This is why a solo trip should be on your bucket list
Do you know that feeling? You really want to do something, but you’re actually too scared. That’s how I feel about a solo trip. How cool is it to discover new places by yourself? But yes, you really are going completely alone. For everyone who has such a trip only penciled in on their bucket list, this might be the last push you need: according to experts, it’s actually very good for you to go on a solo trip.
Personal development
Whether you like it or not, during a solo trip you will have to step out of your comfort zone. No matter how well you prepare the trip, something unexpected will always happen. You can’t fall back on your travel companions now, and in an unfamiliar environment you will have to be creative in finding a solution. According to psychologist Barbara Kuiters, this will help you discover that you can do much more on your own than you might have thought. “When you travel alone, you often get to know different sides of yourself that you never really learned to know in the light of your familiar environment.” Unlike when you are just in the Netherlands, according to Kuiters, during a trip you also don’t have the option to completely withdraw if something goes wrong. You will really have to take action to arrange, for example, a place to sleep or transportation. This way, you learn to deal better with fear and stress. Overcoming those uncertainties and discovering new skills and traits might be the most valuable souvenir you can take home. We all know the cliché, but the solo trip really helps to ‘find yourself’.
A boost for your (self)confidence
A text message can of course be sent within a few seconds. But really helping someone make choices or in case of emergency, is quite difficult from hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. You have to determine for yourself how to deal with new or unexpected situations. “When you are traveling alone, you often have no other choice but to trust your intuition and what you actually want,” says Kuiters. If you discover that you can really manage on your own, according to Kuiters, you will benefit from that even after your trip. “It helps to take on challenges and develop resilience, which is necessary to overcome any bumps and obstacles that life may bring.”
Complete freedom
The more people who go on a trip, the more opinions determine what ultimately gets done. And while there’s nothing wrong with give and take, it’s good to occasionally put yourself first. On a solo trip, you can arrange everything down to the last detail just the way you want it. You decide where you go, for how long, and what you will do there. It’s a bit of the ultimate freedom. And it also saves you a lot of (unnecessary) discussions about whether you’re going to hike or not.
New connections
Although a solo trip is about traveling alone, you will usually find that you are never really alone. Especially in hostels or at popular backpacking destinations, you will meet many other travelers and maybe even go out together. You will also often have to ask the locals for advice on the best hotspots or the best restaurants. Making all those new connections is, especially if you are a bit more introverted, another step out of your comfort zone, and you learn a lot about other cultures this way. Who knows, you might make friends for life or even find a new love. If that solo trip doesn’t deserve a permanent place on your bucket list, I don’t know what does.
Source: Forbes & Nu.nl
