If you’re thinking of travelling the world, it can be difficult to decide whether you’d like to travel alone, free to do your own thing…or whether you’d prefer to go travelling with a friend or two. Some people worry about keeping themselves safe when they’re alone, others worry that they’ll get homesick from feeling lonely. Both choices have their own set of pros and cons, so you need to choose the situation that best suits your goals and dreams. Everybody has their own vision of what they’d like their travels to be like! Read on for help making your decision:
You’re Never Alone
Ok, this sounds like a line from some sort of horror film…but it’s true! Many people start off by travelling alone; around 60% of people who set off on a gap year currently do it by themselves. This proves that it isn’t weird to travel alone. You’ll meet people as you travel around, and if you decide to work in a foreign country then you’ll no doubt make friends with locals and other workers. You won’t be on your own for very long at all if you travel alone, and it’s so easy to speak to people and make friends. Travelling with a friend or partner is fun, but it’s a different experience. You need to decide on the kind of experience you’d like to have.
You’ll need to base your decision on your current situation, individual preferences, expectations, and your reasons for deciding to travel in the first place. If you do decide to travel with a friend or partner, it’s important you both lay out your expectations on the table to ensure they’re similar. Make sure that you both want to visit the same kind of places and do the same things while you’re out there. You definitely need to be on the same page to have a great time!
The Pros and Cons of Travelling with Friends
There are many benefits of choosing to share your travel experiences with somebody else. You’ll always have some company, so you won’t ever get lonely. You might feel much better about travelling with a familiar face around. You can plan lots of exciting things to do together, rely on each other in tough situations, and share some special moments. The things you do and see together will be great to reflect on for years and years afterwards – you’ll never forget the experience!
Travelling with a friend or friends is also a very practical option. If you travel with somebody else, you can cut your travelling costs substantially. You can share the costs of accommodation, food, and you’ll even be able to share supplies. There will always be someone to look out for you too; watch your stuff while you pop to the toilet, that kind of thing. Travelling together will test your friendship, as you’ll actually spend more time together than if you were living together! If you can make it through travelling the world together without splitting up or falling out then you know you have a rock solid relationship that can’t be broken.
You should remember though, that there’s nothing wrong with spending some time apart from one another occasionally. You don’t have to spend ages away, just go for a swim, shopping, or a walk – just to get some alone time.
You should also keep an open mind about the trip. There’s every chance you and your friend might decide you want different things from the experience and go your separate ways; this does happen a lot, and you shouldn’t fall out about it. Decide it’s best if you continue by yourselves, and remember you can always get back together on a later date. It isn’t the end of the world! You might even meet some great people who you’ll share unique experiences with – you wouldn’t have had these otherwise.
Pros and Cons of Travelling Alone
You shouldn’t worry about taking the plunge alone. Many people do it, so you won’t look weird or have a rubbish time. As mentioned before, you won’t be on your own for long! Travelling alone is a very different experience – a great experience, none the less! You have total freedom when it comes to what you want to do and where you want to go. You’ll be totally flexible and open to lots of new, exciting opportunities.
You might want to stay alone if you enjoy it that way, but you’ll easily be able to make new friends if you want to join a group. Travelling alone will also give you a lot of time for thinking to yourself and reflecting on things – you will probably find yourself making new goals and thinking up amazing ideas. You’ll get to know yourself a lot better!
It’s totally normal to wonder whether you really have the self confidence to travel by yourself. Keeping safe can also be a concern, especially for lone female travellers – so make sure you read up on useful tips to help you stay safe.
There’s no doubt about it, if you travel alone you’ll meet a ton of people – more than if you were to travel with a group. If you want to meet new, interesting people then this is definitely the option for you. The only real concern when travelling alone is the finance side of things – it can work out much more expensive than travelling with a friend or a few friends.
So, what do you want from your round the world experience? Do you want the companionship and shared experiences that travelling with a buddy offers, or the freedom and unique experiences that travelling alone offers? If you’ve ever seen ‘The Beach’, you might get an idea of what it’s like to travel alone (although we’re sure it’s rare to find a secret island). Thanks for reading and good luck making your decision!
