16 Benefits of Solo Travel (why I’ll never stop exploring)
Adventure, mystery and a few close shaves. It’s the stuff of movies and lost stories from old books. It’s the stuff of travel. From short-terms rentals abroad to cross-country road trips in an old Jeep, I’ve been exploring alone since around 2017.
And I love it.
These are my favorite benefits of solo travel — the things that keep me buying all those cheap one-way tickets with extra long layovers.
So let’s do this!
1. Get Stronger + More Resilient
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”
Travel isn’t always easy or Insta-worthy. It’s hard — but it’s so worth it.
When you travel solo, you become mentally and emotional stronger and more resilient. Travel is full of question marks, setbacks, discomfort, facing fears, problem-solving and more.
But on the other side of all those obstacles is epic personal growth. When you commit this life (part-time or full-time), you will grow as a human. It’s inevitable.
The greatest growth and comfort in life come after the greatest discomfort.
Travel is like going to the gym for life. You just get stronger and more resilient.
2. Solve Problems Like A Guru
Travel has particularly unique and challenging problems. But working past those obstacles gives you a serious edge.
Solo travel makes your ability to solve problems expand exponentially.
When abroad, you’re often faced with finding solutions to issues on your own. It’s truly a master class in problem-solving.
After you’ve dealt with problems (big or small) alone in a different country, everything else in life just feels smaller and simpler — like a walk in the park…a piece of cake…pie…or whatever.
Most problems in life have more than one solution.
Travel makes you an expert at finding those solutions.
Because missing the last train or finding your way to an AirBnB with a phone that’s at 1% in a city that doesn’t speak your language are unique challenges outside the bell curve.
When you get good at these outlier problems, normal ones barely phase you.
3. Unlock Epic Creativity
Travel makes you more creative in a very different kind of way. It’s something you just can’t get from any book, webinar or studio session.
Travel makes me more creative in a uniquely cultural and global way.
When you travel solo, you’ll soon realize you have more questions than answers. And those questions are completely different from anything you’ve ever experienced. Your baseline and comparison model is zero.
And the solutions you find sometimes require outside-of-the-box thinking — creativity.
Also, travel teaches you about new languages, customs, cultures, styles, fashion, art, aesthetics and everything in between. Naturally, this is fuel for creativity, ideation and innovation.
When you travel with an artistic intention, you will unlock new and epic creativity.
Explore more:
➤ The Creative Travel Guide
4. Hello, Optimism
Travel always gives me a newfound appreciation for life.
Tricky situations seem a little less cumbersome, negativity feels a bit more pointless and my boring hometown seems a little more quaint.
Altogether, travel makes me more optimistic.
I see more silver linings and all my cups are half full, even the empty ones.
When you travel solo, you’re more likely taking action on your dreams, goals and the things that scare you. You’re less likely to live a life of regret.
Less regret and more passion-seeking leads to more happiness. At least, that’s my experience.
When I travel, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on something greater or bigger than myself. I feel like I’m doing something important and meaningful. I feel myself growing and being challenged and getting smarter and better along the way.
I’m content.
I’m happy.
Explore more:
➤ How I Stay Happy-Go-Lucky
5. Your Mind Opens (even more)
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
A growth mindset is one that appreciates the journey.
It understands that anyone can get from point A to point B and the whole idea of either being born with it or not is just not true.
Growth thinking sees challenges as opportunities and setbacks as learning moments. Travel cultivates a growth mindset.
But it also opens your mind.
Exposure to new cultures, ways of living and thinking and people builds understanding, tolerance, empathy, appreciation and open-mindedness. You probably already have an open, accepting mind. But there’s always room for growth (through experience).
When abroad, my values, ideas and beliefs are constantly being challenged and pushed in new directions. It’s awesome.
6. Your Life Becomes A Novel
Life is a movie. I like this idea.
But when you become a solo traveler, your life becomes an even greater one — one that’s steeped in adventure with character development and tales from abroad.
Sometimes, you don’t even realize this until after the fact. But upon reflection, you realize the epic story you’ve created.
When you travel, you’re joining the ranks of truly amazing people — from inspiring travel bloggers to great explorers like Amelia Earhart or Anthony Bourdain.
Life is a move no matter what you do. But when you travel solo, it’s a different story and a different genre. It’s one that’s greater than the average book.
Your life simply becomes a novel, inspiring others to make their own.
7. Become Totally Self Aware
Self awareness is a soft skill. And solo travel teaches you a lot about yourself.
Exploring the world helps you realize things about yourself you wouldn’t have otherwise known. It forces personal growth and self reflection.
You start to understand your strengths, your weaknesses, your values and your fears with stinging clarity.
Sometimes, you realize you’re good something you never would’ve thought you’d be good at. Other times, you struggle where you thought you’d be sailing smooth.
So travel on and in discovering new places, discover yourself too.
Explore more:
➤ How to Look Within
8. You Change
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
With three simple words, this whole post can be summarized: travel changes you.
The benefits of traveling alone are becoming a new person (in the best possible way). You keep your good parts, but you gain new skills and knowledge in the process.
Change is inevitable. It’s the only constant, after all. So it’s going to happen no matter what we do. But travel is one of the best change-makers.
You see the world differently. You stand a little taller. You smile a little bigger. And you don’t worry about the same things like you used to.
So expect a change, then embrace it.
Explore more:
➤ I Fell in Love With Change
9. Make Lifelong Friends
You may be traveling solo, but you won’t be alone.
Meeting other travelers is inevitable. And it isn’t like meeting strangers at the local pub. It’s more organic and genuine.
Some of my best friends are people I met overseas.
Solo travel is also great for networking. I’ve noticed that travelers tend to be more entrepreneurial and creative (not to stereotype…). But in my experience, the people I meet abroad are usually dreamers and almost always have some amazing goals they’re working on.
Meeting people also depends on what you do, where you go and where you stay.
For example, digital nomad hubs like Bali attract more solo travelers and staying at a share house will give you an instant community.
So put yourself out there, the rest should take care of itself.
10. Unmatched Confidence
After you travel abroad solo, everything else in life feels less scary. Solo travel makes you incredibly confident.
You don’t fully realize what you’re capable of until you drop yourself off in the middle of some foreign country with the intention to just “figure it out.”
While planning helps, there will always be surprises and situations that feel uncomfortable or push your comfort zones. When you’re forced to deal with these scenarios, you become incredibly confident.
You realize what you’re capable of (and more).
You realize that you can likely find your way out of most any situation. Travel forces you to face your fears and find a way out.
Explore more:
➤ Scared to Travel Alone? 11 Tips
11. You Become Carefree
Solo travel teaches me to let go of stuff and forces me to become more minimalist. Ultimately, I become more chill in life.
When solo traveling, there’s no space to make mountains out of molehills and things move quick. Your life fits into a suitcase and you’ve adopted a flexible life.
Great travel takes great adaptability and a willingness to let go and not get stressed when things inevitably go awry.
It’s not always easy, and it’s okay to feel annoyed sometimes. But over time, you will learn to let go quicker and become more carefree.
At least, this is one side effect I feel.
Explore more:
➤ How to Be A Minimalist Traveler
12. You Get Smarter
“One must travel to learn.”
Travel is the best education. It’s true.
All that armchair stuff I learned at university doesn’t even compare.
I can’t think of a single industry, niche or job that doesn’t seriously benefit from some travel experience.
Your street smarts get sharpened. You learn new languages. You understand cultures and people with deep firsthand experience.
And you know how to file complex digital nomad taxes (albeit, with pain).
Travel is my sensei.
So prepare to boost that already awesome IQ. And welcome to Solo Travel University.
13. You Get Hella Patient
Travel isn’t quick. And it doesn’t care about your schedule. It forces you to wait in lines, deal with bureaucracy and slow down.
Travel takes away the daily hustle, habits and hurried behaviors we get so accustomed to.
So, want to hop halfway across the world?
That’s amazing. Now embrace the 14-hour flight with a 5-hour layover, hours in security and an immigration process. That’s travel.
But again, it’s so worth it. And it’s really not that bad, because you get used to it. You become more patient.
This is one reason I like to travel slow by spending a longer time in each location. For example, I love doing multi-month trips to Japan.
Either way though, travel forces you to slow down and be patient. Good stuff.
14. Handle Setbacks + Stress Like A Pro
I don’t do a ton of planning while traveling. And still, my plans often fall apart. Setbacks and pivots are a part of the game.
Travel has a lot of moving parts. And a lot of those parts are out of your control.
Travel forces you to accept things as they are, go with the flow and fully embrace setbacks.
Trying to micromanage every detail is unsustainable, so your relationship with setbacks and failed plans becomes more flexible.
In fact, it’s that very flexibility that sparks the energy of adventure in the first place. Handling setbacks and stress like a pro means you start seeing issues as opportunities for spontaneity.
For growth.
For new experiences.
You become more agile and less attached to any one idea, plan or way of doing something.
Again, good stuff.
“Traveling is not something you’re good at. It’s something you do.”
15. Your Resume Stands Out
If you care about resumes, travel makes them look sexier.
Companies and leaders know the value of a global mindset and team members who embody this. It’s great for more innovative thinking, inclusions and diversity and creativity (to name a few benefits).
After you spend time overseas, you naturally bring new ideas to the table.
Innovation and problem-solving is all about connecting old dots in new ways. Seemingly separate interests, skills and experiences can suddenly overlap with amazing serendipity.
So remember, solo travel ins’t just personal growth, it’s professional too.
Explore more:
➤ The Best Remote Work for Travelers (what I do)
16. You’re Simply More Interesting
There’s no way around it, being a solo traveler makes you more interesting. People are curious and you have unique stories to share.
You become a conversation starter.
You’re a storyteller and the type of person who’s seen the world. You look different, you feel deeper and you speak and carry yourself with a sense of wonder.
You’re more interesting.
So go out and be that badass traveler you know you are deep down. And I’ll see you out there.
Later ✌️
Want More? Nice. Here’s More.
