Solo travel is no longer a phenomenon restricted to developed countries. It is picking up fast in countries like India with more and more people opting to travel solo. it has been more than 5 years since I took my first solo trip and since then I have been answering the question which forms the topic for this article: “How does solo travel feel like?” If there was a one-word answer to it, I would not have been writing a blog on the same. The answer varies for all of use, but here I am discussing 3 things that everyone discovers when they travel solo for the first time.
You really have to love traveling
You might think that this is understood that you have to love traveling in order to solo travel, but believe me it is the most overlooked fact. Most of the people find it difficult to travel solo because traveling is a way to spend time with friends and family, to make new memories and experiences with them and so on. Solo traveling will be extremely hard on you if you are one of these people. There might be time when you would want to share the beautiful location with someone, but you realize that you are traveling solo. Another category of travel lovers who often find themselves confused about solo traveling is the ones who love to capture themselves on all these beautiful destinations. You might be super amazing at selfie skills but you still might yearn for someone to click your photos or just to be with you in that frame.
Solo traveling is for those who love traveling for the love of traveling. For them, the experience is about the exploration of a new place and soak it all in. Most of us do not know which categories do we fall in. My advice: travel for a short period to a nearby destination to figure it out for yourself.
You own everything: from risks to rewards
The best part of solo travel is the freedom you get with it. You do not have to decide your plan of day o the basis of someone else’s mood. You might end up spending money kept for shopping on just another spa day or decide to substitute a meal’s worth of money on a new adventure trek. It is your trip and you are in charge of everything.
being free might seem cool but it comes with a responsibility, towards yourself. I remember trusting an auto driver in the middle of the night in Ahmedabad because of a delayed flight and it paid off. I also remember trusting a horse owner for a private ride across the hills of Nainital which did not pay off well and I had to scream my way out to the main road. However, these incidents have told me the value of my common sense and instincts. If you have these with you, even wandering around the hills of Manali can be fund (even if you lose track of your way back to hotel)
Research is the key
I have been told by numerous travelers that how much fun it is to be spontaneous, no prior bookings, just going with the flow, the thrill of uncertainty and so on. It is all amazing, but only if you are truly into the spirit of traveling on the edge. The key is a flexible balance between planning and spontaneity. The thrill of finding a beach-side resort can be easily overruled by the lack of amenities or security in the property. The thrill of not booking the cab beforehand can be easily killed by the sudden strike of the taxi owners in the city. There is no harm in doing a little research about the place and what to find once you are there. You can still choose to go unplanned, but the research will surely help you in one way or the other. However, despite all your research, be prepared to be surprised or even disappointed by the newness of the experience: after all, that’s what travel is for.
Experiences of traveling solo can be different for all of us, but despite all the fears you have, it is worth trying once a while.
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