Following my first semester in college, I traveled to Finland to visit an old friend of mine. I spent every day of my two weeks there exploring the beautiful city of Helsinki. The catch? I did it all alone. Even though I was visiting a friend, I was the one on vacation while she had to go to work. Whether it be a two week long vacation in a far away city, or a weekend getaway to a nearby place, everyone should find time to travel alone. Here are my favorite aspects of traveling alone!
1. You decide what you want to do.
Want to sleep until noon? Do it! Want to get up at the crack of dawn and watch the sunrise? Do it! You don’t have to consult anyone about your plans but yourself. When I was in Finland, I spent some mornings relaxing in bed with coffee and a croissant, and others out and about in Helsinki. It was so nice to be able to make my own plans.
2. You meet tons of new people.
When you aren’t surrounded by the safety blanket of your friends or family, you end up striking up a conversation with everyone you meet. Traveling alone forces you out of your shell and you can end up meeting some really amazing people with their own equally-amazing stories. I still am close friends with many people I have met while traveling (plus that gives me a great reason to return!)
3. You're forced to be independent.
Want to go somewhere on the other side of the city but you don’t know the metro lines? Time to figure it out. When I was in Helsinki, their metro system ended up being incredibly convenient once I got the hang of it. You would be amazed to find out what you’re capable of when you need to get something done!
4. You save a lot of money.
Instead of renting out a house or an expensive hotel, try staying in a hostel. Not only is it incredibly cheap, but you also meet plenty of other travelers with whom you can exchange stories, tips and get some info about cool places to go!
5. You can change your plans at the last second.
Maybe you decided instead of spending all day in museums, you want to spend some time in the sun. No big deal! You don’t have to consult with five other people and try to agree on something else to do.
6. You learn it is okay to be alone (actually, it's really enjoyable!)
Even if you meet some great people while you’re travelling, you still end up spending a ton of time by yourself. You’ll find that there is incredible comfort in solitude.
7. You get off the beaten path.
Often when you travel with a group, you end up visiting the main tourist attractions because that’s what everyone can agree on. When you travel alone, though, you can meet locals, find the less tourist-y places and get a feel for what it is like to actually live there.
8. You can eat cake for breakfast and there is no one there to stop you.
Or have that extra glass of wine at dinner. Whatever it is, there isn’t anyone there that can stop you from doing exactly what you want. When I travel to Europe, I eat an embarrassingly large amount of croissants, and I love that there isn't anyone there to stop me from drowning in carbs.
9. You end up being really excited to come home to your friends and family.
Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Even though you have had an amazing time travelling alone, you miss everyone from back home. When you get back, you have a seemingly infinite number of stories that you can’t wait to tell your friends and family about.
10. If you return to where you traveled with your friends and family, you can show them around like a pro.
They didn’t get to see you fumbling around and getting lost the first time you travelled there. Instead, you get to look cool and confident while they get to look like the lost tourist!
11. You will learn more about yourself than you ever thought was possible.
You spend a lot of time by yourself when you travel, which gives you plenty of time to think. Being somewhere unfamiliar makes you reflect a lot upon who you are. You end up doing so many things that you didn’t know you could do because you always had someone else doing it for you.