Are You a Solo Traveller?
There’s something undeniably freeing about travelling alone. The world unfolds like an uncharted map, guided only by your curiosity and desires.
If you count business trips as solo travel, I travelled solo frequently when I sold specialty papers internationally.
I climbed the Great Wall of China while working at our Beijing office.
I snorkelled in Cebu, Philippines, while visiting a customer’s processing plant in Manila.
A specialty paper customer from Jakarta treated me to a multi-day guided tour of various artisan shops on the island of Bali, Indonesia.
I toured the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in conjunction with a meeting at a paper mill in nearby Germany. On that same trip, I had a lovely nap on a tour boat meandering through the Amsterdam canals. My sleepiness was probably a result of my earlier visit to one of Amsterdam’s famous “coffee houses”. What great coffee!
The Unparalleled Freedom of Solo Travel
Solo travel is the ultimate exercise in autonomy. It allows you to decide everything, from your wake-up time to your dinner plans, with zero negotiations required.
My solo golf trip to Spain’s Costa del Sol in 2019 was my first recreational solo adventure to another land. Aside from the scheduled tee times, I had complete freedom throughout the trip. Whether it involved squeezing in an extra nine holes or taking my time with a post-round snack, I did exactly what I felt like—no questions, no obligations.
The Unexpected Companionship of Solo Travel
While solo travel often conjures images of complete solitude, the reality, especially for a golfer, it is far more social. One of the great joys of travelling solo is the opportunity to meet fellow golfers from around the world. Whether it’s joining a couple for a round or pairing up with another solo traveller, the game has a way of bringing people together.
During my Costa del Sol trip, I found myself swapping golf stories with a retired couple from the UK on one course and exchanging tips with a single golfer from Germany on another. These encounters weren’t just about the game; they were about shared moments, laughter, and learning from different perspectives.
The Benefits of Solo Travel Beyond the Itinerary
Travelling alone forces you into self-reliance. There is no one to remind you where your passport is or figure out how to get to that great local restaurant someone mentioned that day. It sharpens your problem-solving skills and builds a quiet confidence that spills over into other situations in life.
Solo travel allows for a deeper connection to the places you visit. Without a travel companion as a buffer, you’re more inclined to interact with locals and dive into their culture.
During my Costa del Sol trip, this proved true when a conversation with a golf pro at La Cala Resort led me to discover a hidden gem of a tapas bar.
But What About the Loneliness?
It wouldn’t be honest to praise solo travel without admitting there are moments of loneliness. There’s a quiet ache in being surrounded by breathtaking beauty yet having no one to share it with in the moment. The sunset over the Mediterranean during my Spain trip was spectacular, but it felt incomplete without someone to say, “Wow, look at that!”
The ache is amplified when it comes to missing loved ones. On the surface, solo travel looks like an escape from responsibility, but it’s also a temporary absence from the people who make your life rich. It’s the inside jokes you miss, the comforting presence of a partner, or even just the familiarity of home-cooked meals.
Strategies to Balance Freedom and Connection
Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks to keep homesickness at bay during solo travel. Staying connected is key—video calls and messages are invaluable for sharing the day’s highlights with loved ones back home. On my Portugal trip last February, I spent my evenings sorting through the photos I took that day and crafting photo albums on WhatsApp to share with my wife and two girls. They loved getting my updates and pictures.
Another strategy is to bring a piece of home with me. It could be something as small as a favourite book or a playlist curated by a loved one. These small touches ground you and make the unfamiliar feel more familiar.
The Rewards Outweigh the Challenges
The benefits of solo travel far outweigh the occasional feeling of homesickness. The independence it offers is exhilarating, and the personal growth it fosters is unmatched. You return, not just with souvenirs and photos, but with a renewed sense of self.
That’s the beauty of solo travel: it’s not just about being alone; it’s about how you carry the people you love with you, even when they’re thousands of miles away.