If you fly solo, the bottle of red wine at dinner is all yours. So is the dessert, the hotel bed, and your time. Nobody snoring or turning down your AC in the middle of a humid 90 degree night in Mexico (I’ve been there). And as a bonus, you grow so much more than you would drinking in Vegas during your annual girls group trip, or by showing off your matching couples swimwear on social media while on some romantic getaway. Let’s face it – there is no growth while drinking Piña Coladas on the beach getting sunburnt. Growth and personal glow up happens when you push past your comfort zone and the same goes for travel.
Solo travel may seem daunting, and I get it. It took me up until my late 20s to take the plunge even though I’ve been travelling since I was a toddler. My advice: Start small with domestic long weekends, push yourself every time to travel a bit longer, a bit farther, eventually to a destination that seems challenging. I was a nervous wreck last year boarding a plane to Panama, not speaking Spanish fluently and being anxious as hell. I had a moment of regret for booking it in the first place. Of course it turned out to be nothing short of amaaazing. The real bonus: the endorphin high and confidence boost after getting back home from a trip like that is unlike anything else. You get addicted and suddenly nowhere seems too far or off limits to explore solo. That’s when the real magic begins. You are starting to grow as a person by putting yourself through these partially uncomfortable learning experiences. Confidence, self esteem and how to actually connect with strangers without using internet or apps are just a few aspects you are forced to expand and deepen. Because the truth is – you realize how much better you are at problem solving, at going with the flow and at being your charming self than you thought. And ultimately you can feel how important solo travel is for personal growth that transcends beyond your sunny vacation.
As I am writing this I just finished my longest solo trip yet: Argentina. Which also happened to be my first taste of South America. And let me tell you, those Argentinian steaks are tasty! But besides learning a thing or two about steak cuts and tango which surely will help me impress my next online date, the growth I realized in myself while successfully tackling challenges in a developing country was the best reward a trip can offer. The growth that happens subconsciously through all these experiences will show up on your next solo trip, and your next, and your next…
because I can guarantee it will never stay at the one solo trip you booked just to “see how it is”. You will recognize extremely fast how amazing the internal glow up afterwards feels.
Every trip is unique but there definitely are trips that have a stronger growth impact than others: your first solo trip which made you question if you are crazy and why you booked this in the first place; the solo trip that made you re-connect with yourself; the solo trip where everything goes wrong; the solo trip where you dance the nights away in oxygen depleted clubs; and the solo trip that showed you how beautiful Mother Earth can be.
There is an another aspect to solo travel that adds to your growth: you fully have to immerse yourself in a foreign environment and thereby learn about and observe different ways of life. No matter if this leads to you being grateful for your life, or recognizing changes in your life that have to be made – it is precisely because you are not constantly with somebody by your side that you really pay attention to the world around you and soak up all the images and cultural experiences through your own pretty eyes. You partake in a foreign culture, language, or city by observing and reacting to what is happening without anybody tainting or distracting you from your experience. It is a lot more growth enhancing and eye opening to travel solo than to have a travel buddy (albeit that has some fun perks as well).
The overall growth will make you feel inherently more confident and day-to-day problems in life seem small compared to what you just accomplished ALONE in a foreign setting. It’s a slow process, and good things take time. So hop on Google Flights to get yourself that annoying but unbeatably cheap Basic Economy seat, and suddenly you will find yourself alone, enjoying a good book on a mesmerizing beach in the Caribbean with not a care in the world. And yes – the beach Piña Colada in this case is warranted and yours, and only yours, to enjoy!
Book ahead so you can’t talk yourself out of it. And most importantly, don’t listen to the naysayers and take the plunge – adventure and more importantly growth awaits! You will thank me later. – AS
Alisha is a lifelong travel bug who grew up in Europe and has visited 39 countries so far. With a professional background in Tourism in Germany and NYC, she knows the ins and outs of travel hacking, budgeting and how to plan a successful trip. In her downtime, she is busy tracking flights and creating itineraries for her NYC visitors as well as her American friends traveling abroad. When she’s not on a plane, you can find her at the gym or enjoying the food scene in Astoria, New York.
