Solo travel can transform your life.
It is empowering, you have the opportunity to meet great new people and have total freedom to do what you want when you want to do it. By stepping outside of your comfort zone you get to learn more about yourself and your abilities, particularly in the face of adversity.
However, for every yin there is a yang.
Whilst potentially exhilarating and transformational, there are disadvantages of travelling alone. Not least of these are costs, personal safety concerns and loneliness.
However, armed with a few tools and strategies, you can largely overcome these disadvantages of solo travel. Here’s how to do it, especially if you are a first-time solo traveller.
1. Solo travel is more expensive
When travelling alone you do not have economies of scale. Therefore, some elements of your trip will be more expensive.
Those responding to solo travel surveys report that the higher price of travelling alone prevents them from taking their first solo trip. Key amongst these is accommodation with the dreaded solo supplement.
However, you can partially avoid this unfair singles tax by opting to share a room on a small group tour.
Some group tour companies are better than others, so do your homework before booking. In particular, look carefully at group size and typical customer demographics.
When booking hotels, it pays to shop around. Alternatively, cut out the middleman altogether and negotiate directly with the hotel.
Prices are often lower in the off or shoulder season. Remember that there is usually a good reason for this, but you should also have the advantage of avoiding the crowds.
Cruises are a big bone of contention amongst solo travellers with many companies charging a steep supplement for single occupancy of a cruise cabin. This is ridiculously unfair; for instance, one person will not eat as much as two.
The tide is slowly changing (no pun intended) and, increasingly, operators offer single cabins. However, do your homework as these may not represent good value.
With no one to share the cost, private tours and taxis can be prohibitively expensive. Why not find another solo traveller to buddy up with or find out if group tours are available?
2. You have to consider personal safety more carefully
The risk to personal safety is one of the biggest fears of female solo travellers.
Whilst solo travel is not inherently unsafe, any form of travel involves risk. This should always be mitigated, regardless of whether you are a solo traveller.
First, and foremost, choose your solo travel destination carefully. Some places are inherently more safe than others.
One of the disadvantages of travelling alone is that there is no one to watch your back.
When you are travelling with other people, there is safety in numbers. You can walk back to the hotel late at night with them; you can look after each other’s belongings; you can be vigilant for scams together.
Learn how to take reasonable precautions to keep yourself safe when travelling alone.
Do your research before you travel to identify less safe parts of town. Pick a hotel that is within easy and safe reach of restaurants. By all means, have a few drinks – you’re on holiday after all – but don’t overdo it.
3. You will be lonely travelling alone
I doubt that there is any solo traveller out there who has not experienced loneliness when travelling alone. But you don’t have to be travelling alone to feel lonely.
The loneliest I ever felt in many years of travelling was on a two-week trip around Central America with an unsuitable companion. By the end of those two weeks, I was longing to be alone.
So if you get an attack of the travel blues, how can you beat them?
Firstly, and most importantly, accept that this is normal, it will pass and you will move on to have a terrific time. It’s also important to have even the loosest of plans to prevent aimless moping around. And be kind to yourself, treat yourself.
Meeting other people and making new friends on the road will mean that you don’t have to be alone so much.
If you are an introvert, talking to strangers can be a challenge, but you can do it. Look out for other solo travellers. Genuine curiosity is a good conversation opener.
I have found that day tours are a great way to meet other people whilst retaining your independence.
Where else can you strike up conversations with others?
An obvious solution is to stay at a hostel, which, by its nature, is a social experience. However, if, like me, as a midlife solo traveller you have put your hostelling days behind you, why not consider smaller, boutique hotels or B&Bs? These tend to be friendlier than larger luxury hotels.
As well as offering free wi-fi, coffee shops are good venues to talk to people as are bars. Sit up at the bar rather than at a table.
4. You won’t be able to share the moment
For me, this is probably the biggest disadvantage of solo travel.
There you are, awestruck by a perfect panorama or a sensational sunset and there’s no one to turn to and discuss just how wonderful it is. Instead, you gaze in wonder, take a few images and then leave.
This is a tricky one.
Sharing your experience on social media or with friends on your return ticks that box to a certain extent, but it’s not quite the same as being in the moment. It often is a case of “you had to be there.”
I have struck up a conversation with other visitors at the sunset viewpoint/mountain summit. Usually, they are receptive, particularly if they are also a solo traveller.
5. Travelling alone means eating alone
Who fears the dreaded table for one? Yep. Solo dining is also something that I am not crazy about.
Firstly, there’s your slightly apologetic request for a table for one. Then as you sit down, the waiter theatrically removes the place settings for your invisible dining companion.
Eating out alone does get easier the more you do it. Bringing a book to read or writing your journal notes at the table, accompanied by a good glass of local wine, makes the experience far more palatable (pun intended).
6. It is difficult to take photos of yourself when travelling alone
As I am not particularly photogenic and generally hate photos of myself, this is not an issue for me. However, there have been times when I have wanted to capture those magic moments that include me in the frame.
Selfies are OK and can be fun, but I am not an enthusiast. I am also not a fan of selfie sticks but a few years ago I had tremendous fun doing a selfie-stick tour of Rome with two friends.
I tend to ask someone else to take a photo of me.
You have to judge how trustworthy the person looks before handing over your smartphone or camera, but I have found that it is a reciprocal process. I take one of you; you take one of me.
Another approach is to invest in a tripod. I have a Manfrotto tripod which is excellent but is too heavy to cart around whilst travelling. Instead, I clip my compact camera or smartphone onto the JOBY GorillaPod Magnetic, a lightweight and versatile tripod.
7. Coping with negativity from other people
Even after many years of solo travel, and all the advantages it has brought me, I am still surprised by other people’s reactions to travelling alone. This negativity is usually rooted in fear which, to a large extent, is propagated by the media.
I have travelled extensively around the Middle East and when I visited Syria in 2008, my parents believed I was in Turkey.
When I last visited Jerusalem, I told my father I was in Greece. Luckily he didn’t ask to see my pictures of the Acropolis.
The point is that I knew that no matter how hard I tried to persuade them that I could stay reasonably safe in these destinations, they would be worried sick for the entire duration of my trip. I could not do that to them and, instead, went down the little white lie route.
To allay the fears of parents and loved ones, it is also important to keep in touch whilst on the road. Providing your itinerary in advance also helps their peace of mind and in some sense includes them in your adventures.
The Disadvantages of Travelling Alone: Final Thoughts
The disadvantages of travelling alone are far eclipsed by the advantages.
But perhaps you are thinking of taking your first solo trip and have niggling doubts? So how about some baby steps?
Eat alone in your own town or city. Plan a day trip or a short trip in your own country. Talk to strangers, take a selfie. What do you have to lose?
I’ll leave you with one of my all-time inspirational travel quotes
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Laozi
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About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.
Hi Bridget. I agree with you that the advantages of solo travel outweigh the disadvantages, but it does depend what country I’m in because the safety issues would be my biggest concern. When I travel in Japan I really do prefer to travel on my own because I feel very safe there, but in India I prefer to have someone with me otherwise you are constantly bothered by people on the street “wanting to help” (but in many cases they are scam artists). I don’t get lonely when travelling on my own, but there are times when I enjoy having someone with me to share experiences with.
Hello David. I couldn’t agree more. Each country has its own safety profile – and sometimes within that country – and I’ve also found Japan to be very safe. For me, not being able to share the moment is one of the major drawbacks of travelling alone.
Thanks for sharing that Bridget it makes me think I might be able to take the plunge and do some solo travelling myself x
Thanks Geraldine! This makes writing it so worthwhile. Go for it! x