Solo traveling – a positive impact on yourself and others

We sometimes hear of holiday stories from people who travelled together but were not made to be travelling buddies: one wants to lie on the beach all day, while the other one can’t rest and wants to explore every corner of the city and hike every mountain.

Those who have opted for solo traveling have decided to be able to focus on their own experiences and feelings. They are able to take in the culture and landscapes without being influenced by the prejudices and tastes of a travel companion. Their mistakes are their own, and their victories are all the more exciting – solo traveling is sometimes described as a religious experience. But solo traveling is mainly a learning experience. It is an opportunity to get to know yourself better and at the same time get to know the locals; an opportunity to learn who you want to be:

• Firstly, you are surrounded by people who know nothing about you: you can decide who you are. You also have the ability to look back at your day to day life from another perspective - you may be surprised what you see!

• Secondly, being alone in difficult situations like when your plane is cancelled or when you get lost in a city makes you realise that you can sort yourself out without the help of others. You can rely on yourself. You are strong and independent.

• Thirdly, being out of your comfort zone makes you pay more attention to the way you act, and contemplate who you truly are. The real you is already in there. Sometimes it just takes being completely on your own to peel away the layers and see through to what's inside.

It is when you are alone that you discover your greatest potential. You can rely on yourself. You are strong.

Some holidays provide you with more insight into a culture than any others one combined. These holidays are the ones where you were welcomed and guided by locals.

Of course, meeting up with locals is not always easy, but let’s imagine you yourself are a local and you have the option of talking to two people who are clearly friends and already chatting, or a person who is sitting on their own. Who would you talk to first?

If being alone encourages people breaking the ice with you, you as a traveller must also take the first step. Smile and start a conversation. Be curious and ask open-ended questions and follow-up questions. Soon you will be invited to go wassailing in a British orchard, or to dance the Ingoma dance with the Zulu people. You will quickly realise that getting to know new people and discover their culture can be a highlight of your trip. Like I often say, “people make places”.

And last but not least, why not make use of your solo time to help local communities? A lot of associations provide ethical journeys with impact, like Camps International, which organises camps for schools and work in partnership with local communities and commit to responsible tourism throughout their operations.

The website Ethical traveler provides a list of the world’s ten best Ethical destinations. Their choice is based on four general categories: environmental protection, social welfare, human rights, and animal welfare.

Finally, volunteers of the association All Hands and Hearts help communities recover after a natural disaster, by building safe houses, schools and community buildings in a resilient way, which prepares them for future events.

To sum up, the world is big, and there are endless ways to bring your contribution to make it fairer and more beautiful: take your step!

Why not have a positive impact on a local community by volunteering during your solo travel?

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