Travelling has many benefits, but travelling alone has even more.

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Travelling has many benefits

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I’ve mentioned in previous blogs the benefits of travelling, keeping you emotionally and mentally alive, and stimulating the brain to keep active. The different sights, sounds, smells and tastes stimulate the brain. Learning about different cultures, visiting historic sites, seeing different sceneries, the way of life and the different climates give you something to ponder and discuss with others.  Later in life, you can look back on all the amazing places you visited. All these experiences stimulate different areas of the brain and trigger neuroplasticity, the growth of neural networks in the brain, reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.  

I’d spent years travelling with a partner. We would plan our trips together, but he’d done all the driving, and because he spoke several languages I left the communicating to him! He was brimming with confidence, and I wasn’t, so I was happy for him to do it all. Then suddenly I was on my own, nobody to travel with, share the responsibility, the stress as well as the highlights. I loved travelling and I decided nothing was going to stop me. But how?

It was only by chance, or was it the universe, a few weeks later, at a friend’s, I spotted a brochure for small group adventure and culture holidays. I took the plunge and booked my first holiday with this company. I chose Romania. This was for several reasons. It was a mixture of both culture and walking, and it was a country I wasn’t likely to go to on my own. This trip turned out to be a huge success on many levels, so much so, that since that trip, 25 years ago, I have travelled many times over with them. I also met a woman on this trip who has become one of my best friends. 

There are many advantages to travelling in small groups of like-minded travellers. But there are also subtle ways that it pushes you out of your comfort zone. You meet a bunch of strangers that you get to know over the course of the trip. Some of them you’ll get on with, some will push your buttons. It’s the latter that you will need to tolerate and learn to deal with so that the trip isn’t ruined. Travelling in a group requires you to be more flexible and tolerant and go with the flow, from when and where you eat to what time you need to get up or go to bed.

I particularly need my time alone, and being in the company of others from morning to night can become tiring for me. Over the years, I’ve managed to find ways of dealing with this. One way is, if we’re travelling by coach, I’ll find a seat on my own. I can still talk to people in front and behind me, but I can also choose to be silent. You can learn a lot about yourself on these trips if you take the time to watch how you respond and feel about situations and ask yourself questions. I also share a room with a stranger. Generally, this has worked out. But again, for me, it was working out how I could have a bit of privacy.  

There have been two trips I’ve done completely solo. A few years ago, I decided to travel to New Zealand for 3 weeks on my own. The main reason was that I could do it for a lot less money if I did it this way, but I also had a friend I wanted to stay with for a few days. This wouldn’t be possible if I were travelling with a group. I have to admit that when I arrived in Auckland, I did wonder what on earth I was doing. I was going to be spending 3 weeks on my own in a foreign country, navigating it, and only myself to deal with any issues. But what I didn’t realise was the many benefits of doing it this way. 

Firstly, because I had done all the planning for the trip myself, I knew much more about New Zealand before getting there. I had booked my itinerary, all my Airbnb, my internal flights, my car hire, ferry crossing, and some of the local trips.  I knew the mileage between each destination, the routes I would take and how long it would take me. I planned how many days I needed in each destination. Going on a group holiday, you’re not forced to do any of this or any reading before you travel. 

Secondly, travelling on your own has many upsides. While in New Zealand, I got to integrate with the locals and find out about life there. When I stayed in my first Airbnb for two nights, the owners took me on a drive around their town to see the local sites and take me for coffee. They told me that this isn’t usually part of the deal when staying with them! And many of the owners where I stayed would spend time chatting to me in the evenings.

One of the trips I’d booked was a coach tour to the fjords. It was a long drive to the port, and the female coach driver stopped several times. She soon realised that I was on my own, and suggested that I come and sit at the front with her. Not only did I get an exceptional view of the scenery, but the coach driver also talked to me about the landscape and how it was formed. She talked about her life in New Zealand. This experience would never have happened if I’d been travelling with someone. 

There were challenges, though. Sometimes after a long drive, I couldn’t find the accommodation. Or, I got stuck in traffic and started to fret as to whether I’d get to my destination on time for my next excursion, find somewhere to park, or worry about whether I had enough fuel to get to my next stop, and where I was going to fill up. I was constantly thinking and planning; and it got exhausting at times. 

Another trip I did on my own was Spain. I’ve talked about this in my blog, “If I’d known what was coming, I probably wouldn’t have done it”. This was a very different trip and the challenges were different. This was 4 weeks staying in one place. The culture, language and driving were different. But again, being on my own, I had only myself to rely on for communicating. Forcing me to do this, I got to know the locals and their culture better. I’ve spent a lot of time travelling in Spain in the past, but this last trip really got me to know more about the Spanish and their culture.

Both these trips pushed me out of my comfort zone in different ways, and when we’re forced to do this, confidence has to increase. There’s no going back. 

I didn’t plunge straight into these trips. I’d done a lot of travelling on my own in the UK, and also driven to France on my own. Travelling opens horizons and opportunities. It’s a great experience. 

What is one thing you could do now to start to increase your confidence when travelling?

If you enjoyed this blog, take a look at my others. If you’d like to do more travelling but something is holding you back, why not book a free 20-minute call with me to discuss how I may be able to help? This can be booked through my website.