Why You Should Travel Solo While You’re Still Single

Do you gag every time you see yet another one of your college friends post an engagement photo on Facebook? Does your family give you that passive aggressive guilt-trip when you don’t bring anyone home for Christmas? If so, you’re in luck. That means you’re still single!

Sure, the majority of the world probably thinks that’s a bad thing, but considering the fact that you’re never going to have another chance to be young, wild, and free once you put a ring on, you should take advantage of your singleness while you still can.

One of the most important things to do while you’re still single, is to travel solo. I know the mere idea of traveling by yourself may not immediately appeal to some people, but trust me, it’s amazing. So get over your fear of not knowing anyone, having no one to talk to or take photos with (there are selfie GoPro sticks for that), and whatever other excuse you can think of, and go travel solo while you still can.

If you need more convincing, here’s an appealing numbered list to peer-pressure you to travel solo:

1. You won’t worry about what anyone thinks

It’s human nature to be self conscious about what other people think about you, which can sometimes lead to missing out on doing certain things. Have you always wanted to learn how to Tango in Barcelona? Or maybe let it all hang out at a nude beach in Marseilles? With no one around to judge you or make you feel reserved, you can feel free to do things that you wouldn’t normally do around friends.

2. You won’t be on anyone else’s schedule

I absolutely HATE waiting for people. Yes, I am some sort of magical unicorn of a female who can get ready in ten minutes, but I’m also an overly-ambitious traveler who likes to see and do as much as possible. You lose so much time when you have to sit around and wait for other people to get ready, but when you travel solo, you don’t have to!

Also, you won’t waste time doing things you aren’t interested in doing just because someone else wants to do them.

3. You’ll meet new people without feeling bad

I’m just saying…I’ve fallen in love several times while I was traveling. Luckily I was single at the time, otherwise I would have felt really bad, and also probably wouldn’t have even talked to them in the first place. This applies to traveling with groups of friends too – I’ve noticed when you do that, you are less likely to meet new people because you’re too occupied with who’s already with you.

Spread your wings and fly little birdie. There’s a ton of people in the world to meet.

4. You’ll learn how to meet new people

I’ve noticed that a lot of people either fear meeting new people, or just plain suck at it. This is probably due to technology, our egos, and our self-consciousness, but being able to meet people is a crucial skill to have in all aspects of your life. When you travel solo, you are forced to meet people – whether it’s because you want to, or because you’re lost and have no idea how to get back to your hotel.

You’ll notice that the nicer and friendlier you are, the more help you’ll get, and the more relationships you’ll keep. Overall, it’ll make you a better person.

5. You’ll learn to be independent

If you find yourself constantly let down, or waiting for things to happen, it’s probably because you are too dependent on other people. You’re the only person who can really make what you want to happen, happen, but most people are too scared to take that step. When you travel solo, you don’t really have a choice. No one is going to hold your hand, or tell you where to go, and at what time. You are in charge of making your own plans and taking care of yourself.

By the end of my solo trip around the world, I definitely felt more independent than I already was. I had paid for and planned a trip to three continents, and endured a plethora of misfortunes, but I did it, and now I feel like I can pretty much do anything.

6. You’ll learn a lot about your personality

Oh, you think you’re really funny and charming? That’s nice, but it doesn’t really matter what you think. When you travel solo, you are bound to interact with other people, and mostly people who aren’t as opinionated and judgmental as people back home. That means, their reactions to you are going to be genuine, whether they’re good or bad.

You’ll be able to tell if people are put off by your personality, because they won’t help you, or want to talk to you. Then you might realize that you’re actually obnoxious or rude. But don’t worry, after a few of those interactions, you’ll quickly learn how to adjust yourself so that people smile instead of snarl.

7. You’ll actually experience what’s around you

Every time I’ve traveled with friends or a boyfriend, I’ve realized that I get very distracted by them, but also, that I feel like I never left America. When I traveled solo, the only people I talked to were from the country I was in, which gave me a true feel for the culture. It also made me pay attention more to what I was seeing and experiencing.

8. You won’t feel obliged to constantly check in

I went on a Eurotrip in college and one of the girls would literally call her boyfriend three times a day. It wasn’t just annoying to hear her talking to him all the time, but it made us waste a lot of time waiting for her. I’ve also traveled before when I had a boyfriend back home…the only thing I wanted to do was check my phone for texts from him instead of enjoying the powdery slopes and having a good time.

When you travel solo when you’re single, you won’t feel that nagging, longing feeling of missing someone, which leaves all of your feelings open to falling in love with the place you’re in.

9. You’ll learn to appreciate good qualities in people

When you travel solo when you’re single, you’ll meet a lot of people who have a lot of good qualities. When you get back home and start your never ending search for your perfect match, you’ll remember those good qualities and start to see them (or not see them at all) in people you’re dating. This little perk of traveling solo has helped me eliminate A LOT of now-un-eligible bachelors.

10. You’ll fall in love

As fore-mentioned, it is inevitable that if you travel solo when you’re single, you are bound to fall in love. I’m not talking about the type of love where you bring the person back home with you and get married (although I’ve heard stories of that happening), I’m talking about the exciting, butterflies in your stomach type of love that’s hard to come by back home. I honestly can’t remember having that feeling with anyone I’ve dated recently (sorry), yet it happened to me three times on my trip around the world.

And if you don’t fall in love with a person, you’ll definitely fall in love with the place you travel solo to.