Downside of Solo Travel: What It’s Really Like To Travel Alone
Solo travel and being a digital nomad has changed my life for the better. I’ve experienced different cultures, met new people, and learned a second language. This way of life enhances your ability to interpret and understand the world, and it’s something everyone should experience at least once. My goal is to encourage you to travel solo, achieve location independence as a digital nomad, and to provide the resources you need to live your travel dreams safely and comfortably. However, I would be remorse if I didn’t also prepare you for the not-so-great things. In this post, we will explore 5 downsides of solo travel and what it’s really like to travel alone.
>> Check out how I overcame my fear of being alone and constant loneliness to start traveling solo <<
Enjoying the sunset view on Playa Norte Celestun after taking a flamingo tour boat-ride during my solo travels in Yucatan, Mexico
1. Birthdays and Holidays
When living a nomadic life and traveling alone, a harsh reality is that you will find yourself spending birthdays and holidays alone. Sure, you will make friends who will invite you to celebrations. But it won’t be the same as sharing these days with your loved ones. Each year this becomes easier for me but, after 5 years of solo travel, I still find birthdays and holidays difficult when I’m away from my family and close friends. This year I was fortunate because my host and her family had a small birthday for me (even though we had only known eachother a short time) and I truly had an amazing birthday. But at the end of the day, I missed my family more than ever.
Solo travel isn’t all bad when you have a glass of champagne, a cute dress, and lots of free time to explore (Mexico City)
2. Friends and Relationships
As my friends always says, “It takes at least a year to establish a real community and create solid relationships/networks”. She is absolutely correct. Traveling alone and living a nomadic life makes it extremely difficult to form meaningful connections and a sense of community. I find some people keep me at a distance to preserve emotional energy and time because they know I’m not planning to stick around for long. Honestly, after living in Puerto Escondido for several years developing friendships and finding my community, it has been extremely difficult and isolating to relocate again. You really have to push yourself to get out there and do activities with other people! Some of my favorite ways to make friends are: dance classes, yoga, language exchange, and Airbnb experiences with other tourists. Check out my tips on how to make friends and more!
Dating is emotionally taxing when your partner is constantly wondering when you are going travel again and leave them, especially if they don’t want or don’t have the financial means to go with you. You can reassure your partner you’re willing to stay to build a future with them, but some people will have trouble believing you given your history of nomadic travel.
Spending my solo birthday vacation traveling in Yucatan, Mexico enjoying the view atop one of the pyramids at Ek Balam
3. Emergencies
Any sort of emergency can be scary, even dangerous, when traveling alone. Medical emergencies, a crisis, being robbed, losing important documents, etc. can throw anyone into a panic. Not having someone to turn to for help or support when traveling solo can be really difficult, especially when easing into the solo travel lifestyle. Preparing for emergencies ahead of time is important. For example, I often get sick in Mexico. Each time I arrive somewhere new I research: the closest hospital, a doctor who does house calls, pharmacies nearby that deliver, and a delivery service for food. I also stock up my apartment with electrolyte powder and crackers. This way, I am prepared for when sickness strikes and am not left helpless and alone.
Traveling solo as a digital nomad lately means taking myself on cute dates. The only kisses I’m giving out are to painted murals of fictional skeletons from one of my favorite movies (Coco) in Mexico City
4. Mental Health
The downsides of solo travel I’ve mentioned can affect your mental health. It’s just a question of what impacts you most and by how much. Even someone like me, who has been traveling alone and living a transient lifestyle for many years, still struggles with mental health issues. Without a sense of community and belonging, it’s easy to feel lonely and isolated. It’s important to have a good support system that you can reach out to and access (even when far away) and to develop coping strategies before traveling that will help you deal with emotions that come up during your travels. If you’re feeling unstable/vulnerable, it’s best to skip dating to focus on yourself and making new friends. This way, you can develop a strong foundation so you are ready to deal with the ups and downs that come along with dating someone new while traveling.
Sometimes you've got to take yourself out to a fancy dinner to overcome loneliness and beat mental health issues when traveling solo (Valladolid, Yucatan Mexico)
5. Photos and Videos
This one is extremely minor, but I added it to this list because people frequently mention this as a concern when traveling solo. If this is something you’re worried about, it’s really not a big deal. In this blog post I purposefully only used photos taken by strangers, people I’ve met on my travels, or by myself using a tripod. I bring my lightweight, portable tripod everywhere with me; the one I use extends to my height but folds up small for traveling, and comes with a handy bluetooth remote control so I don’t need to use the timer on my phone. Getting comfortable with asking strangers to take your photo really comes in handy! Plus it helps you connect with more people and strike up interesting conversations.
Asking strangers to take your photo doesn’t have to be awkward! They might also be a really good photographer like the person who took this photo of me at the Monumento a la Patria in Merida during my solo travels, Yucatan Mexico
The digital nomad life will provide you with amazing experiences as you travel! But, it would be irresponsible of me not to mention the downsides because I had to learn these all the hard way - through experience when I was alone abroad! I don’t want you to go through the same challenges when you’re traveling solo for the first time. Hopefully, you now have more awareness and can prepare yourself for the downsides of solo travel.
Stay tuned for more personal tales of past failures, current wisdom, and tons of travel tips to get you on your way to solo travel and the nomadic lifestyle!
Traveling alone as a digital nomad is potentially one of the best experiences you will have in you life.
It’s okay to admit not everything will go the way you plan, and sometimes you will feel really lonely! Pin this to your travel board so, the next time you feel lonely or isolated when traveling, you can remember you are not alone! This is completely normal and some of the tips in this blog post may help you. Remember, we are in this together!
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
