Some of you may know that I spend a few days in Valencia about a month ago, but instead of travelling with friends or family, I decided to go at it alone. Travelling alone is something that intrigues many, but also something that many people never get around to doing. For me, Valencia was the first time I had actually gone on holiday on my own, but after living abroad for the best part of a year, I already had a feel for what it involved and how to make it in a foreign country on my own. I think that many find the whole idea daunting, but today I plan to put your mind at ease and introduce the immense benefits of travelling solo...

Don't you get lonely?
I think for a lot of people, being lonely is a big factor that puts them off of travelling solo, but learning to identify the difference between being alone and being lonely is really important. As a classic introvert, I think travelling on my own or even just being on my own is generally easier for me, but that doesn't mean that an extrovert can't get a lot out of travelling alone. No, there won't be your best friend or your mum sitting next to you at the bar, but there are ways to combat boredom. Extroverted? Start a conversation with a random stranger (which will really help your language skills if that's a goal of yours) or take part in a local class or event. More introverted? Keep your Kindle or a good book at hand for those quieter meal times or concentrate on getting some really great snaps of your trip. I'm not going to lie to you, there is a high chance that you will feel a tad lonely at some point - but that's part of the challenge! Learning to overcome that obstacle (amongst others) is part of what makes travelling solo so important - you have the opportunity to grow.

How do you keep busy?
Planning your days out is key to a successful trip in my eyes, but even more so when you're going at it alone. I don't mean to say that you need to strictly timetable your day down to the minute, but researching a few activities to do each day before hand can really help you to get the most out of your time away. Solo trips need to be fairly busy to keep yourself from getting bored in my experience, but make sure to go with the flow as well so that you don't miss out on anything that your location has to offer. In my opinion, the worst thing you can do whilst away is waste time doing things that you usually do at home - it would have been a lot cheaper to stay there - so before you get there, list activities you want to do, sights you want to see, and places you want to visit so that you have some sort of structure without locking yourself down to a tight schedule. Keeping busy will keep you from feeling alone, so get researching!

Why is travelling alone so beneficial?
For me, travelling solo is just a small taster of what my year living abroad was, but if you haven't had the opportunity to do that, then this is a great way to push yourself outside your comfort zone. You can honestly learn so much about yourself and learn how to get by on your own in a foreign country in a matter of days, and for me, that is invaluable. I truly believe that anything that scares us will make us stronger, and I think that this is the case for many when it comes to travelling on their own. Can you imagine how terrified I was to move to Russia? Yet here I am, more than a year later and I honestly think that I came back from the experience a whole lot stronger and more knowledgeable as a person, so I wouldn't change that experience for anything, no matter how difficult it may have been at times. I was in Russia for a hell of a lot longer than a long weekend, but whether it's four months or four days, the first time you go abroad alone you learn an awful lot. In short, you'll gain an amazing sense of freedom because you get to make your own rules, and a lot of confidence from being able to navigate a foreign environment. So, although it may sound daunting - it'll be more than worth it.

14 comments

  1. Loved this post :) So well written and helpful!
    I have travelled alone before, but always for work/school, never as a holiday, which must be a totally different story. I definitely want to do it at some point in my life!

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  2. I've honestly never travelled alone before -- I'm not sure why, maybe it just never seemed like an option in my head! Now that I create travel videos, it's actually nice to have one day off so I can get all of my shots in and not be that annoying person who has to stop every few minutes to take a clip haha!

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  3. One of my biggest goals in life is to go somewhere alone because I want to push myself out of my comfort zone. I recently decided to move all the away across the world alone and, though really excited, I'm also extremely scared! Your post really helped me (re)realize that I made the right choice by taking this leap, thank you <3

    http://evatries.blogspot.it/

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  4. I loved this post! I am an extrovert, but I have to say that I have been loving alone time recently, although that is no comparison to traveling alone. I truly believe you can learn so much from doing this, and since I would like to study abroad in college, this shouldn't be too bad. Did you ever feel scared as a female alone in a new country? I'm not going to lie that I get frightened pretty easily, so the thought of some creepy person being around is always in my head!


    Emily | ahemitsemme.blogspot.com

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  5. Loved the post! I agree with you, traveling alone really is good for you, i just came back from my own week long adventure! And yes it did remind me of what my year living abroad was; personally I like to make a list of all the places i want to visit, things to do/eat also, ask locals for advise on what do they like to do and stuff, lonely planet is always useful! And of course, walk walk walk walk to really get to know the place as much as you can. Also if anybody worries about getting lost i have 2 advices: ask someone, most of the time they're super nice about it and will help you out and: use google maps before hand, search your destination, or the general area you'd like to visit, theres an option to "save" the map, that way, if you do get lost in that area and don't have wifi you'll be able to see where you are, and how to get to wherever it is you want to be (i guess you could say it would work as if you had internet).

    Love your travel posts! X

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  6. I just remember that I had a similar challenge close to yours when you mentioned living in Russia. Whilst I was visiting my boyfriend (who was then studying in Moscow), I would be alone during the most of the day. However, Russia unlike Europe is quite difficult to get by if you don't speak the language. First it was a bit frustrating but I pushed myself to make the most of day instead of sitting home and doing usual stuff. I have to stay I quite enjoyed it but I could still feel the comfort of knowing someone there to help in case something goes wrong. I truly admire your courage and I wish to do the same one day, this time just by myself. Like you said, it's an amazing opportunity to get to know yourself and learn to be the best company of yourself.

    THATSALEAF⎜Beauty. Style. Lifestyle.

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  7. Thanks Irene - I'm so glad you liked it! Well the actual travelling part alone is half of the battle and what can scare people, so go you! The only difference I guess for you is just working out what to do when you get there! If you go somewhere interesting though it should be easy enough to figure out :) x

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  8. Hahaha I'm ALWAYS that annoying person with my camera running to keep up because I had to stop and take the perfect photo. You'd be amazed how freeing it is to wander at your own pace, and I'm sure you would get some great video too! Do you create videos on YT? Let me know your username and I'll check them out :) x

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  9. Yeah, haha you've completed half the challenge, now you just have to figure out how to keep yourself occupied! It's honestly not that hard - just start off with 2-3 days and do loads of research :) xx

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  10. You can do it!! It might be a bit of a challenge at first, but it's so worth it :) Wow that's really brave of you!! After that, you'll laugh at the idea of 2-3 days on your own!! Where are you moving to? x

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  11. Thanks Emily! Of course your questions aren't silly!! I'll answer you here, but if you have any other questions then just email me :) I think there were times when I felt a bit cautious about being a female alone, but just like at home, you just need to be smart about things - don't go to dark/quiet places, do your research regarding where is safe/not safe to go as a tourist etc. As long as your smart about things and try to keep yourself surrounded by people you should be fine. As far as travelling alone, I would suggest 18+, mainly for legal reasons/if you get into trouble, but if you're younger then maybe when you're on holiday with others, you could try and escape on your own for a bit! It's also wise to consult your parents/family and keep them constantly updated just for your safety and their piece of mind. Hope this helped x

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  12. You sound like an expert - maybe you should have written the post!! I agree with everything you say!! Where did you go? x

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  13. I do! Mostly lifestyle/beauty, but I recently went on a couple of trips so I started creating some travel content! The username is procrastinatepretty -- thanks so much for checking it out, that's really nice of you!

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  14. hahahaha no! not at all! I just deeply enjoy it :) I was in the US Massachusetts area, actually it was during the snowmaweddon which was both fun and a little bit annoying LOL X

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