I love solo travel.
It really is freeing and enjoyable on so many levels to choose to do and eat exactly what only I want to do and eat, whenever and wherever.
And to anticipate your first question: No, I have never, not once, felt lonely on a solo trip. I suspect that's in part because of my personality, which is well-suited to solo travel: I'm independent and comfortable sitting by myself at restaurants. At the same time, I love to chat with strangers and typically choose a mix of solo activities and group things when I travel, such as food tours. My solo trips are not monastic journeys of solitude; I have plenty of people time, especially when I'm engaging in my favorite solo travel activity — speaking casually with locals in languages I think I know but really don't.
I also make a lot of mistakes when I travel, such as getting on the train to Barcelona instead of the train to Marseille. Or thinking I could walk from the south end of Vancouver to Stanley Park while crossing three highways. Or deciding I want two breakfasts in Mexico City because the chilaquiles are that good and nearly missing my flight. But let me tell you, it is so much easier to make mistakes when you travel solo than when you're in charge of other people's happiness.
The feelings of freedom, accomplishment and confidence solo travel gives me are unparalleled. And mistakes just add to the adventure.
But that's not to say there's no compromise in solo travel. I may not have to argue with my nonexistent husband about why he hates coffee and I want to sit all day in a coffee shop, but I still compromise a lot when I travel alone. It's just that the compromises are with myself.
I know that in certain parts of the world I probably shouldn't go out by myself at night. And I likely won't ever have a truly 100% relaxing solo trip where I can fall asleep alone in a beach hammock without leaving one eye open. But it's OK.
I recently booked a solo trip that involved a main flight, a shorter in-country flight, a couple different hotel stays and a train trip. The booking process was oddly complicated in unexpected ways. I kept asking myself, "why is this so difficult?" as I bounced around the 20 open tabs on my laptop, trying to calculate my loyalty miles balance while comparing train and flight schedules, simultaneously tapping words I didn't understand into my translation app.
Then I remembered generative AI. Hallelujah! I hopped on ChatGPT and sorted out some of the bigger pain points of my multi-leg trip painlessly. It was as easy as that.
Many hotels, brands and travel companies are touting the popularity of solo travel and treating me as a priority rather than a sad leftover. I'm all for that — just please do not call solo travel a "me-moon," like one PR agency recently did. And pretty much every hotel company these days is talking about how to control, personalize and monetize every part of the trip.
So travel companies, take this solo traveler's advice: What helps us most is piecing together the journey. Any help you can lend toward that end will make me loyal for life, because peace of mind is often the biggest unknown in solo travel.
Share your solo travel stories with me! Email me, or find me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
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