The Pros and Cons of Traveling
Alone
Ask several people what their interests are, and a large
percentage will put traveling at the top of the list. Many people only consider traveling with someone else, and
wouldn’t dream of traveling alone. But for others, traveling alone is a source of pride and great joy. Here are
some of the pros and cons of traveling alone.
Pros
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Cons
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Getting to Choose All Details of the
Trip
Nothing beats the feeling of being able to
perfectly construct the vacation of your dreams. When you are traveling alone, you can do
everything you want, and avoid everything you dislike. This is especially helpful when you have
a limited amount of time and money.
Vacationing with a friend can mean a lot of
compromising, and spending time and money on things you have no interest in. Travel alone for
the ultimate, self-focused time of exploration and adventure.
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Safety Risks
One of the first things a person often
thinks of when the subject of traveling alone comes up, is the issue of safety. Traveling in
pairs means you have someone to help you out of a sticky situation, someone to witness any
wrongdoings by others, and protection from any seedy individuals who prey on single travellers.
This is something that most solo travellers have weighed carefully.
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Being Forced to Meet New People on Your
Trip
Traveling with a friend means you always
have someone to talk to. Traveling alone means you are forced to make friends if you want
conversation. Sometimes traveling alone can be the ideal situation to force you out of your
comfort zone and bring some spice to your life.
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Not Having Someone to Bounce Ideas Off
Of
Traveling requires a lot of planning and
thought. Traveling alone means that you are the only one who has enough invested in the trip to
want to spend a significant amount of time planning. When you are in the middle of your trip,
having a travel buddy means that you can discuss any big decisions before taking any
action.
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Having a Complete Break from Everyday
Life
Traveling alone means you will have a chance
to completely rest from the daily drama that everyday life can bring. When you take a friend
along, it is impossible to entirely leave this behind. If your friend is bringing up a topic
you wanted to avoid, or insisting on giving constant updates regarding everyone’s social media
posts, their companionship can become old very fast.
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No Cost Sharing
When it comes to hotel rooms and the like,
traveling in groups can lessen the cost. When you travel alone, certain situations mean that
you will be paying almost double what you would if you took a travel companion along. Take this
extra financial cost into consideration when you are deciding whether to travel alone or with
others.
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Learning More about Yourself
When we are around those, we are comfortable
with, we often fall into our usual way of relating. Traveling alone forces you to learn about
yourself. Instead of asking your friend what they want to do next, you will be forced to think
about what you truly want to do. You will find out what you want to try, and what you love
enough to do twice.
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Traveling alone has many benefits, but also some disadvantages.
Weigh the pros and cons as you make this decision. Whether you travel alone or in a group, you will know what to
expect.
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