how to solo travel

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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onto today’s topic: how to solo travel 🧍‍♀️ 

i have been traveling around asia solo for the past two months, and today marks the end as i spend my next few weeks in japan with philip and sachi.

solo-travel is exactly what it sounds like: traveling by yourself, without a group of friends or your family. the idea of solo travel can be daunting and scary for a lot of people, but i jumped at the opportunity as soon as i got the chance. i enjoy both traveling with friends and by myself — after all, the whole month i spent in tanzania was with a large group of 10 friends! 👯‍♀️ after that month, i wanted to spend time with myself and be autonomous over my experiences while traveling around asia because it has been something i’ve been dreaming of (didn’t think it was a dream that could be fulfilled so soon too!).

after these 2 months solo, i can say absolute certainty that solo travel is just as much fun and one of the best things you could ever do. so if you’re contemplating it, go for it!

i used to be that kid that would see people eating solo at a restaurant and ask my mom, “why is that person alone?” and pity them. 😭 now that i’m on the other end, i realize that going out solo isn’t pitiful at all. it’s empowering, and shouldn’t be so taboo. yeah, people are probably going to wonder why you’re eating all by yourself, but genuinely so what? why be bothered about what others are wondering. embarrassment is a mindset, tell the waiter “table for 1” with confidence.

a larger concern for solo travel is the safety aspect, and that was the only point of hesitance my parents had when i embarked on this adventure. there’s no clear-cut solution to this, and an element of risk still persists even with friends (although of course, it’s less eminent then). lead with common sense, perhaps search for contacts in that country for emergencies, and do activities after dark with a group. a lot of being safe is about being smart — common sense goes a long way. 🧠 

traveling solo doesn’t mean being antisocial and avoiding doing anything with other people. the whole point is to go in as an individual and come out with a whole group of people you know from around the world and were able to connect with while traveling. that was the #1 thing i was worried about when going into this arc: making friends from total scratch. when you fully buy-in to solo travel culture by staying in hostels and actually striking up conversations with new people, you’ll find it’s so easy to form relationships that will last a lifetime. 💘 if you told me one of my closest friendships to come out of my travels was because of a dm someone sent me on tiktok, i wouldn’t believe you telling me about the speakeasy we went to, the magical snow day we experienced or 2-star michelin restaurant we dined at. i filled so many of my days up with adventures alongside new friends, but still had that flexibility of doing other things alone.

our approaches to travel vary greatly between each person, it’s hard to travel with others without compromising on something. solo travel means little to no compromise — you have full autonomy over your day, the opportunity to inject social elements with others that are also interested in parts of your plan, and there’s minimal stress involved with planning and splitting bills. of course, traveling with friends can make that worth it, but social batteries can deplete rather quickly while traveling, and compromise can be difficult when you’ve had that tiktok of a certain café saved for months. ☕️ not to mention, being a solo traveler makes it so much easier to score reservations, seating and getting ahead in lineups for many touristy things.

i’m a very independent person, so solo travel has been such an amazing experience. i’m so much more comfortable spending time alone and enjoy the feeling of being completely in control of my day-to-day.

daily opportunity + resource drops 🔍️