Why you should travel solo

One will be required to do budgeting during solo trip on how much to be allocated for each day in order to avoid the ordeal of running out of money during the trip. I had learnt to record down my expenses, set aside an amount that I plan to spend and adhere myself to stick with it.

For instance, I may allocate $500 during the trip for food. But if I had already spend $300 for the first 10 days out of the 16 days trip, I will feel the need to cut down, review on my way of spending and come up with solutions. By doing so, I am certainly not asking one to be a miser, but to watch where your money goes to. For example, I may limit myself not to buy extra snacks after having a full dinner so that I could save up for my next meal.

 

When I was in Kazakhstan  ,  I ate late brunch so that I could save up on both breakfast & lunch by combing them. I did not ill treat myself but yet at the same time could free up some money for other expenses instead.This set of skills are beneficial as we move up the different stages of life. From getting married, purchasing a house to even having kids, we would have already picked up the art of budgeting. The key is to spend on things that one need and not what you want.

A solo trip forces one to make new friends along the way. The best way to do so would be in the hostel. Like the rest in the hostel, most of the people staying are foreigners. Conversation such as where to visit, what to eat are some commonly topics discussed. On my Trans-Mongolian train journey, I managed to chat up with foreigners heading to China from Mongolia.  In short, the circumstances that one experience during solo travel forces us to step out of the comfort zone and take the first step to know people. As the saying goes, to have a friend, you have to be a friend first.

 It teaches us in life to network which will comes in handy in our career or social life too. We never know who we will meet at any event. In career wise, it may be beneficial to know more people in the industry you are working in. Afterall, it is who know you and not who you know that determines how far one go in our respective industry.

Going on a solo trip is the best time for one to learn more about himself. In fact, we can say it is the only time that we can have more time without any external distractions around. On a solo trip, we have only ourselves to make decisions hence that naturally makes it as we are our own best friend.

We are all humans. When placed together, there are bound to have conflict be it with your spouse/partners.

Thus, it is essential to know more about ourselves in particular of our strengths and weaknesses. When you are out there in an unknown land coupled with unknown environment, it certainly brings out your survival instinct . One will able to work on his own weakness and further improve  on his strength.

 

For example, I was once lost in the streets of Mongolia. My weakness was lies in being not that outspoken and assumed that I was good in reading maps and did not bother to ask for directions from the locals. Only when we get lost, we will reflect and work on our own weakness. After that incident, I reminded myself to always ensure I took the courage to seek people help when I am unsure before it gets worst. Imagine if we are travelling with friends, we are likely to depend or blame our travel buddy when things goes wrong.

 * Instill more confident to get things done 

When planning for a solo trip, you will likely have to depend on oneself to plan the trip. From purchasing air tickets to booking accommodations and researching on the destination, as one ticked off the “To-do List” in anticipation for the trip, the sense of confidence tends to build up. Having the confident that things will turn out just fine with good preparation, we can apply the concept in our daily life.

 

 * Satisfy wanderlust and becoming more independent

A solo trip simply means we need not depend on other people busy schedule to plan for the vacation we are looking forward for. Ever experience you and your buddy just cannot find a common time slot which allows both of you to travel together?

This is common  as we progress in our life getting more busy with more commitments. Ironically, it is good to be busy, knowing each of us are working hard to crave out our own future.  Thus, all the more, a solo trip allow us to be less reliant on others while satisfying our goals and wanderlust.

When I was in China, I had the opportunity to meet up and catch up with like minded travellers in the hostel. Initially, there were language barriers as I could not communicate in Russian language. However, through our sign language and our love for soccer, we find common ground and started to share our travel experiences.

Should we travel with a friend, the likelihood of us getting out to know more people would be lesser.  Like wise, people may not talk with you if both your partner and you are engage in conversation. It will mean less interaction which also translate to loosing the opportunity to interact with others and learn more of other people lifestyle.

So go on and embark on your solo travel journey! I am in support of you to do it at least once in your life!