This article is part of the travel 101… how to choose a travel companion or opt for a solo trip!
I’ve tried all the solutions over time: from traveling with a good friend, with a bad friend, with a good friend who turned out to be a very bad friend, with a group of friends, with my girlfriend, with semi-strangers.
For now the most used is traveling alone in the company of myself or with strangers.
The choice is based on the need, no one would follow me in my long adventures. I also have a strong attraction to the freedom of space-time and decision-making and I consider traveling alone the best way to test yourself and learn more about yourself and the world. The same thing can happen on a couple trip, you will come back home having understood something more about your relationship.
Do you like compromises or do you like freedom?
To answer this question do not give a positive or negative value and do not judge the two concepts.
I remember when I wanted to go on an adventure, I was looking for one or more traveling companions, a fairly dramatic experience because often it was not possible to agree on when and where to go. And maybe we ended up not leaving or stressing ourselves before traveling.
Luckily, not all the trips in the company of someone went bad, I happened to find friends with the same passions and with the same plans. So, similar adventure ideas and above all spirit of adaptation are essential to take someone with you for several days. Remember that you usually share a bit of everything during a trip and you will spend most of the time with whom you’ve chosen to walk around.
One thing I have often seen traveling with other people, more than anything else with Italians, is the fact that we all have to do the same thing or go all together in the same restaurant or in the same place. If one day one decides to do something for his own business, one runs the risk of unleashing the drama, ending up as a traitor to the flock, under penalty of being expelled from the kingdom … represented by a few hours of sulking and complaints. I’m not against these types of trips with more than one person around, very often I had fun, the important thing is to always respect and never impose timing and preferences, leaving everyone free to do what they want to do without taking it as a disrespectful act.
So travel with friends has its good point by always staying together and its cons… by always staying together! Choose well, choose people with similar ideas and have an open mind. That is not too picky about food (but be tolerant…!) or if something goes wrong they are not making dramas. This is to avoid going through difficult days, but usually you come back home and forget everything, if you are good friends.
A crucial point in the journey is at what time you wake up to start the day. There are those who take it easy and get up after breakfast has become a brunch and there are those who will open the kitchens in the morning. Rather essential to understand this, or you will spend long waiting time. Time where you can watch friends sleep and complain about loosing time or where you can do something for yourself. Make sure you agree first!
Food is another important chapter in everyday life during a trip, try to understand if you are carnivorous, vegetarian, vegan, just eat apples… well, inform yourself first. A dinner sometimes with friends of various food trends is one thing, but having to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for several days with someone on a different diet can sometimes lead to stress …. get along first!
Also make sure you have similar ideas on how you want to travel: a climber who aims to reach the top of the highest peak in the area probably will not feel comfortable with a tourist “beach, cocktail and umbrella”.
The important thing in a journey is to create good memories! And in company it is much nicer because we share it.
Moreover, traveling together helps you in hard times, from the simplest to the most complicated ones, allows you to have a boost in moments of stalemate or indecision that can be created before and during a trip, looking a map with four-eyes can to be useful sometimes!
Another advantage in traveling with other people is to divide the costs of a room or a transport, which is why I sometimes travel with other people in my same situation as a solo traveler.
One thing I do not really like to travel with friends is the fact that meeting other people becomes more difficult. There is a tendency to close in the group and often ends up like isolating, losing the opportunity to meet new people and new friends from all sides of the world. But obviously we are not all looking for this!
I still remember the first time I bought a one-way ticket for a solo trip. At first I felt a little disoriented by looking at the ticket, but as soon as I got on the train, a new world opened up. I felt the electrifying feeling of being able to do what I want and what I like and go around without having to wait for anyone. And I asked myself: why did not I do it before?
Alone you have a lot of time to reflect, an experience that changes us. Loneliness is more than anything else one of the deepest fears of the human being from which we all do nothing but try to escape. I think this was one of the greatest teachings I learned while traveling: do not run away from the feeling of loneliness, but try to understand it. Being alone but not feeling loneliness.
As I said another good point for the solo traveler, even if not always easy, is the fact of testing oneself, facing situations without counting on the help of others, taking responsibility for every action. If you have problems you usually have to solve them by put on a thinking cap and getting to a solution…and quickly. So we are being spurred by the events that leads us to make it! You become less lazy and leave behind what is usually called “comfort zone”. You grow a lot.
Traveling alone does not mean being an hermit, but you can more easily chat with strangers. We open ourselves more, driven by the fact of wanting to communicate, often doing new and interesting meetings! I usually meet new people or find old friends met in the various countries where I have previously traveled.
Alternating parts of the trip alone and parts with other companions, usually known on a bus or in the common areas of the hostels, is for me the best choice. You still have the freedom to do what you want and it is really easy to decide to change direction if you prefer to do something else. Then we meet again in another part!
So, everything as usual, depends on what you are looking for!
Do not get stuck by the fact that no one has time or want to come with you in the place you want to go, pack your bags (or backpack) and go!!! Just start! If you find someone who has the same interests and willingness to travel together better, if not … throw yourself into the adventure!
