Guest post and all photos by: Gennean

As you clearly know, Jeff and I travel a lot. We’re always traveling either together or in a group of friends which is WAY different than solo travel. Neither of us has personally even taken a solo international trip. I think solo travel can be amazing and I don’t think anyone should ever not travel because they don’t want to go solo. All of that to say, I highly encourage solo travel as well but the thing is, it’s not something I can really speak to. Because of that, I asked my friend, Gennean, if she would write up a post about solo travel, and here is what she has to say!

And make sure you check out her new course she talks about below! 

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I’ve been solo traveling now for a few years, and still get asked constantly about why I choose to do it solo, all of the details about exactly how I do it, and — my personal favorite — if it’s as scary as they think it is (spoiler alert: it’s not scary, like, at all). So I thought it would be fun to dispel some of the most common myths about solo travel. Let’s dive in…

1. SOLO TRAVEL IS TOO EXPENSIVE.

The beautiful thing about planning a trip solo is that YOU have full control over the budget, which means that you get to dictate how much everything will cost. There won’t be competing opinions or preferences when planning for your trip, so the choices for where you stay, how you’ll get there, the things you’re going to do, and the places you’re going to eat will be entirely up to you!  The itinerary is totally yours, which means YOU decide exactly how much or how little money you are going to spend. Examples of places to save money are on lodging and transit. Hostels are often cheaper than hotels, and trains or busses are often cheaper than flights. I’d argue hard that solo travel is definitely one of the most inexpensive options for seeing the world!

2. SOLO TRAVEL IS LONELY.

One of the most beautiful things about traveling solo is the opportunities it provides you to both learn more about yourself and to meet new people that you might not have otherwise. And meeting others is so much easier than you’d think. You can join a walking tour or an Airbnb experience to meet others. And choosing to stay in a hostel means you’re pretty much guaranteed to meet other solo travelers, some of which could end up becoming really great friends long beyond your travels! Sure, there are moments of loneliness from time to time, but the opportunities to get to know yourself more and meet new people along the way are absolutely worth it.

3. SOLO TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS.

Sure, it can be. But so can traveling in a group, or walking around a new neighborhood, or even sitting on your couch. Because here’s the thing: a “bad” thing can happen at any time, anywhere. Whether you’re in across the world, in your hometown, or anywhere in between, the potential for danger is always present. But with a clear mind, some education, and the right tools, you will be able to stay safe and secure while traveling. And remember: the fear of something maybe happening isn’t really a good enough reason not to do something, especially travel. 

4. SOLO TRAVEL IS ONLY FOR THE BRAVE.

False! So, so false, trust me. I was so scared at the thought of solo traveling when I first considered it. But the more I read and researched and learned — plus the more I talked to others who had done it — the more I realized everyone had been, at some point, a little scared. But they chose to do it anyway because they realized that the potential risks were totally worth it. Here’s the thing: all scary things are scary until you do them, and solo travel is no exception, but once you’re equipped with the things you need to successfully do it, your confidence will skyrocket. Trust me!

5. SOLO TRAVEL IS TOO COMPLICATED.

You’re not totally wrong. Solo travel can feel a little complicated slash overwhelming, especially if you don’t know where to even start. I mean, there is almost too much information out there nowadays. But once you are able to eliminate the noise and get a grasp on the things you really need to know, it can be SO easy to budget, plan for, and take an amazing solo trip. Take my word for it. I mean, I spent over 100 hours researching the ins and outs of solo travel, scouring every book, blog post, article, YouTube video, and any other educational resource I could get my hands on. While I don’t really recommend that method —  because wow, what a time suck — I did learn a TON about solo travel… much of which just wasn’t important. So I funneled all of the need-to-know information down into something that was simple, easy-to-navigate, and could work for any trip or any size . . .

And so I recently launched my new course: The Simple Guide to Solo Travel.