I realize that often, one of the most significant challenges with solo traveling, which prevents many from doing it, is the discomfort of being alone.
I get it, it can be scary to be alone with your own thoughts, or navigate challenging situations without a friend.
Full transparency: Yes, I get lonely solo traveling. Yes, there have been many times when I wished I had a friend with me.
But I also believe solo traveling is a way to experience a destination most intimately and profoundly, offering you opportunities and perspectives you would not have if you were traveling with someone else.
Everyone should take a solo trip at least once in their lives.
Not only will you get to know yourself better, but you will also open yourself to the world in the most vulnerable, beautiful way.
But in order to solo travel, you need to be equipped with the knowledge of how to be alone.
In this article, I’ll offer my top tips on how to become comfortable traveling solo.
- Get to know yourself
How often do you go internally and reflect on who you are?
Oh yes, we’re diving right in.
You’re the only person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with — there’s simply no avoiding the fact that you are your most important relationship.
I personally love to reflect through journaling, but others may connect with and learn about themselves through other practices such as creating art, movement, or pure meditation.
I encourage you to begin this process before taking your first solo trip.
What are your values, dreams, fears, goals, strengths, and weaknesses?
It’s hard to be alone if you don’t know who you are.
Once you explore your mind and what’s inside your heart, you can begin to build greater self-trust and comfort in your own skin.
THAT, friends, is the true key to walking through this world joyfully with just you and your own presence.
More on self-discovery here.
- Face your inner shadows
I didn’t say getting to know yourself was going to be fun and easy.
It can be undeniably uncomfortable to face the parts of yourself that you don’t particularly love or wish to change — isn’t that the main reason we don’t like to be alone?
Well, trust me, whether you work on them or not, these parts of yourself will manifest when solo traveling eventually.
Better to acknowledge and work on them now, rather than when you miss your train, for example, or encounter someone who rubs you the wrong way.
Shadow work may sound strange, but if you truly take on the challenge and face your discomfort head-on, it will be a game-changer in truly creating a relationship with yourself based on confidence and self-love.
Find more on shadow work here.
- Be curious about your thoughts
You are not your thoughts – you are the observer of your thoughts.
Once you realize this, you don’t have to believe and be persuaded by every little thing that pops into your mind.
So much of the turmoil that goes on inside our heads is actually not of our creation, but from our external environment.
Once you begin to decipher the thoughts that are truly yours, or the ones you wish to hold on to, being alone with your mind isn’t so scary.
Meditation helps. As I’m sure you’ve probably heard a million times.
But in all honesty, I’ve never really had a meditation practice; what helped me most is simply learning to become curious about my mind, rather than critical of it.
In time, the thoughts that used to torment me slowly phased out, replaced by self-compassion and the true knowing of who I am.
Always remember to be patient and gentle with yourself; change doesn’t happen overnight.
- Embrace solitude in society
If you’ve never taken a solo trip before, you might consider taking baby steps into the solo journey before going headfirst.
Try experimenting with being alone in your own city.
Go on solo walks around your neighborhood, try new events to meet new people, take yourself on a solo date to a restaurant, cafe, or the movies.
Once you discover that you can not only handle but also enjoy doing things by yourself at home, traveling somewhere new on your own seems a lot more manageable.
- Enjoy the freedom of being alone
There’s a lot of stigma around being by yourself.
It makes sense — as humans are inherently social — but it’s supremely unfortunate in my opinion because being alone is actually amazing!
Once you learn to enjoy your solitude, you can fully experience the liberation that comes with not having anyone else tie you down.
You can go wherever you want, linger for as long as you want, talk to whomever you want…
You are completely free.
Warning: once you try it, you might not want to go back (which is my case now when thinking about planning a trip with friends).
- Realize that you are not defined by those around you
Sometimes it takes some distance to see that you are your own being, and that’s more than enough.
You don’t need anyone else to define who you are or tell you what to do, think, or feel.
You are not your relationships, the opinions of your family, the quantity of your friends, or popularity in your community.
When you travel alone, where nobody knows who you are back at home, you can choose to be whoever you want.
There’s no better time to stand in your own power and claim the person you are at your core.
Remember that this is your life story, and you are the main character in it.
- Intentionally practice self-love
The main point I’m trying to make with all of these above points: you need to prioritize yourself.
I’m not talking about egotistically focusing on yourself at the expense of others; I’m speaking about the necessity of loving yourself enough to evaluate how you treat yourself, because that is ultimately how you treat others.
Make time to love yourself as you are, while continuing to grow and evolve through doing things that bring you joy.
I personally love to lift my vibration through dancing and singing in my room, grounding myself in nature, and having a dedicated morning practice involving yoga and journaling.
Discover what boosts your energy and keep these practices in mind when you solo travel, as these will be the keys to recentering yourself amidst the highs and lows of traveling.
gottacaseofwanderlust 
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