I have been to over 130 cities in 29 countries around the world. The vast majority of those I traveled to alone starting around 35 years of age and I have only stayed in hostels 4 or 5 times for one or two nights. As a solo traveler, I stay in 4 and 5-star hotels and fully furnished homes. This is because I designed my life this way. As a luxury travel writer, I stay in nice hotels, eat at amazing restaurants, and go on various tours in cities around the world by myself. I am also an international house and pet sitter, which has brought me to 7 different countries in the past three years. Again, traveling solo.
This year I am of no fixed address. It is the beginning of June and so far, I have been in and out of (and back in again) 15 countries. Over the next three weeks, I will be in three more cities in two more countries. Yes, the lifestyle sounds glamorous to many people and sometimes it is, but at other times it’s not. My travels are extreme, so for someone going on a week or longer solo trip, I can’t think of any cons. For me, the cons start after about three months of being on my own. Here’s what I’ve found to be both the pros and cons of traveling solo.
Cons:
It can get lonely if you are gone for long periods of time by yourself – sometimes you just want to talk with someone (other than yourself, or the animals when I’m pet sitting). But thankfully there are several video call apps so you can talk with and see friends, which can really make a difference.
Always going out to eat by yourself – you can go out for amazing lunches and dinners, but sometimes it’s nice to have a great conversation with someone you know and try the dish they ordered.
Unable to get a friend’s opinion about something (especially when shopping) – sometimes it’s nice to have a friend’s opinion on something, not just the salesperson’s opinion.
You don’t have someone to share your amazing experiences with – you don’t get to talk with friends later and say, “remember that time when….”
Living out of a suitcase with the same clothes – I can travel for two months with just carry-on but by the end of it I’m so tired of my clothes.
Packing and unpacking/airport security – depending on how much travel you do this can be a pain. I remember not that long ago I was flying internationally with three flight segments (this happens twice a year for me). I packed my luggage, then going through airport security I must take a lot of things out of my bag and then replace them after the checkpoint. I am a very organized packer and I’m now used to this but needing four bins to go through security is a pain. Especially when having to go thru three checkpoints. On these days/trips, I pack then take out and put things back into my bag a total of 8 times by the time I unpack at my final destination.