All by myself: should young people travel solo?
For many people, spending some time travelling around their host country after their volunteering placement is a top priority. Although the chances are you will find at least one other person to travel around with after your placement, what should you do if you suddenly find yourself short of a travel buddy? It would be a shame to have to come home early and miss out on seeing some truly unmissable sites, just because your fellow volunteers don’t want to stick around. But is travelling alone a good idea?
This is a question many young people ponder over, particularly if they are female. In some countries, locals will be unused to seeing young, unmarried women travelling alone, which can lead to solo female travellers attracting unwanted attention. So should young women travel alone? Absolutely. And many do.
In fact, although in many countries it may be considered unacceptable for a local woman to travel the world by herself, most people are used to seeing female tourists travelling alone. And – although we are often raised to believe that the outside world is a scary place – the reality is that in most places you’ll be just as likely to run into trouble as you would be in any major city back home.
Travelling alone, whether you are male or female, does however require you to be slightly more prepared than you would be if travelling with a friend or in a group. Here are a few hints and tips to consider before embarking on your solo adventure:
It’s all in the planning
Although you may not want to plan your entire trip down to the last detail before you go, make sure you leave at least a rough itinerary to leave with someone back home. Also, keep in regular contact with your family back home; this will stop them from worrying if nothing else! It is also a great idea to have all the contact numbers in case of an emergency with you at all times. These may include contact details for the relevant embassy closest to where you will be travelling, as well as for friends, contacts (such as your Lattitude local rep!) and places where you have booked accommodation. The more prepared you are the better!
Be prepared
Although it’s important to keep your wits about you while you’re away, it’s also important that you don’t waste your trip worrying. Investing in a few helpful gadgets can help put your mind at rest. Wearing a discreet money belt and securing your bag with cable lock can, for example, be an easy way to keep your belongings safe on overnight bus journeys.
Take something to read!
Although you will often meet people on your travels to keep you company, there will inevitably be moments where you will find yourself alone. For some, the thought of eating alone in a restaurant is a big turn off… avoid any awkwardness by arming yourself with a book/magazine/travel journal at all times!
Alone but never lonely
Many solo travellers are surprised at how little time they do end up spending truly alone. Staying in hostels is a great way to meet people, and socialising with fellow travellers is often easier when you are by yourself. Travelling solo can also allow you greater choice and flexibility in your itinerary, so if you meet folk along the way you can easily change your plans and tag along with some like-minded people. Also, remember you are not the first person in the world to have travelled solo. If you’re feeling jittery about going it alone, reassure and inspire yourself with some solo-travel literature.
