Debunking Solo Travel (Mis)Conceptions

A social media post about a young actress' experience on solo traveling made me decide to put this out in the open.

Ok, disclaimer, this post is not to defend or bash her. It just really triggered me to share my personal insights on solo traveling. Once in a while I travel with companions, but there are really instances I either choose or end up traveling solo.

Allow me to debunk a few thoughts and long overdue perceptions.

1) Solo traveling is 'too' scary.

No sugarcoating, traveling solo can be scary for uncertainties that one might experience. However, those happen even you're with a companion too.  

In my personal opinion, scares or fears are common to all. The level of fear or what makes us scared is subjective and varies to each person. It would be hypocrisy to say that in my years of experience traveling solo, I don't get scared anymore. The thing is thru time and the more you do it, the more you just learn how to equip yourself and get used to it. 

My first solo travel gave me the creeps even if that was in a first world country. Anything can happen anywhere. However, I just took it off my head 24/7 cause there’s no reason for me to be think about it all the time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to go out and explore new places and be that hermit.

Blessed that I haven't experienced the crazy s*** scary ones (like those I've seen in the movies or from real life stories), but of course, it's always better to be cautious and observant with your surroundings.  

2) Solo traveling is lonely.

When we talk about emotions, we may have different thoughts or opinions about it too. What can be lonely for some would make another just normal or ok with it. Maybe with the perception that you are by yourself in a different, new place, seemingly you are physically alone. You don’t have your constants with you. You will have to deal with things and explore places by yourself. Especially for highly dependent with having companions or extroverts, the initial impression is it can be lonely.

However, let me debunk this by saying being alone ain’t always lonely. In fact, if you would really be open to stepping out of your comfort zone, this could be your opportunity to meet new people or have small talk conversations.

My solo travel recently in Marinduque made me mingle with the hotel staff and they even check up on me everyday of how I am. A few of my solo travels in Singapore became my chance to ask around and find my ways to places I needed to visit. These travels became the ‘me time’ to refresh my mind and work on non-office things I should be dealing with (aka reading books, arts/crafts or mere observing the surroundings).

If I as an introvert managed to have small talks with random people, what more for extroverts who happen to be social butterflies, right? Again, similar to scares or fears, being lonely varies.

3) Solo traveling is expensive.

I will be upfront in saying this. Traveling in general is a spend than a save. One would really have to deal with the expenses, regardless of the kind or type of travel. For the few times I traveled solo, budgeting and a little research would really do the trick. Getting out of your comfort zone would help you survive and not breaking your wallets. Let me give a few examples. 

Booking your own room, without even checking if there are discounts or sales on travel accommodation sites, would obviously be more expensive than getting a simple room that has all the basics or in some cases, staying in a dorm-type hotel or hostels. 

Eating in fancy places is fine, if you are aiming to fulfill one or two of your bucket lists. But if you’re doing it for every meal cause you don’t want to share a seat in common places, then yeap, you are in for crazy spending. 

If going to and fro tourist spots via riding apps or private cars is your option than commuting via public transport, then I guess we all know the answer to what’s gonna happen with your travel fund. 

There are other factors, I know, in deciding which of the options will you take like safety, accessibility, length of stay and the environment. But if we refer to the usuals, my suggestion is to research well and book what fits your budget. For usual places that have high accessibility to “proper” (and I mean proper) public transports, I opt for cheaper options like staying in hostels and just taking public transports. Meanwhile for spending on tours, I opt being a joiner for group tours or book in travel related apps for freebies or discounts. Worse case, if you would end up like how I dealt with my tours in Marinduque, coordinate with your hotel cause they might give better suggestions too. 

Perhaps, I might need to do a separate post on budgeting, just realized now..haha

4) Solo traveling ain’t safe.

This is quite similar to the first item I mentioned. But then again, anything can happen anywhere in the world. There are a lot of true to life stories from travel bloggers that would prove to you sh***y incidents can happen. From getting robbed in Paris, to being stalked in Singapore, to even food poisoning in India, to being verbally hurt in Japan —- I’ve read and seen this social media experienced by solo travelers. 

My solo travels haven’t all been a walk in the park too, I know. I experienced getting close to being hospitalized in Malaysia and in Singapore (more of those stories soon). I guess the only difference when you experience this with a travel companion, it would be a lil bit lighter. 

However just to give some comfort on this one, preparation and backup plans are really keys to minimize the chances of being at risk when you’re alone. This generation is lucky to have the access to so much data and information, so it’s not an excuse anymore that one can’t be prepared. 

Credits from Tramautritam (pixels.com)

So sure, there are other misconceptions about solo traveling we must shed some light of and be debunked. But at the very least, I’m giving you the silver lining that going on solo travels isn’t totally a negative thing. In fact, when you get used to it, there is comfort and assurance that the world won’t make you feel alone —- if you wouldn’t allow it to. 

In fact as I work on this post, I’m back to solo traveling somewhere. More stories soon and tips too to ease your way on it, cause I’m kinda hyped again..haha.