While I’m in favor of flying solo when it comes to vacations, there are some very valid concerns if you decide to do so. My family was not all that pleased when I said I would be going on my trip to Japan alone but didn’t object too much. Personally, I think most people travel with others simply out of social convention without thoughts to the alternative. As much as I love going places with my friends, I also love going it alone. I talked about why you should travel alone last week but there are also several great reasons for bringing a few people with you.
- It can be dangerous. Of course, it all depends on where you’re going. While I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Japan alone since the crime rate is low and the streets are of such relative safety that it isn’t uncommon to see young children walk home alone at night or for people to leave their bikes or other belongings unlocked. I accidentally left my window of my Tokyo apartment open when I went to Nagoya for a few days and while I probably would’ve been robbed blind anywhere else in the world, I was barely worried. If you accidentally leave something somewhere in Tokyo, go back and it’ll probably still be there. There are probably exceptions but for the most part, you can travel to first-world, safe countries with little or no problems. I wouldn’t, however, want to go some of the more dangerous places in the world. I’m sure you can figure out where they are.
- You could be a woman. I realize that I write with the mentality that I’m a young man and there are fewer threats to me in the world than to a woman. Unless you are one of those female bodybuilders or one of those chicks from the WWE, it is probably more dangerous to travel alone as a woman. Even in Japan, for example, there are “women only” train cars that men cannot use during rush hours to counteract the dangers of crowded train car molestation. I’m serious here. This isn’t to say that you can’t travel solo as a woman as I’ve met many women who have backpacked through Europe and such by themselves but there are a number of concerns that you should address before considering it if you’re female.
- It does get lonely sometimes. Traveling alone doesn’t mean you have to be an anti-social person. I’m an incredibly social person that enjoys solo travel but when you’re in a foreign country all by yourself, there are times when you miss interaction with other people or your friends and family. When you go it alone, there’s no support group there to maintain your social connections. The easiest solution is to make friends wherever you’re going but that obviously isn’t for everyone. If you’re not very outgoing then solo travel may not be for you. I won’t say that there weren’t a few days that I didn’t miss my friends and family. However, a quick ring from your local friends seeing if you want to grab a beer makes all that disappear quick.
- There’s nothing to hold you accountable. There were a few days where I slept in and then didn’t feel like going too far beyond heading to a restaurant, grabbing dinner and then shopping for a bit. Of course, I was there for a long time so the odd lazy relaxation day isn’t unreasonable since it gets very tiring exploring such a huge city every single day. However, if you’re on a tighter schedule, having people there to keep you on track is helpful and you’ll end up doing more. Again, this is down to your personality type. If you do more regularly anyways, then you’ll have no problem traveling alone and self-motivating yourself to go see, do and experience more but if you’re not really motivated to do this yourself, then you might need a travel buddy.
- Many things are just designed for groups. While there is a lot you can enjoy better when you’re by yourself, there are also plenty of things that are probably more enjoyable with other you know around. I think I enjoy taking pictures, shopping and seeing more touristy locations better by myself but on the other hand, I was very lucky to share my World Cup 2006 experience with some friends in Germany as I think watching sports is so much more fun with people you know. While I went to a lot of restaurants by myself, for some of the better ones, I asked people I met to go with me as I think eating good food is better when it is a shared social experience. You also get to try more things since you can share dishes. Again, this comes down to how outgoing of a person you are and how easily you meet new people.
Again, solo travel isn’t for everyone. It really depends on how you enjoy yourself and how you interact with new people. Personally, I think more people should travel solo and several people I met during my time in Japan were also fellow foreigners. It’s a very easy to join club and it usually doesn’t matter if you don’t know anyone at a party, having that common ground is often enough to start a conversation. It’s okay if you don’t bring friends on vacation…make some new ones!