Fearful of Solo Travel? Do it Anyways.

The number one question I get when I solo travel is if I’m scared.

A couple of years ago, I quit my terrible job and set off to another continent. It was my first time leaving the United States. I left and didn’t return for over a year. I would’ve stayed longer but my mom was fostering my dog while I was away and I needed to return to retrieve her. And, I can’t wait to leave again!

The Scary Thoughts of Solo Travel

Sure, there are some things that seem unsettling about solo travel — being lonely, being attacked, and being lost and confused. Call me cliche, but what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

When I was living and traveling abroad I got asked questions about being scared so much more often than questions I would’ve preferred. Are you having fun? What’s been your favorite country? What are the people like that you’ve met? What is something cool you’ve done this week? How are you?

Solo travel and living in Vietnam were the greatest experiences of my entire life. Sometimes I pinched myself to check and see if it was really my life — the life of the girl who thought she’d be an often unhappy classroom teacher in a screwed up education system forever. But, most times, people thought I was crazy for living across the world all alone. They couldn’t imagine how solo travel could be so great. And, I get it. Because they hadn’t done it. But, I believe more than anything that everyone should solo travel at least once if there’s any way that they can.

Did you get lonely?

I never got more lonely during solo travel than I do at home. In fact, I have felt more emotions of loneliness while ‘home’ than while in Asia.

If I wanted to be in the company of someone else at any given moment, I almost always could be. I could check into one of my many travel facebook groups including Girls LOVE Travel and VIPKID Teachers Who Travel and meet up with someone in my area.

There are so many other people doing solo travel that the chance of you finding someone in your area is very high. I could go into a cafe, check in to a hostel, or grab a drink at the bar and definitely meet someone.

A huge difference in reaching out to meet people abroad versus at home is that just about everyone at home is busy. They have jobs, families, and chores. People you come across during solo travel or when living abroad are either traveling or also living abroad.

In Asia, life isn’t so chaotic. I worked and lived in Vietnam for some time and life-work balance is what I personally think it should be. Did you know that putting life before work is key to a happier life? Tricks to this are shared in this article on life-work balance. The life-work balance many live by over there, including their amazing nap culture, meant that stopping to chat with a stranger was not so odd and unwanted.

The incredible people I met during my solo travel and the friendships I built are some of my life’s greatest successes!

Aren’t you scared of being attacked?

I was never more scared of being attacked in Asia than ever at home in the U.S. Be aware of your surroundings and make good choices no matter where you are.

Violent crime in many other countries is nowhere near what it is at home in the states. Have you seen the data on gun crime in the U.S. compared to other countries? I have far more reason to be more scared at home than not.

As women must do everywhere (and men sometimes), solo travel comes with the same or similar precautions when it comes to safety:

• Be aware of what’s going on around you.
• Only carry the amount of cash you will need for the day. Leave credit cards and excess cash at your accommodation. *Special Tip: Carry a copy of your passport with you, but leave your actual passport hidden in your accommodation.
• Only meet up with new people in a very public place.
• Share your travel plans and location with 2–3 family members or friends.
• Keep personal belongings on your body at all times. When showing your phone for directions or to translate, do it in public and don’t hand your phone off.
• Don’t be out alone late at night.

Some of these tips may throw you off or make you fear solo travel, but I take just about all of these precautions at home. Even if these precautions weren’t necessary (like in Myanmar where I’m pretty sure everyone was an angel from heaven), it made me feel more comfortable. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Were you ever lost and/or confused?

I was lost and confused on multiple occasions but, what’s new? There were a number of times I walked around aimlessly or needed to take a bus somewhere and didn’t know which bus I was supposed to get on. Even in Myanmar, a country that just opened its borders to tourists not that many years ago, I found someone who could point me in the right direction.

Have a translate app on your phone and this will almost always help you out (never hand your phone to a stranger, though).

And, sometimes you do get totally lost. You may spend a whole day being so lost and confused that you get nothing checked off on your bucket list. Hell, you may even miss a flight. Guess what? Life goes on. These things suck at the moment but in a week or a month, it won’t matter. Things go wrong no matter where you are, even in your cubicle that you spend 40 hours a week in.

It’s Worth It

Any bad thing that solo travel could bring, it’s worth it.

You may feel uncomfortable, that happens at home.

You may get robbed, that happens at home.

You may get lost, that happens at home.

You may get lonely, that happens at home.

The exciting adventures you go on, the incredible people you meet, the delicious food you eat, the new things you learn, the amount that you grow, the relationship you build with yourself — the possible bad things to happen during solo travel is worth it because of all of the possible good.

During my time in Asia, I had things go wrong including breaking my foot and getting my phone and wallet swiped. As bad as they were when they happened, I think about these incidents way less than I think about all the amazing stuff.

Solo travel not only pushes you out of your comfort zone. It also pushes you out of the zone of others’ expectations.