There are both advantages and disadvantages to traveling alone. Being someone who prefers to travel in solitude, there are some times where I feel the pang of loneliness within me. Other times, I am grateful to be able to be in a specific city or country, exploring it the way I want to without worrying about other human's wants.
There are both pros and cons to each situation while traveling. It overall depends on the experience you want to have. If you are more of a night owl, you would like to have your friends by your side. If you like to explore history and art, being alone is ideal so you can take your time. Below are some of the pros and cons of traveling alone or traveling with friends.
Traveling Alone
PROS
You Get to Go Where You Want - This applies to both destinations and activities while once there. When deciding on where to travel, sometimes while being with others, you have to compromise. If I was dying to go to Scotland and wanted to spend my money on that location, but the trip was supposed to be with my sister, and she wanted to go somewhere else, one of us would have to be more lenient than the other. Meanwhile, any trip costs money, and you might have to put your dream of discovering the highlands on hold. If you cannot wait to explore a destination, go alone and save up for a trip with others next year.
Also, once you are at the destination, if you have another person with you, they might not want to go to that museum or gallery you have been reading about for months. They might want to use that time elsewhere and rush you through the museum. That situation can cause you to miss out on certain things that interest you and captivate you that are only in specific countries. Being with another person is all about compromise, and if you have desires to experience certain things, you won't want to meet someone halfway.
You Don't Have to Worry About Other's Needs - This is the one advantage to traveling alone that I love. I only have to worry about when I need to use a restroom, eat, or am tired. When I travel, I love to go, go, go. I wake up early and do not return or rest until night. I do not take naps, and I rarely take breaks. I will also walk everywhere. If I were to travel with my mother, she would need to take a lot more breathers and rest time than I would. That would make me feel like I am wasting time when I am still roaring through the day. Many have described me as a machine when traveling and trying to experience as much as I can.
You Can Be More Spontaneous - I find I am a lot more spontaneous while alone. I decide to go into certain areas, shops, restaurants, and more when I do not have to think about other people's interests. I have randomly walked into churches and museums off the cuff because I am passing them. I wouldn't be able to make these decisions if I felt like I needed to ask someone else if they wanted to go somewhere also. Some of my favorite areas I have found are due to this spontaneity, and I wouldn't want to give this up for the world.
You Don't Feel Rushed - Being rushed or feeling pressured to hurry is some of the most common disagreements people find themselves while traveling with others. When I decide to go somewhere or go on a tour, no one wants to feel the sensation of being hurried! With another person hovering around you (whether they attend to be or not), it creates that feeling of "Oh, I am taking too long. I need to hurry and skip some things." I tend to miss out on information when hurried, and it becomes one of my pet peeves. To avoid drama and arguing, this is another reason why I love to travel alone.
CONS
It Can Get Lonely - As much as I love to travel alone, I do still get lonely. You can do everything you want to do, but then you glance over to the couple holding hands or the best friends laughing and eating together, and that pang in your chest appears. It is natural to feel lonely sometimes, and I remind myself that I am fortunate enough to be able to see the world at my leisure. Usually, the feeling doesn't linger too long, but it does sometimes make me feel like I am missing out on having a travel companion.
Limited Nightlife Experiences - Now, this might not be true for every young woman traveler out there, but I never go out to bars at night alone. Safety is my priority while traveling, especially when I am on a different continent than my family. Due to this, I never explore at night or experience much of the nightlife while in new countries. I do feel like sometimes I am missing out on a great time and a fun experience, but my safety will always be my priority.
Harder to Take Travel Photos - In this day and age, with Instagram and other social media, that is a marketing tool many people use when writing about blogs or showing their adventures to viewers. Taking a photo with yourself in it is much more challenging when traveling alone. You have to bring a tripod and try to capture the best photograph possible in a lot fewer frames of film than if you have someone with you taking them. Also, sometimes it is awkward to set up a tripod and take photos of yourself in public. That is if you want creative pictures other than the classic selfies. If you are okay with selfies or not being in the photo, then this con doesn't affect you as much.
Traveling with Others
PROS
You Have Someone to Share the Experience With - Having another person to reflect on memories with is always a gift. They can remember certain things you have forgotten and vice versa. Smiles and laughter always arise when people reflect on the past. Traveling and having someone with you can create this experience later on when you return to your normal life. Even at the moment when something happy or funny happens, you have another person to share at the moment. Overall that is a comfort to most people to have another with me to experience those times.
Safer to Explore - There is a sense of feeling safer when you have another person with you. That is just a fact. People can let their guards down more and know that someone else is expecting you at a specific place or at a designated time. Also, if you have a travel companion, people are less likely to bother you in passing. Having that extra person creates a sense of safety and reliability.
You Have Someone to Eat With - I have mentioned in previous posts that I hate to eat alone. That is when the loneliness for me creeps in the most. This pro might be more catered to me, but in my opinion, it still is a pro that should be considered. When having someone with you at an eatery allows you to relax but enjoy another's company. When alone, you are left to people watch and sometimes feel awkward when other's glance in your direction. I would love to avoid this interaction by having someone else with me at the restaurant.
CONS
People Have Different Interests - Have you ever heard the saying, "If you want to get to know someone, travel with them"? That is so true. People while traveling have every part of their personality appear. It is the easiest way to see if someone is easy-going or overbearing. Everyone has different interests, but when two attitudes collide, a war can break out. One person will want to study some history, while the other wants to party the night away. It is okay to be different than those traveling with you, but that might mean you are sacrificing more than you bargained for or thought you would be.
Exhaustion and Fighting - With others involved, that means exhaustion and fighting might occur. When people are doing activities all day becoming tired is bound to happen, but throw in hunger as well, and you have a wrecking ball of a person with you. That can lead to fighting over activities, attitudes, and selfishness. The trip overall is tiring enough that you don't need drama to tire you out as well.
Some People Like to Stick to A Plan - This is the most challenging for those spontaneous travelers. If you are with someone who had planned out the whole day and fit everything into a schedule to make everyone happy, they are less likely to throw that plan away to spend an hour or two at the unplanned cat cafe you just passed. Personalities are always something to keep in mind when traveling. If you are a free spirit, you will want another friend who is a free spirit to tag along, not the planning styled one, and vice versa.
Budget Differences - The budget is always something to talk over before the trip, but sometimes while at the moment, one friend is willing to dish out hundreds of dollars to rent scooters, while the other is more money conscious. Overall, people should always be respectful of others when it comes to spending their own money, but if you are on a trip with a very frugal friend, the expectations for the excursion might not be what was imagined. These differences happen all the time so make sure you and your friend are on the same page or be ready to acknowledge the trip wasn't what you expected it to be.
Overall, to travel with someone or alone is the travelers choice. I prefer to travel in solidarity, but that doesn't mean if someone wants to tag along, I would immediately write them off. I would consider the options and weigh the pros and cons. Then decide if that is something I want to do or not. Finding a travel companion you mesh with is ideal, and then you can plan future trips together without the concern of having negative experiences. Whatever you decide, there is no right or wrong choice. These are just some of the pros and cons I consider when planning an important trip for me.
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