade everything you have in the local currency for a familiar face to talk to when your feet ache from hiking around a new city all day.
Traveling on your own means contending with feeling bored, lonely, and out of your element—but learning how to deal with those uncomfortable feelings is also part of how travel helps you grow.
READ NEXT: How Travel Helps You Grow
Solo travel might just change your life!
Meet yourself (and new friends) on your solo adventure.
Travel, at its core, embraces possibility. You’re booking your first international flight, you’re taking in the hums and whispers of a city you only knew before from pictures, you’re using hand gestures peppered with a few shared words to get directions. Steam in your face, you’re hunched over a bowl of ramen, chili, goulash.
Don’t be surprised if you come down firmly on the side of alone time’s immense possibility after assessing the pros and cons of solo travel. Whatever your reasons for traveling, you’re in for adventure when you dare to do it on your own.
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