Monday, November 19, 2018

Solo traveling

Do I prefer to travel solo or with friends? 
Some pros, cons & tips!


First, I want to say that traveling solo doesn't mean you will be alone. I think when you travel alone you're way more open to meet new people. I talk to strangers much more when I don't travel with friends even though I can be quite shy sometimes.

What to do to meet people when solo traveling?
•Sleep in hostels- it's way cheaper and so much better than being alone in a single room (eh, to be honest, I don't know I never booked a room just for myself)
•Use Couchsurfing- not only to find hosts but go to the events- there are parties, meetups & language exchanges all over the world. You can also use the groups of specific areas to find travel buddies.
•Join free walking tours


And don't stare into your phone or a book all the time, I hardly ever start talking to someone who looks busy.

The next thing I love is the freedom you have. You don't have to make any compromises and you do anything you want. I'm almost sure my boyfriend doesn't feel the need to sit in cozy cafés and that some friends of mine don't understand why I'm still photographing the waves. And I'm such an impatient person, I really enjoy not waiting for someone to get ready and so on.



"As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself, it's inevitable to discover just how capable you are."

It gives you confidence
I couldn't agree more with the quote above. Traveling solo really shows you how capable you are, it pushes you out of your comfort zone in a completely different way. Thanks to traveling I got so much more needed confidence.

Your friends can have different travel goals, and if you wanna go somewhere you should do it no matter if you find a travel buddy or not. This quote, which I saved on Pinterest like two years ago is more than true!

"I was never going to go if I waited for someone to come with me."

Taking pics of yourself becomes a challenge.
In general, I like when there are people in my pictures because it shows how incredibly tiny you are compared to a place. When you travel solo you can't ask anyone to take a pic of you, well yes you can ask strangers, but I don't like giving my camera out of my hands and also you usually don't give the camera to someone who also enjoys photography. By the way, all the pictures in this post were taken without any help of others. 

No food sharing
I often share food when eating in a restaurant, because you can try more things, and also- I usually can't eat a whole pizza or a whole bowl of nachos. And I also feel kinda awkward when eating alone in a restaurant, but that's my personal problem, it's completely normal haha.

You also become responsible for everything, so you look for all buses, trains, accommodations, places to go and eat by yourself which takes more time.

Traveling solo has pros & cons, I'm sure I will travel alone many more times in the future, but I personally prefer going with friends. I never felt unsafe because of going to new places alone, but it's simply more comfortable to travel with someone you know well. When things go wrong it sucks much less when you share the experience and can make fun of it, also traveling together brings you even closer with your friends. However, it's a great experience that gives you a lot, and I highly recommend you to try it if you're passionate about traveling, just to find out if you enjoy it or not.

   

Have you tried solo traveling? 

7 comments:

  1. Super článek! Viděla bych to velmi podobně. Já tedy foťák při sólo cestování půjčuji - obvykle se snažím vyhlédnout si někoho, kdo sám fotí. Ale já s sebou beru jen digitál, o zrcadlovku bych se asi bála víc.

    Přesně jak píšeš, člověk, co nechce být sám, nikdy na cestách sám nebude. :) Ve 2+ lidech se ale lépe řeší všechny průšvihy, a na ty já mám snad magnet. Mně se nejlépe cestuje s mojí dobrou kamarádkou, po Evropě občas ráda vyrazím i sama. Mimo Evropu bych si ale sama netroufla, v tomto ohledu máš můj obdiv.

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  2. Miluju solo traveling. Přiznávám že zezačátku to bylo spíš z nouze (neměla jsem s kým cestovat, ale nakonec jsem objevila všechny ty výhody. Když jsem objevila skvělou kavárnu a chtěla jsem si jen hoďku sednout, číst si a upíjet sójové laté (kdybych šla s někým, asi bych se necítila tak příjemně). Nebo když jsem šla pěšky Viu Francigenu a v jednom momentu jsem si najednou řekla "fuck it", nasedla na první autobus, dojela do nejbližšího městečka a na několik dní se ubytovala v náhodném kempu. Nebo když mi majitel jedné indické restaurace upekl dort k narozeninám, protože jsem si s ním u oběda příjemně popovídala. Tyhle věci se ti nestanou, pokud cestuješ s někým. A kolik věcí jsem se naučila při cestování sama, kolik sebevědomí a důvěry v to, že vždycky dokážu vyřešit každý problém, mi to dalo.

    Na druhou stranu ty fotky jsou fakt problém :D vždycky se snažím vychytat někoho, kdo má taky zrcadlovku, aby věděl, ajk s tím zacházet. Nebo starší lidi, protože si říkám, že kdyby se dali na útěk, chytila bych je :D

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  3. Honestly I prefer solo traveling as I need to do things by myself. Sometimes it´s nice to have company but you always can go and meet new people (I love it!). When you are traveling with somebody, the desire to meet new local people isn´t so strong. And I always feel more confidently that I´m able to be independent, it learns a lot.

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  4. Solo Travelling is not a bad idea. If you're planning to travel UK then make sure you have pre-book Birmingham airport cheap parking and avoid long time wait at the airport.

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