SOLO TRAVELING – PROS & CONS
Solo travel is at a Boom. Many travel lovers prefer travelling alone these days. Things have been made easy by the globalization and the internet where you can very conveniently go for selecting your mode of travel, places to be visited and accommodation you need and can afford. Apparently, one may believe that travelling alone remain advantageous as compared to travelling in groups, but thing are different.
Is it the right method of travel for you?. Whenever planning for a solo trip or a vacation, it is extremely necessary to evaluate and judge about methods of travel suiting you. Your plan must be in accordance to your personality, liking and choices.
Pros of SOLO Travel
It is very easy to plan a trip individually without worrying for anything but yourself. You can plan the way you wish, without any interference or dependency. Such trips have integrated advantages which are being shared as under:-
- Independent Decisions. Best part of solo travelling is that you are totally independent to make any decision. The decision to select mode of travel, selecting the places to visit, selecting the place to live and selecting what to eat remains your independent decision unlike in group travelling.
- Flexibility of Planning. When traveling solo as a backpacker, you enjoy complete flexibility in making your plans. It is you as a sole decider to plan where to go next and which places to be skipped. When traveling at far places and countries, flexibility oof the plan is the biggest pleasure you can enjoy when alone. Contrary to it, when in groups, you are legally bound to follow irrespective of your liking or disliking.
- You Learn About your capabilities. You gain confidence in yourself when you start planning a solo trip. You plan to visit the destinations of your choice and then start preparing accordingly. Going through legal documentation and saving finances for the journey induces confidence in your personality.
- You won’t be worried for anyone but yourself. Sometimes traveling with less motivated partners or groups becomes a liability and kills the overall spirit of vacation and trips. This is easily avoided in solo traveling. Take good food, have a good nap and keep going with what ever you like. This becomes biggest advantage of being solo.
- More indulgence in public dealing, more experience. Starting from the time when you planned a visa for some country, you starred interacting with totally random and new people. The more you move, the more frequently you intermingle with strangers. This not only provides a lot of confidence but also adds additional experience for life.
Cons of Solo Traveling
The points being discussed and narrated have been mentioned basing on facts. However, for some individuals these may be acceptable and for others these may not hold good due to personal choices. There are numerous disadvantages linked with solo traveling, to say a few are as under:-
- Expensive. For solo travelers, things may get little more expensive. Contrary to group travelling where dormitories are available (which become much cheaper), solo travelers have to pay additional amount if still they desire to get a separate room. This additional cost will be paid at every next city, but it can be avoided by selecting group shared rooms.
- Compromised personal safety. Travelling is a passion which makes people accept huge risks, just to fulfill the desire of visiting and seeing. These can be risks of falling from cliffs, wild life of jungle, getting lost while trekking most harsh routes in the world, getting caught by the blizzards while summitting a peak or other risk. These risks are multiplied when you plan any of such adventure as a solo rider.
- Feeling of loneliness. We have been created a social animal, who is bonded in groups and societies. Living alone has not been selected as a mode of life for us. Talking of traveling, while going solo, there is limit till which one can afford being alone. At new places, with people of different languages, different interests and different orientations, you will start feeling boredom within yourself. Therefore, a day or a two-day trip can be taken as solo traveler but not a long vacation.
- Can Not share happy moments, social media is not a company. We have been badly enslaved by the social media in this century. On apparent front, it keeps us linked with each other but actually it has caused distances also. Some travelers may feel confident and happy by sharing their activities with groups on social media. This gives them psychological surety that they are in communication with each other. Contrary to this, when travelling alone in some far places, you would love to share a laughter with a partner, you would desire to see a sunset at beach with a friend, you would love to cherish the grandeur of Roman Colosseum with fellow traveler. But…….., when traveling alone, you are liable to miss all these fun moments for sure. Just sharing pictures of your visit may not be an alternative to having a friend or a fellow traveler with you.
- Eating Alone. Although it is mostly recommended by professional travelers to spend less on food and accommodation while traveling and the saved budget to be spent on the traveling and visiting planned places. But, sometimes on feels like having a good meal in a 5 star place and in a romantic environment. You are solo, you can have the pleasure of company neither here nor when just taking a fast food on the go.
- Unable to take photographs as frequently. Keeping a selfie stick and a tripod at each location may get your backpack more cumbersome. This problem will persist when you are alone. People do help you in taking pictures but there comes a time when you start getting shy to ask those who are here for themselves, to take your pictures. You will miss many great perspective shots for being alone.
- Cannot visit far and isolated places alone. Some solo travelers are very fond of traveling to places far from the towns, to see cultures and traditions. Such trips pose you naked to any hostile situation, in case it occurs. As solo traveler, sometimes you might have to curtail such a plan out of your directory for being safe.
Do not get discouraged by the facts brought about above. Keep loving what you love and keep planning the way you are comfortable. The aim to high light these PROS & CONS is just to provide a bit of guidance to ensure that none of these facts can ruin your trip and vacation.
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