Being Solo Traveller

Most of my trips I do as a solo traveller. This has primarily to do with my job. While travelling for work, I always try to “add some private days”. Secondly, as a long-term single, I want to travel anyway. On some of the trips I’ve blogged about, I haven’t travelled alone, even if it reads like this, but these trips have been pretty rare in recent years.

Anyhow, enough whining. I want to elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages of being a solo traveller. In the end, I don’t do it on purpose — I take it as it comes. But for those who have the choice, I can give you some hints about what to expect.

Lets start with the 

Disadvantages 

Costs 

The most obvious financial drawback is that sharing costs is impossible; you bear them all yourself. While many expenses like flights, concert tickets, tours, and food are priced “per person,” others are typically shared by a group and fall entirely on you: airport parking, taxis, rental cars, and accommodation.

You might think taxis are a reasonable solo expense, but why hotels? In my experience, the price difference between a single room and a double room is rarely double. Sometimes, the only difference is the city’s tourist tax. In fact, some hotels charge the same rate for both solo travelers and couples. For Airbnbs, the price is also normally per apartment, not per person.

On the other hand, as a solo traveler, I tend to stay in cheaper hotels, as I really only need a clean bed and a shower. As a couple, you might be more inclined to book a 5-star hotel with a Jacuzzi, concierge, and pool. Even when sharing, that kind of luxury is often more expensive than the simple hotel a solo traveler might choose.

As an example, some of my Solo-Traveller hotel rooms I had on my world trip:

Safety and Practical Support

This is an obvious concern for female solo travelers, but it’s also important for the “strong side” of the planet. Being alone always carries an element of danger. This isn’t just about walking through the streets of Rio at night (which you shouldn’t do anyway), but it’s also the danger of being scammed.

In many countries, people have tried to trick me whenever possible to get my money. Having someone on your side, who is also keeping an eye on the situation, might help you spot a scam before it happens—or at least help you share the loss afterward if it does! 😀

Finally, there are tons of practical situations where you might need someone to watch your luggage, your phone, or even take care of you. For example:

• You’re at the airport and need to use the bathroom but don’t want to drag all your luggage with you.
• You’re on the beach and want to go for a swim without fearing that all your stuff will be gone when you get back.
• Or, in a worst-case scenario, you get sick and need someone to hold your hand… or call your family to organize the funeral.

The Social Aspect

Sure, technology has become much more advanced in recent years, so you’re no longer limited to sharing your experiences only with the people traveling with you. Apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Instagram are little helpers that keep you connected to your folks back home, letting you share what you see and ensuring you’re not alone if you need someone to talk to.

Of course, it’s probably better to share a beautiful sunset with your beloved one in your arms, blah blah blah… I don’t care about that. What’s really annoying is trying to get a picture of yourself in front of something unique. It gets old asking strangers to take a photo of you, so my phone is full of selfies.

Restaurants

This might seem strange to list as a disadvantage, but I call it the “restaurant paradox.” Even if you order the same fancy meal you’d have as a couple, you might notice that restaurants often don’t like people eating alone.

On the one hand, I get it. A couple might order a bottle of wine, cocktails to start, a dessert to share, and coffee afterward. As a solo traveler, you might just order a beer or a single glass of wine, and that’s it. Since restaurants have the highest profit margins on drinks, I can see why they might consider a solo diner a “bad” customer.

BUT they are also faster. Unless you’re insane and have ten personalities openly talking to each other, you have no one to talk to. You read the menu quickly, play Candy Crush on your phone while you wait, eat your food efficiently, and you’re gone. The “turnaround time” for a solo traveler is much faster than for a couple who can’t decide on food or wine and talk about everything instead of actually eating. So, in the end, a restaurant could probably serve more customers by welcoming solo diners.

The Four-Eye Principle

Last but not least, it’s always good when someone else shares responsibility for the trip. This means double-checking the hotels, making sure the flight is the right one, and verifying that the tour is booked correctly.

It’s not just that you can share the work; it’s also that if a mistake happens, someone else is responsible too. This means fewer mistakes are likely to happen overall. It’s happened to me more than once that I’ve booked parallel hotels or hotels in the wrong city or even country. To avoid that, I recommend using one booking platform for all your hotels (for me, it’s Booking.com), as it will warn you if you have a suspicious parallel booking. So, Booking.com is basically my travel buddy! 🙂

Where there’s a dark side, there’s always a bright side. Let’s talk about the…

Advantages

You and Yourself

Let’s start with the biggest advantage: You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, for as long as you want, and as fast or as slow as you want. To play on a few typical couple stereotypes: I don’t have to go shopping. I don’t have to stop to look at every cute little dog. I don’t have to talk about “our relationship” or listen to that fancy pan-flute player on the street.

I can be efficient. I can eat my breakfast while walking. I can watch a monster truck show three days in a row and even have a “Netflix and do nothing” day if I feel like it. I can eat a Snickers at midnight in bed and skip the “beautiful sunrise” because my gym time is more important. Sure, I’ve heard about relationships where both people want to do the same thing, at the same time, at the same speed… but maybe that’s just a myth.

Meeting New People

As an introvert, you might be happy to be alone, but as an extrovert (which I count myself as), you sometimes need to talk to people other than the receptionist or the cab driver. Luckily, it’s so much easier to meet new people when you are traveling alone. As a couple, you live in a bubble. You do everything together, so there is no need to look for other people. While traveling alone, I join tours, and naturally, there are other people there. Sometimes they’re just douchebags I don’t wanna talk to, but a lot of the time, they are pretty cool people from all over the world.

During my world trip, I met so many people who I am still in contact with. I’ve even seen some of them again on completely different continents. Just (as digital natives do), we’d see on Instagram where the other person was and meet up in the middle for a beer.

And as a couple? Sure, you meet other people—mainly other couples. But again, you have no need. You have your spouse with you, so why would you talk to strangers?

Planning Tours

Whether you’re traveling as a couple or as a solo traveler, you will probably go on tours or go to concerts and sporting events. Especially for very crowded and special events, it’s often easier to get just one ticket for yourself. Getting two tickets, especially with fixed seats (like at concerts and sporting events), is almost always harder than snagging a single seat somewhere in the middle.

Work

Here’s a point that probably isn’t relevant for everyone, but as a solo traveler, it’s easier to combine travel with your work. First of all, not everyone is allowed to work from anywhere (imagine a surgeon or a butcher trying to work remotely). And even if both people in a couple are allowed to work remotely, it’s not easy to align schedules.

If a random work trip pops up in a new country, I can totally just add a few extra days to check it out. It’s way easier when you’re only responsible for yourself. I heard that if you are in a good relationship, you just gotta tell your partner back home it’s for work… and maybe suggest a joint vacay there would be awesome! 🙂… Maybe a myth again??

To summarize, I simply aim to travel as extensively as possible; there’s nothing more to it. 😊