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Should i go alone?
Sat, 06/26/2010 - 22:34
Hey im planning a trip and looking for some friends to come with me but it seems like they wont be able to. Is it a good idea to go alone?
Maybe. Do you think you are self-sufficient enough to enjoy your time in new places? You can sometimes meet up with people in hostels and, if it’s cool, hang out with them part-time.
I like a combination of solo and with others is best. Time alone is preferable to traveling with at least 99% of the people I know, but I do like to travel with that 1%. Generally, I
think solo travel is a good idea, but (as Don asks) Does it fit YOUR personality? How long a trip? What time of year? Will you have a travel buddy for any part of the trip?
I lived in Europe for a year and usually travelled alone. Although it is nice to have someone to talk to, you can’t always agree on things to see or do etc. I made lots of friends at hostels and tagged along with them and found lots of interesting places
London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Nice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Naples, Venice, Split, Dubrovnik, Athens, Mýkonos, Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Innsbruck, Zürich, Interlaken, Munich, Stuttgart, Prague, Kraków, Vilnius, Tallinn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Bruges, London, Tirana, Priština, Sarajevo, Sofia, Bucharest
It actually depends on your personality. Is this your first time to travel alone? In my case, I always make sure I travel alone on occasion. It’s a great experience but I prefer traveling with peers.
Being a bargain traveler has a lot of advantages
I would much rather go alone. That way, you can do what you want, when you want, and no one else is there to argue with or complain about your choices. Of course, you also don’t have anyone to share the really good times with either, but I think it’s alot easier to meet up with new people in the hostel to have company, than it is to get away from a bad travel buddy. I’m an only child though, and have lived by myself before, so I am very used to and comfortable with being alone for long periods of time.
London, Salisbury, Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh, Inverness, Edinburgh, London
Venice, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Rome
Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Bangkok
2008—Language study abroad in Paris, France
2009—Archaeological field school/dig in Lau, Fiji
2010— Birthday UK trip!
2011— Teaching English in South Korea
2012— ????
Give the solo trip a shot, as others have already said, you’ll meet plenty of people along the way anyway. To me, traveling is about stepping out of your comfort zone a bit, and probably my single greatest regret regarding travel is that I never did a solo trip. As I got older, I always had friends tag along. Some of those trips were great, but one of them was a horror show. I traveled with a woman who had to have what seemed like every hour of our 3 week itinerary printed out in front of her. Every address, phone #, what time each train arrived and departed, prices, I mean everything! Totally drove me bonkers.
Alone or not is good. I’ve done both. There are pros and cons to each. When you’re alone, you can do what you want, when you want to.
Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, and end up getting charged double.
Alone. It’s easier to meet new people and it helps build social skills especially if you are young and need to learn to be more assertive and direct.
I have traveled with friends, alone, with random strangers, etc and found that my freedom to do whatever I want, whenever, far outweighs the random times I feel lonely or bored.
Maybe the most important thing — If the choice is “Go Alone” or “Don’t Go” by all means go alone. Never let a chance to travel slip by — particularly because of somebody else’s issues. You’ll regret not going when you had the chance.
I say do it. You never know when you’ll be able to tavel again, and you can always come back with your friends, and you’ll be the guy that your friends look up to as a Europe expert.
I’ve done both, and while traveling with good friends is a bit more fun, traveling solo ain’t all that bad. You will meet other solo travelers at hostels , and sometimes even on trains, and you may end up hanging out with / traveling with that person for a few days, even a week. I’ve become temporary best friends with other solo travelers I’ve met. Just don’t be down when you have to part ways with the person that’s been your friend for several days, and then you’re alone for the next day or so. Just remember that there’s lots of solo travelers out there, and your next friend is waiting for you at one of your next destinations. Some of my fondest memories are hanging out with other awesome solo travelers.
Also, how well do you know your friends? Traveling with them is different than just hanging out with them at home; by traveling with them [especially international], you’ll see them in a different light. They might be picky, annoying, culture-shocked, etc, etc, and unbearable. You never know. I just took a trip in May with 4 friends (and a 5th met us part-time), all of whom are major travelers, so they were very easy to travel with. But if your friends are not already travelers, you don’t know how they’ll react to different situations…different food, different cultures, missing a train, finding out the hotel/hostel you booked is demolished…shit comes up, and some people panic in these situations and are not pleasant to travel with. Or they might be cool…you don’t know.
beach-lunch-siesta-beach-shower-dinner-nightlife-repeat
Thanks everyone. i think i will be going alone i do not want to miss this chance. Now all i have to do is save up money haha
If you look like Funkyj I’m sure you’ll have no problem meeting people
“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list”
Old Lady: excellent advice
LTB: As you know me, I completely relate.
Llama: DO IT. No regrets.
Finnegan: Aww, thanks (How do I put a blushing smiley?)
Id say do it and go by yourself. I wouldnt mind having a buddy or two come along on my next one, but now that Ive been to Europe a few times I know loads of people over there that I can go have a night out with, so either way it doesn’t really matter to me.