Solo travel: here's why - and how - I do it
And why it’s not just for the ‘young' and single
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The planting of a solo travel seed in Rome
A few years ago I was on a city break with my husband in Rome when we’d finally been seated outside a small trattoria in Trastevere, with a reputation for serving some of the best rigatoni alla carbonara in town. This restaurant always has a queue and so if people are dining alone, they are asked if they wouldn’t mind sharing their table with another solo diner, if one turns up.
Our table was situated next to such a pairing (a man and woman in their mid/late 20s) and instead of listening to my husband’s suggestions for the following day, I spent most of the meal eavesdropping on their conversation, fascinated by this social experiment and the insights shared by two solo travellers who had just met.
The young woman had recently graduated as a lawyer in France and had decided to take a few weeks out to travel the continent, on her own. She had already spent time in Spain and Portugal and had a few more stops in Italy before she would cross the border over to Austria and continue her adventure.
Once I’d had my fill of both their conversation and my carbonara, I leant back in my chair and with steely-eyed determination said to my husband, ‘I want to do something like that’. The seed had been planted.
My solo summer in Barcelona
The following summer and less than a year into our marriage, I decided to head to Barcelona on my own and hang out there for the summer (including my birthday).
I spent five weeks exploring the city, speaking to strangers, dining solo, making new friends, taking Spanish lessons, going to live drawing classes, wandering aimlessly, cooking with local produce, looking at lots of art, waking when I wanted, sunbathing on my terrace, listening to street opera, reading lots of books and so much more.
I was called ‘selfish’ for ‘doing this to my husband’ by a family member (said husband had no issue with it whatsoever - he’s awesome), but I didn’t really care what others thought. Plus, I did allow him to visit for one weekend - lucky him.
I thrived for those five weeks and had wonderful experiences I would not have had if I had been with others.
I have since spent two solo weeks in Buenos Aires in Argentina, one in Cartagena and one in Medellín in Colombia, as well as various solo European breaks including Lisbon, Valencia, Graz, Salzburg, Zillertal, Riga and Budapest.
Solo travel is not just for the ‘young and single’
Solo travel is often associated with the following: singledom, under 30s, a nomadic lifestyle, ‘finding ourselves’, running away from something or someone, remote working, ‘doing an Eat, Pray, Love’, hostels and procrastinating on life decisions.
This might be the case for some and there’s nothing wrong with any of that.
But you can know yourself and what you want very well, be in a very happy relationship, have a regular 9-5, be over 35 and still solo travel. And you’ll probably enjoy it even more than you would have if you were younger.
I’ve done a lot of travel and all different types - with groups of strangers, with friends, with family, with my partner - but doing it solo is still one of my favourite ways to experience a new place.
Solo travel: here's why - and how - I do it
Here are the things I’ve learnt and the reasons why I travel solo (and keep going back for more). Including the many ways in which solo travel benefits me - and all aspects of my life - to this day.
It’s for these reasons I believe pretty much anyone and everyone could benefit from experiencing traveling solo - whatever age or circumstance.
Along with my top tips on how to solo travel well that I’ve learnt along the way and accumulated over the years, distilling them down to the tips I think are most useful, especially for first timers.