As I prepare for my upcoming solo trip to Amsterdam later tonight, I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about the good and the bad of solo travel. As this is my third solo trip, I have learned a few lessons from each and I have learned from mistakes I have previously made. With that being said, I think this trip will be the best yet.
Starting with the pros, there really are plenty of them. The first being you can literally do whatever you want and go wherever you want to go. You have complete and total freedom and don't ever have to argue with someone about what you want to do or wait for anyone to ever be ready.
You get to really find out what you like and don't like. By this, I mean you get to spend all this time with just yourself and you get all this time to think. You can use it to clear your head or to think about things you need to think about or to just shove everything away and immerse yourself fully into a new culture without worrying if what you want to do is what the person or people you are with want to do.
Another thing is that if you go solo and don't want to just be walking around the city or country alone, you have every opportunity to meet new people. No one is going to stop you and the worst thing someone could do is say no or ignore you if you try to have a conversation with them. When it comes to that, just ignore it and try again with someone who may seem a little nicer.
Now when it comes to cons, it's hard to consider anything a con when you get to travel. However, if you like the company of other people, sometimes the solo life can get a little lonely. There are ways to prevent this even by going solo, such as staying in a hostel because let's be real, you're never alone in a hostel.
Those things get lit, especially on the weekends. A second con is that trying to figure out directions and where to go when you are alone can get very frustrating. If you are trying to get somewhere and you just cannot figure it out, it can be really hard and actually can give you a little bit of anxiety. Again, there are ways to fix this. If you really are stuck, just take a breath, relax for a second, and ask someone around you. I am sure at least one of the many people around you would be willing to help you.
I can only really think of these two cons and even then, both can be solved to an extent. Don't let these two things scare you away from exploring and finding yourself. Everything, at least to me, screams just go no matter if you're alone or not. I don't know if I prefer alone, but I know for a fact I don't mind it one bit. I believe that the old saying, "Good things come to those who wait" is obsolete. It should be, "Good things come to those who go and get it." So what are you waiting for? Go get it.
