When I first ventured into solo female travel, I was met with all sorts of concern. Family, friends, and even strangers meant well, but several of them immediately translated “solo female travel” to some equivalent of me becoming prey to assault, kidnapping, or worse.

On the one hand, I get it. From a young age we’ve been taught all sorts of self-defense tactics, and raised that women should travel together, even just to the bathroom. And yes, there are a number of people out there who would take advantage of a lone woman.

That said…

I don’t believe those people are prevalent enough that I should watch my life pass by and never venture out into solo travel. Life is too short to miss some of those opportunities!

Even if you don’t feel comfortable doing solo international travel (yet), I dare you to cut your teeth on some domestic travel. Get comfortable with the idea and the feeling of traveling on your own. I can just about promise that, as your confidence grows, you’ll eventually be willing to travel abroad. And the rewards are definitely worth it!

Here are a few reasons I love solo travel, both in my own country and abroad.

It’s Easier to Meet New People

When you travel and already have a small posse you’re traveling with, other people, especially solo travelers, don’t want to intrude on the group.

But when you’re traveling solo, other solo travelers tend to group up. You don’t have to if you’d rather fly solo, of course. But this gives you the option to travel solo overall, while still meeting new people, forming new friendships, and having some short-term travel buddies.

Because you’re alone, people will invite you into their group. I’ve especially noticed this when traveling abroad. There are TONS of solo travelers out there, including other solo female travelers! Sometimes they’ll form their own group until they move on to their next city; sometimes they join a ready-made group for a bit. Either way, I’ve noticed I receive many more invites to hang out with other travelers when I’m going it alone versus when I have even one friend I’m traveling with.

More Likely To Be Invited

It’s not only easier to meet other travelers when you’re going it alone, but it’s easier to meet other locals that way as well.

When I crossed the border to Jordan, a few taxi drivers were waiting and eating breakfast as the border opened up for the day. There was a large group of people going through the crossing behind me, each with a dune buggy. But I was the only solo traveler at that point. After I crossed the border and made it known I’d need a taxi, they said they were finishing up and happily invited me to join them for some hummus and tahini.

Perhaps it was good ole Middle Eastern hospitality that lead them to include me, but I’m not so sure they’d have invited me if I had been with even one or two other travelers. For one thing, we would have eaten a lot more food. But when you’re traveling solo, I find that people, both the locals and the travelers, want you to feel included.

I cut my teeth on solo traveling by joining a Habitat for Humanity Global Villages trip to Cambodia. That way I was solo in that I didn’t know anyone, but logistics were organized by someone else and I’d get to meet new friends in the group.

People Keep An Eye Out For You

Are you surprised by this one? Perhaps it’s not as noticeable when you’re traveling domestically, especially because in your own country you’ll give the impression that you’re confident and know what you’re doing.

But abroad? I’ve found that people tend to care about my safety, especially when I obviously look like I’m not from the neighborhood.

For example, when I landed in Guatemala City, I thought I had arrangements made for transportation to my homestay in Antigua. Turns out I somehow missed that detail. The problem was I didn’t know which bus to take, I didn’t feel like spending the taxi money, and I didn’t have a phone to contact the Spanish school that was arranging my homestay. A taxi driver struck up a conversation with me about this, and not only let me borrow his phone, but left me with it at the café while he went looking for a client! Granted, I had to pay $2 for that coffee he had the café worker bring me. But US$2 for a coffee and the chance to use his phone to arrange transportation was totally worth it!

Also in Guatemala, we students at the Spanish school tended to hang out together. (Again, easier to make friends when you’re solo.) One of the gals in our group was robbed at knifepoint. After that, we all swore to walk in groups, and we’d drop each other off door-to-door to ensure everyone’s safety. We looked out for each other!

(By the way, those two stories just happened to be in Guatemala, though it’s not meant to be a bad reflection of the country. I LOVED my time in Guatemala and absolutely recommend going!)

There Are Always Other Travelers

Unless you’re visiting North Korea or some other country that’s difficult to enter, you’re pretty much guaranteed to run into other travelers. As I’ve explained to my folks, I may be traveling solo, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be alone.

Whether in Guatemala, Honduras, or Israel, I’ve always found other like-minded individuals who I can travel with when we have similar interests. So maybe that cave tour would be more fun with a couple other people, or we get a discount for two or more people. Perfect! I can buddy up with someone I met at the hostel! Then when that excursion is done…

Independence to Make Plans as You Feel

…I can move on to the next thing that interests me!

When you have a constant travel companion, you may find yourself compromising on some activities. And while sometimes you can split up for a day or two then reunite, sometimes it’s not as cost-effective.

For example, there was a town I wanted to visit in Belize, but my travel buddy wasn’t interested. It would have been far more expensive to go our own ways for a couple days and meet up later, so instead we compromised on a couple locations and stayed together.

If you’re going it alone, you have the choice to visit where you want, when you want, for as long as you want. Granted, this could make things more expensive regarding transportation or lodging, but then you get the freedom to travel as you’d like. You can bounce around between different traveling groups, spending a few days with each one while your interests are the same and sharing lodging and transportation costs, then moving on to new friends and travel companions.

Another good way to go solo is to start off with a program solo, then have a friend join you. This is what I did while learning Spanish in Guatemala. Once my lessons were done, a friend flew down to join in the rest of the travels.

You Don’t Risk Missing the Opportunity

This is perhaps the biggest benefit and motivation to travel alone. How many times have you had an event or concert you wanted to attend, but no one to go with? How many times have you skipped out on something you wanted to do because you didn’t want to be alone?

Too many, right? Life doesn’t wait! If you wait until your preferred travel friend has the funds and desire to go, you might miss your chance altogether.

One of my friends travels frequently and had hoped on a couple trips to go with someone. But something always came up and the friend had to bail – not enough money, family emergency, a new boyfriend or job. The timing never worked out.

But if you go it alone, you can go when it works for you and know that you actually get to go! After all, YOLO.

Final Thoughts

There’s no right or wrong way to travel. You could go solo or you could go as a whole herd. But there is a freedom of choice that comes with going when, where, how, and as you want. No compromising. And no requirement to stay with them if you’d rather visit somewhere else.

I know, it can sound terrifying at first, especially if it’s travel abroad. Even doing some US travel I’ve been told I’m brave or strong for traveling alone. I got used to going to restaurants alone because of my job on fishing boats – there simply may not be anyone around to hang out with. And that eventually grew into a confidence to travel further afield by myself.

So take it slow if you need to. Take a group trip with Intrepid Travel or another travel company to get familiar with the idea. Then start doing a few days before or after that trip where you’re on your own. It will build your confidence and resourcefulness to go solo.

And again, you’re never really alone – you can almost always find someone else to buddy up with for a day or two. If you’re still concerned about safety, check out this blog post where I discuss some safety tips.

There’s an extreme high that comes from traveling alone, no matter where it is. You may be nervous, but it’s also friggin’ exciting!! And I promise you, you won’t regret it!

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