7 REASONS WHY SOLO TRAVELLING SHOULD BE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST
July 29, 2024The thought of travelling solo might seem like a scary idea, but as many have discovered; if you cross the magic line of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in the world of solo travellers, a magical journey awaits. Here are the seven best reasons to travel solo to our surf camps.
Sometimes, that dream trip you always wanted to go on just didn't make it out of the group chat and then you’ll be left with a choice: give up on the trip or go alone. It might feel like a scary thing, but taking the leap into solo travelling might be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.
Why travel solo? Well, there are many answers to this question. Here’s the list of our top seven reasons why we love solo travelling:
It takes you out of your comfort zone
It challenges you and your way of thinking
It boosts your confidence
It forms lifelong friendships
It gives you “me-time”
It lets you live out your dream trip
It turns the world into your playground
1. It makes you take a step out of your comfort zone
Or many steps out of your comfort zone, to be precise. Overcoming the fear of going somewhere new by yourself will give you an adrenaline kick and a whole new sense of feeling alive. Making the decision and booking a trip by yourself is actually the scariest part. As soon as you are on that flight, headed toward a new undiscovered destination, we can almost guarantee that you’ll feel satisfied with your decision.
Maybe you will find a new passion that will change your life forever, or maybe you will meet your soulmate or future best friend. Who knows, the only way to find out is to get out there and be curious about the unknown.
How to handle loneliness when it creeps in
Even though you’re on an adventure of a lifetime, solo travelling can feel lonely at times. Here are our best tactics to plan ahead to handle loneliness:
Prepare a playlist with inspiring music that puts you in a good mood and download all your favorite podcasts.
Bring a journal where you collect all your thoughts (it always helps to write your emotions down!), you can even prepare some journaling prompts ahead. Another way to use the journal is to have it as a travel diary where you write your memories from the trip (this will be so fun to look back to in the future!).
Write postcards for loved ones or yourself.
Call a family member or a friend. Just because you’re on a new adventure doesn't mean you need to disconnect from your reality at home. Call someone you love and hear about their day (just remember to check if you have free international calls in your phone plan!).
2. It challenges you and your way of seeing things
Sometimes, life can feel like it's stuck in a predictable pattern. Break free from the everyday routine and ignite your sense of adventure by traveling solo. See how it challenges your perspective of things when you get back home. Travelling solo will help you feel comfortable being in your own company, giving you time for self-reflection. It also gives you the distance to reflect on your everyday life.
During your trip, you’ll encounter many new situations, and seeing how you react and handle them will reveal new sides of yourself. Solo travelling will tap into your self-awareness and let you sit with both your uncomfortable and your happy thoughts.
Travelers who go on adventures solo often talk about how it helped them feel more independent and empowered. They usually come back home feeling like a whole new person with a fresh perspective on life and interesting stories to tell.
3. It boosts your confidence
Few things make you feel as empowered as travelling the world by yourself. It opens up for a completely new wave of possibilities. Managing travel, new destinations, and social situations in new circumstances by yourself will give you a real, heartfelt confidence boost. It feels AMAZING!
All the small wins along the course of your trip will add another coin to your confidence piggy bank. From pressing the “book” button for the flight to navigating in countries you have never been to before to trying something new without the safety net of old friends around you, it all adds up!
Even if you’re nervous along the way, all these new challenges and roadblocks will boost your confidence like nothing else – knowing you did it all by yourself without leaning on someone else to make you feel strong. This will also help you problem-solve similar situations better in the future.
4. It forms friendships that last a lifetime
Bringing friends or family on a trip is more comfortable, but it might prevent you from completely stepping into freedom and out of your comfort zone, as you always spend time with someone who reminds you of home. When it’s just you and the destination of your choice, you are more open to new people and new experiences, and that’s what we want when we travel, right?
You'll be surprised by how easy it is to connect with your fellow travelers. In many ways, it's easier to make new friends when you are by yourself, as an open and curious vibe attracts people.
Staying at one of our surf camps is a fantastic opportunity to meet people from all over the world. You will feel how the world connects and unites by traveling as the people around you will be from all different parts of the world but are all there doing the exact same thing you are. After a couple of days, you all start to feel like a family. This feeling is truly unique and one of the main reasons why people enjoy staying at our camps and decide to return.
At our surf camps, you'll connect with like-minded people. Not only do you make new friends, but you also make friends who share the same desire as you: to explore the world and learn how to surf. Many travelers continue adventuring together with their new travel buddies. Suddenly planning your next adventure is a lot easier when you have "doers" that are onboard and want the same things as you!
Our best destinations for solo (but still social) travelling:
All of our destinations are suitable for solo travellers, here are our top three camps where you’ll find a very social vibe at the camp and many activities, bars and cafes around:
How to make friends on your trip
Being open-minded and curious when traveling alone is how you end up making friends for life. Years from now, you will look back and thank yourself for making brave decisions like these:
Talking to strangers! This may be easy for some and the biggest challenge on the trip for others. Creating the bridge where you go from strangers to friends can really change your whole trip. You may meet a like-minded adventurer on the flight or your future camp bestie by the pool.
Putting social back into social media: Let the world know where you are heading for your trip and see if the internet will do its thing. Who knows, maybe a friend of a friend is staying at the same destination that you’ll get introduced to.
Hanging out in the camp's shared spaces: Unless you’re staying in one of the dorms, you won’t find new friends by staying in your room. Instead, hang out in the shared spaces around the camp or by the pool.
Saying yes to activities and signing up for day trips: At all our surf camps, we have social hosts who organize fun activities for everyone to participate in. The social hosts will make it easy for people to get to know each other. We also offer different day trips and activities at the camps where you can go on an adventure while connecting with fellow campmates. You can also do some research on what tours and classes are available around. Book a training class with the nearby gym, join the local running club or sign up for a cooking class.
Going to cafes and coworking places: Sit down with your favorite beverage and journal or get some work out of the way – the key is to keep your headphones away! Naturally, you may get into a conversation with the person next to you.
5. It gives you some well-earned “me time”
You’ll meet new people during your solo trip, but you’ll also find more time to set aside for yourself than you might get back in your everyday life. This will allow you to balance meaningful "me-time" and connecting with others. This is your trip and you call the shots, meaning that you can get as much alone time as you need to decompress.
6. It lets you live out your dream trip and experience the world on your own terms
When you travel alone, you create an adventure that’s uniquely yours – you call the shots! Experiencing a new destination on your own puts you in the driver’s seat and pushes you to make decisions, navigate different situations, and learn more about yourself. All while ticking off thing after thing from your bucket list. You’ll have the opportunity to do everything you want at your own pace, all the decisions are made by you and for you.
7. It turns the world into your playground
If 2020 taught us anything, it would be that we never know what the future holds and therefore, we shouldn't wait around to do what we want. Having the courage to travel solo opens up a world (literally) of possibilities. Even if travelling with friends and family is amazing, knowing that you can travel by yourself removes all the limits and walls that existed before. The world is out there waiting for you, and the best thing you can do is start to explore it yourself. The world is your playground!
Back home: Putting the pieces together
Coming home from your solo trip is like coming home to a completed jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces were spread out on the table and made no sense when you walked out the door, but piece by piece, it came together during your trip – one obstacle at a time. And looking back at it all is truly satisfying! Looking at the finished puzzle also sparks a new question to life: Where to next?
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