Why you should solo travel at least once in your life

Wanting to go to the place of your dreams but feel stuck because no one either can or wants to go with you? Go by yourself, you won’t regret it, writes 1News' Sean Nugent.

Travelling is so much more than seeing new places and experiencing different things. It also functions as a chance to embrace emotions we'd rather avoid – fear, anxiety, homesickness, stress, and a sense of feeling lost and confused. Doing it all alone only exacerbates those feelings.

But tackling those and overcoming them can have more of an impact on you than you might think.

I first ventured abroad on my own during my summer break in my penultimate year of university, jetting off to the United States and Canada for five weeks with no idea what to expect.

While it was the first time I’d travelled alone, I’d been lucky enough to be born to travel-mad parents who introduced me to nearly all corners of the globe in my youth. So, I knew what I was doing, but some anxieties remained over having so much freedom I wouldn’t know what to do with it. Where would I go, where would I stay, what would I eat? Would I make friends on my travels or spend over a month talking to myself in my head?

I needn’t have worried. There was something truly calming about walking through a city for the first time – whether it be San Francisco, Chicago or New York – with no real plans or idea where I was going.

With each city came new friends, many were people who'd done the same thing as I had - taken the plunge of exploring the world by themselves.

Once I returned home, I had the travel bug, and even better, the confidence to venture abroad by myself.

This truly brings a lot of benefits. I could go anywhere I wanted, I didn’t have to worry about negotiating plans with anyone else or keep anyone else happy. If I was happy, it would all be OK.

Six months later I dove off the deep end and travelled by myself to Iran, was involved in a car crash, got held at gunpoint and spoke zero Farsi, thus rendering me useless talking to locals. It wasn’t pretty, but I point to it as having a big influence on how I deal with stress and being outside my comfort zone.

Trips to Africa, Europe and Canada followed, as well as six months living in Japan at a ski resort. All brought their own memories, challenges and experiences that have helped shape my personality and view of the world.

Going solo helps you become more immersed in the culture and country you’re visiting. Without that safety bubble of friends, family or partners, there’s a degree of being forced to fully engage with what’s around you. Add in the extra responsibility of getting yourself around and looking after yourself and you can learn a lot on your journey.

Plus you’ll have those experiences all to yourself, as well as the satisfaction of successfully navigating a foreign world.

So why not? Take a step outside your comfort zone and experience all that solo travel has to offer. I promise you won’t regret it.