One thing my parents always warned me about was solo travel. As a woman, solo travel can be seen as dangerous, and that’s a valid point to make. There are many things about travelling that can be dangerous, but solo travel has always been incredibly fun for me. I haven’t made a real solo trip to Europe or anything yet but catching the train home from Ottawa and getting on flights by myself is something I’ve been doing since I was 18, and I absolutely love it. I know I’ll have my fair share of full-on solo trips in the future, and here’s why I think you should too!
Travelling alone is a great time to spend working on yourself. I know being alone is supposed to be seen as “embarrassing”, but I think it shows a person’s strength and illuminates the importance of time with yourself. We are constantly around so many people at work or school or even at home with roommates or family members, when do we really get time to ourselves, just us? For a lot of people, almost never! I live with four other people, and it’s very rare to ever have time at home where it’s only me, so when I’ve been able to get away for a while by myself, I always take the opportunity. Relying on you to get to where you need to go, to find places to eat and hangout helps you to become more independent, and allows you to rely on solely yourself, rather than others.
Now, I know seeing “solo travel” you must be thinking about 8-hour flights to a new continent or something, but I think the coolest thing about travelling alone is you have full freedom to choose where you want to go. It doesn’t need to be a place across the world (although it could be), it could be a place just a few hours away from you that you never have time to visit. It could be a short train ride or flight (if you have the funds for it). It could be anything you want it to be, and the freedom that comes with travelling solo is what I think I love most about it. The accessibility of solo travel is also great for those on a tight schedule, or for those who don’t have a lot to spend on a weekend getaway like most of us. You can really make it however you’d like it to be.
With fall right around the corner, I think taking a solo trip to the lake, enjoying the cooler weather, taking time to relax with a book sounds so nice right about now. There are so many ways you could take a trip all by yourself, so do it the way you want to! Go where you want to go, do the things you want to do, and you can wrap up the night early with a bubble bath and not bother anyone about it. Full freedom to do only what you want to do!
One of the goals I set for myself this year is that I want to see more of the country I grew up in, whether that’s taking flights to different cities or just getting in my car and driving there. There is so much to see in the world, and even so much to see in our own cities and provinces that most of us have probably never seen before! Travelling alone allows for you to really enjoy your surroundings and be present in the moment, something I think a lot of people struggle with when they’re on vacation. I really encourage you to think about what a solo trip would look like for you, and if you think it would work, definitely give it a try!
