Solo traveling – an experience far from being alone
Solo traveling can seem intimidating. “By my own will be boring, I won’t be able to do it, I will feel lost/ lost”. – do you know these thoughts?
Before I decided to travel alone, fear tried to dissuade me from the idea. Today, having traveled several times alone, I have found that this is one of the best things I could have given myself in life – I always bring back valuable experiences and learn a lot about myself.
If you are afraid of going on a solo trip and being alone – reject this belief. This is not true. During solo traveling, a person is more compelled to get out of his comfort zone. When going with loved ones on a trip, we are in our bubble, it is much harder to meet new people. Being alone – one looks for any way to make interesting acquaintances.
How do you meet people while traveling?
- If you are not a digital nomad and just want to go somewhere for a vacation, and just happen to be none of your friends – try searching for information about the city you are going to. You may find that there is a community of digital nomads out there. Most of them travel alone and are very open to making new friends. Look for groups on Facebook, whatsapp, telegram.
- A good option for meeting people, especially locals, is couchsurfing. You don’t have to sleep at anyone’s place, you can mark there an option that you are interested in just going for a coffee or a drink or visiting together.
- Also, don’t be afraid to go to an event by yourself – it’s a good jumping-off point to meet new people. There are many events such as pool parties, cruises, karaoke, beach picnics, etc., etc., in places where there are digital nomad communities.
What did I do to get out of my comfort zone?
I remember the moment I flew to Madeira myself. Before flying out, I did some research on the Internet and knew that there was a large community of digital nomads there. The next day from arrival I already had a ticket purchased for the nomad event. God! I barely went there 😀 I’ve never gone to a party alone in my life, and I think that in Poland I wouldn’t dare make such a move. I go to parties always with friends, and practically everyone does.
It’s different in the digital nomad community, solo traveling is natural for them. I knew there would be many people out there who are in a similar situation to me. I was not wrong! At the entrance to the event, I exchanged a few words with the organizer, who immediately introduced me to her friends. That was my beginning of getting to know the community in Madeira. Going to the event without any friends was quite a challenge for me, but it really paid off!
Many limitations, therefore, exist only in our heads.
At the beginning of traveling alone I was very afraid of the unknown, although on the other hand the excitement before meeting a new place and people was stronger than my fear. It’s so head-opening. You meet a lot of people with different cultures, views, characters, ways of life to make money. It’s really a beautiful dose of inspiration and motivation. So if you are tempted to go, but none of your friends can join you, or you just want to test what it’s like going somewhere alone, I highly encourage you to do so. I guarantee you that by going alone, you will return home richer/richer in beautiful memories, experiences, and it is not uncommon to establish valuable interpersonal relationships. Just because of those trips I made, I finally found a courage to go to backpacking trip to Asia for 5 months (you can read about it here).
I also wrote articles about pros and cons of living as a digital nomad:
