Ridin' Solo: Why Travel Alone?
I ended up, unexpectedly, travelling solo across Southeast Asia this year. At first I was completely terrified. As I sat in Cairns airport in Australia about to fly to the Philippines on my own, part of me thought that I should just fly home. But thank god I didn’t.
From the day after I arrived in the Philippines, to the day I flew home, I did not spend one day on my own. I actually didn’t even get one minute to myself for the rest of my trip, which was absolutely amazing.
A tip I would give to anyone thinking of travelling solo is to book onto a tour to start off. When I arrived in El Nido, Palawan, Dave the tuk-tuk driver kindly took me (free of charge - an example of how lovely the Filipinos are) to book a tour of El Nido, to see the big lagoon and small lagoon. It was on this tour where I met my first lovely friend, a French-Canadian called Marie, who I spent the next week hanging out and scuba diving with.
From then on, I travelled with different groups of people, some of whom I met at airports, others on the plane, in hostels, on tours, on night buses. Many of whom I met, separated and reunited with again (shout out to my favourite Bristolian twins Harriet and Issy). And that just is the best thing about solo travelling - you can meet so many wonderful diverse groups of people from different corners of the globe who are all doing the same thing as you.
I made so many wonderful friends on my trip; incredible people from Canada, England, Germany, Denmark, America, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, and the list goes on. Being alone makes you so much more approachable, plus small interactions can lead to incredible adventures. I’ll never forget when my lovely Swiss friend Andrea came over and started talking to me as I was eating breakfast alone - resulting in us travelling to Chiang Mai and Pai together.
Solo travel is also amazing because it allows you to be completely selfish and do whatever you want. There are no ties, no commitments, no consequences. You become completely reliant on yourself for your own happiness and opportunities. It really helped me become more confident, decisive and assertive, as well as developing my problem solving skills. I won’t pretend it was all fairy dust and unicorns after spending 12 hours on a freezing cold night bus to Bangkok, arriving at 6am with no Thai phone network and being scammed by taxi drivers, but it’s all part of the learning curve… which leads me onto my next point.
Always. Buy. A. Phone. Sim.
They’re so helpful when stuck in tricky situations. There’s the added bonus that you could order a Grab (Asia’s version of Uber) which was so much cheaper than a taxi, but, most importantly, as a solo traveller it’s so crucial to keep people updated about where you are. I will say I I felt safer in Asia than I have in some parts of the UK, but you do have to look out for yourself.
Another great thing about solo travel is the financial freedom that comes with it. You can spend however much money on what you want, when you want, where you want and can set your own budget which meets your needs (I really liked being with people who enjoyed going out for noodles.) You don’t have to compromise for anyone. For the most part everyone is trying to preserve as much money as possible in order to stay travelling as long as possible! So it’s great to meet people that have the same mindset as you.
Nevertheless, doing a solo travelling trip doesn’t mean you have to be with travellers the whole time. I was fortunate enough to meet up with my friend from home in Malaysia, and have my sister come out and meet me towards the end of my trip. These were lovely experiences as I could be slightly more antisocial and lazy with people who knew me so well. It was even just comforting to see familiar faces from home.
Importantly though, in those rare moments where I was alone, I felt such a sense of achievement knowing that I was experiencing something for my eyes only. I did so many things I didn’t think I would ever have the chance to do, and took every opportunity that passed my way. It sounds cliche to say that I ‘found myself’ but I really did. I found out what I liked, what I didn’t like, who mattered to me and who really didn’t .
I really do mean it when I say travelling solo was the making of me. I have become so independent and confident in my abilities to make friends in any situation - and this confidence has stayed with me.
I couldn’t rely on anyone when I was out there - I was fully responsible for my own life and now I feel that at home. It was the best, most incredible way to learn something invaluable - you make your own happiness.
Written by Molly Gorman
Hello! I’m Molly, a 22-year old History grad. I’m passionate about mental health, travelling, being outside and making people feel good. I’m currently working part-time in a pharmacy at home in Derbyshire, and aspiring to move to London to work in a mental-health related role in the NHS.