How traveling solo can push your comfort zones and jumpstart personal growth.
In the early 2010s, Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild, detailing her hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, inspired a wave of enthusiastic new hikers, with 2,000 people—double the previous year—attempting the route immediately following the film adaptation’s release. This came just a few years after the publication of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, whose title became a shorthand for people venturing abroad alone in hopes of hitting refresh on their life.
But in 2023, following a pandemic, a great resignation movement and a spike in break-ups, solo travel is increasingly shifting from a niche fad to a mainstream choice. According to Skyscanner’s Travel Trends 2023 report, one in four travelers are considering escaping solo next year, while Kayak reported that searches for single-person flights are up 36% in 2023 compared to 2022. The increasing interest in independent adventures may have been growing already, but freedom from lockdown certainly accelerated it.
For many, the draw is the freedom to travel when you’d like, without having to factor in others. After graduating from university, freelance UX designer Kristen Sullivan did a European tour, balancing independent travel with friend meet-ups. This then gave her the confidence to do a solo hiking trip in Norway and the Arctic circle.
“I love the absolute freedom. It’s amazing to wake up in a new place and know that you can do whatever you want. It’s also incredible to have time to be alone with your own thoughts and explore who you truly are, while also being open to meeting people you otherwise might not have had the opportunity to get to know.”
Interestingly, it’s the challenge of mental solitude that attracts many solo travelers. For her 25th birthday, Christina O'Brien, a director at a performance marketing firm in New York, decided to take herself on her first solo trip.
“I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with my birthday, but for 25 I was determined to have sun and some real reflection time,” she says. “I’m not someone who’s afraid to meet new people, but it can be so intimidating (and wildly empowering) to be in a crowded place with your own thoughts. It’s a special kind of discomfort I have grown to love.”
While traveling is well-known to help broaden horizons, the independence required for traveling solo offers a unique opportunity to push personal growth in multiple ways.
“I grew up in the South in a really religious community, where travel was only discussed as mission trips or honeymoons,” says Latazia Carter, a judicial clerk in Alaska. “But while studying abroad in South Korea— the first time I traveled for myself—I thought about dreams I’d put on hold, including volunteering at an elephant sanctuary. I decided to go directly to Thailand, my first solo trip. That experience made me more independent, and has given me a comfort with traveling that none of my family has.”
While the mental challenge—and freedom—of sitting with oneself is a unique benefit, every traveler pointed to the connections they made as one of the highlights.
After breaking up with his girlfriend shortly after arriving in New Zealand, international operations analyst Benedict Southerst decided to stick around to clear his head, opting to pick kiwis at a farm.
“I lived in hostels with 30 French guys who also worked there. We quickly became close, and a bunch of us ended up going on a month-long road trip together,” he shares. “All the crazy adventures that I got to experience were because of the freedom I had to follow tips that I picked up from the people I met. When I got back home, I was far more confident in my ability to speak to new people and far less afraid to take risks.”
While hostels are frequently pointed to as a great way to meet like minded travelers, a new generation of travel companies are specifically seeking to bridge the gap between solo travel and making new connections. Those looking for more bespoke offerings can turn to companies like FTLO, a modern group travel company for 25-39 year olds that curates culturally enriching small group experiences, and its sister company Sojrn, which hosts elevated study abroad experiences for adults. The latter was inspired by pandemic-era shifts towards remote work and a renewed love of hobbies.
“We think of Sojrn as an independent experience with a built-in community if you want it,” says founder and CEO Tara Cappel. “The 2-3 weekly activities are group-based, but beyond that, people can interact with others as much or as little as they would like. That being said, the vast majority of travelers consider the community one of the best parts.”
For those building their own trip, experienced solo travelers recommend using apps like Travello, Meetup and Friender to tap into a network of people wherever you are. But their main advice? Get going.