Solo travels will give you ultimate freedom. You no longer need to rely on other people where to go, what to eat, or which site to see. You can make your own itinerary or agenda, without consulting and weighing the decisions of anyone. The world is yours, and you get to embrace what unique things each place has to offer. Sounds exciting, right?
Yet, like any kind of travel, traveling solo also has its downsides. The snag is that loneliness can kick in, wanting you to just return home. However, you don’t have to feel lonely even if you’re traveling alone. Whether it’s a business or pleasure trip, there are lots of ways to ditch those solo travel blues. Here, we’ve listed how you can fend off loneliness while traveling so you can make your travel most enjoyable!
1. Keep in Touch with your Family and Friends
Thanks to technology, you can easily reach out to your friends and loved ones regardless of your location in the world assuming you are relatively close to a cell tower. Take some time to online chat or make a video call to remind you that you’re not alone
Be mindful that this method can be a two-edged sword. For some people, communicating back home makes them more lonely, nudging them about the distance they have from their family. Others get too connected. Thus, preventing them from exploring their new surroundings.
With that, you need to need to test whether such activity will be beneficial for you. Moreover, you also need those people from home that will not only sympathize but will push you to keep going.
2. Read a Good Book
Reading a book is one of the best ways to stave off loneliness and entertain yourself as you alone. By reading one, you tune out all the distractions, negative emotions, and instead, remind you of the comforts of your home.
But make sure that it’s a good book or the activity won’t be beneficial. If you’re traveling to Japan, why not read more about their language, culture or famous legends. You get to amuse yourself and kill off alone time, why also learning about your travel destination. Otherwise, you can re-read your all-time favorite book to keep yourself relaxed. Books are genuine treasures you can depend on.
3. Have a Netflix, TV, or Movie Binge
Though you want to explore all scenic locations, you can’t be in full explore mode as it may result in fatigue, which can intensify your loneliness. Thertances you just need to stay indoors and re-fuel yourself so you can proceed on the next item on your bucket list. If you feel suddenly down during this gap, watching your favorite Netflix series, TV show, or any feel-good movie can provide your much-needed boost. Even if you shouldn’t be ideally doing such on a trip, it can be stimulating.
4. Start Conversations
If you don’t have the natural gift of being an extrovert, and you’re more on the reserved side, this can be a bit challenging. However, on a solo trip, you only have yourself. There’s nothing better than shoving yourself into scary situations to overcome your fear and change your outlook. Go ahead and spark random conversations with the people. Start with the tour guides, hotel clerks, and waitresses as they will gladly respond back. Once you have the confidence, you soon will learn how to deal with strangers or other travelers around.
5. Get Out and Make the Most Out of Your Trip
Speaking of venturing out, seize every opportunity to explore the place you’re in. Get out and see all the sights it has to offer, even the ones you initially intended to skip. Try local delicacies you said you won’t dare to eat. Trek to see the hidden beauty of nature. Leave your comfort zone and experience all the best stuff. Through that, it will refresh your memory of how fun and rejuvenating traveling is, even if you’re alone.
6. Indulge Yourself
Pampering yourself keeps out all the stress and anxiety associated with loneliness. So, if you need it, go ahead and splurge! Indulge on your favorite dessert, purchase that gorgeous hat you’ve been wanting to buy at the local store, dine at a luxurious restaurant, or get a relaxing massage. If you’re solo traveling on a budget, don’t fret as indulgence doesn’t have come at a hefty price. You can certainly look for other little ways to binge, such as buying treats on the local market, getting some bottles of beer, or buying out some cool souvenirs.
7. Be Spontaneous
Sometimes, unplanned activities turn out to be the best ones, and not following a schedule makes things more exciting, preventing any thoughts of loneliness to seep in. Add some little spontaneity, walk out from your hotel room one day, and see where fate leads you. You never know what things may come out of the trip, yet some of it will surely be unforgettable.
8. Make another person’s day
There are those days that you just need to shift the focus from yourself to other people. When doing that, why not make their days instead? If you have enough free time while on a long trip, search online if there are available volunteering drives where you can help and bring smiles to people. Try to learn some native phrases and use them when greeting the local and they’ll surely appreciate you learning their language. Got some extra bucks? Don’t hesitate to give the cab drive a tip. Doing good deeds to others will mirror back and make you feel good as well.
9. Join day trips
Joining a day trip opens opportunities for you to meet other people. By agreeing to join one, you get along with those who have the same passion and interests, and most likely speak the same language. Who knows? You might also find someone who is in the same plight as yours of travelling alone. Both of you will get the chance to talk about your experiences, and share your own ways of coping up. Moreover, day trips often feature caring, highly entertaining, and knowledgeable tour guides that will ensure that you’ll be cheery from the start and end of the tour, helping you ward off any feelings of loneliness.
10. Acknowledge Yourself and Embrace Loneliness
Solo travel is a hard feat. If you’re feeling lonely, try to look back on how many steps you’ve taken to reach that hidden waterfall, how many strangers you’ve braved to interact with, or how many new odd-looking exotic dishes you’ve tried in each place. With every trip, you get to keep something new that will add to your great memories and the list of the cool activities you’ve done. Pretty amazing, isn’t? Acknowledge all the things you’ve accomplished and give yourself a pat on the back. Then, remember that all of that won’t happen without loneliness being a part of it. Yet, being alone is only the tip of the iceberg, and remember that there’s more remarkable things to look at in your wonderful solo journey.