Things I Love About Travelling Alone

I love the freedom of travelling solo. Sleeping alone. Waking up whenever. Not having an itinerary, every morning I wake up and ask myself “what do I want to do today?” and sometimes the answer is nothing. This is OK.

Freedom from social responsibilities. No need to talk. No social pressure, imaginary or real, no obligation to consider anyone else’s wants, only my own inclinations.

Travelling alone is the most empowering thing I have discovered. Recovering from a disaster alone in a foreign country will boost confidence like nothing else.

Once comfortable travelling alone, there is almost never a reason to wait for someone else to go. The world is out there, explore as much of it as you will.

Embrace the weirdness that lies within you, no better opportunity, eat at weird times (aside from anything else, this is an excellent way to get into popular restaurants).

Some of my fondest memories of travelling alone are bizarre places I went because I had no-one to consider other than myself, I spent a whole afternoon in the most beautiful graveyard in Copenhagen, walked 2 hours across Prague to see a giant metronome, and in Romania it has been my practise to take long walks after dark, in the freezing cold.

Nothing has made me appreciate travelling alone like bad travel companions. Really, many of the things I love about travelling alone also apply to being single. As in all things, then, better to go alone than with the wrong person.