Coming from a small town, I grew up with so many people that had barely been out of the state. My family was different in this sense. My parents took us everywhere they could, so we could experience adventure at a young age and hopefully continue this as we grew up.

As I grew up, the youngest of four, I watched my brother travel abroad and experience so many neat things that I wanted to experience as well. Now I’m the exact age he was when he began traveling and we’re able to share experiences and share ideas for our own travels. Although he traveled often, he usually had someone to travel with. I, on the other hand, prefer to travel solo.

Why would you want to do this? How do you feel safe traveling alone? How are you able to travel so often? These are all questions I get. I enjoy being an independent traveler because I can do whatever I want. I can plan my entire itinerary based on things I want to do/see, or I can book a completely spontaneous trip and not have to worry about accommodating someone else’s schedule. From a safety stand point, I feel more vulnerable shopping alone than I do traveling alone.

The last question “How are you able to travel so often?” is one that stumps most. From an affordability standpoint, I always do my research (a list of sites that I use is below). Traveling during “off seasons” is one of the biggest factors I consider. I look at camping versus staying in a hotel. I wait for flights to go on sale. It’s not (usually) a spur of the moment decision for me. How do I get the time? Luckily, I can adjust my schedule to accommodate 3 day weekends every once in a while which is how I travel so often within the U.S. A lot can be accomplished in just 3 days!

To wrap this up, if you are adamant about traveling solo but can never find anyone to travel with, I can assure you if you do your research you will never regret traveling alone. You will be able to do more of the things YOU want to do. Never be afraid of what’s out there!

Check out these websites for the best deals:

Cheap flights ($40 flights from Indianapolis to Denver!): Flyfrontier.com

Hotels or package deals (especially useful in Mexico): Cheaptickets.com

Searching the cheapest time to fly worldwide: Skyscanner.com

One room rentals (so much cheaper than a hotel room): Airbnb.com