Backpacking alone

Setting off into the big bad world alone can be a daunting experience and that’s because it is! Hopefully this post helps anyone thinking about going it solo.

On my travels one of the most common questions I have received is…

“How have you found travelling by yourself?”

Mostly other backpackers who had a travel companion or small groups of intrepid nomads on organised tours asked this.

My answer was always the same.

The best thing about travelling alone is you have the best of both worlds!

If you want to be alone, you can just bury your head in a book, take a nap in your room, go for a wander, pop your headphones in and listen to music…whatever floats your boat.

When it comes to meeting people, it is too easy in hostels where like-minded travellers surround you. Just spark up a conversation or eavesdrop into somebody else’s and take it from there. Normally it’s your accent that will trigger the question on every backpacker’s lips…”So, where are you from?”

BANG…you’re in! Conversation started and you’re no longer alone!

I found the biggest challenge was remembering everyone’s name! I have so many photos of ‘Blonde Aussie Chic’ and ‘Cool Danish Guy’, not to mention ‘The American Dude with the awful tattoos’.

When it comes to going at it alone you really are free to do what you want to do. You answer to nobody. You want to cut your China trip short and jet over to The Philippines for 10 days then you do it!

Solo travel forces you into situations where you have to put yourself out there. You are faced with scenarios, which are alien to you. For me, this was exciting and made my trip the spontaneous one that it was.

Travel alone because you are never really alone.