5 Vital Tips to Overcome Loneliness While Traveling Alone
Solo trips are meaningful, healing and fun. You get to spend with somebody you sometimes forget a lot: YOURSELF. It’s a wonderful chance to catch up with yourself, know more about who you are, and find the good in everything on your own. Traveling is educational and momentous, and doing so alone makes it even more beautifully life-changing. Traveling alone is something actually worth-experiencing!
However, just like any kind and format of traveling, there are challenges that you may face while traveling solo. One of the most common of all is facing sadness and aloneness due to lack of companions. Though you are aware that you are traversing without anybody, sometimes during the trip, it makes you gloomy, and you wish you could share the happy moment with a loved one.
You are there, and what you can do is to savor the precious time unaccompanied. To make you feel better, consider these 5 things to overcome loneliness while traveling. They can help you stay sane as you enjoy your solo trip.
1 – Focus on spending a peaceful solo trip.
Do not focus on the thought that you are alone. Do not mind the stereotypical idea that it’s sad to be all by yourself. This is a solo trip, and you should concentrate on spending a peaceful trip with no one but yourself. There is a lot you can do and experience happily on your own. Direct your full attention to that.
Embrace every moment because it’s not everyday that you get to enjoy yourself and catch up with the most important person in your life: You. Solo traveling is actually really nice and wholesome. In it, you have all your time, money and freedom in general. It’s less stressful compared to traveling with someone or with a group. You can be restful and make all your travel plans considering nobody but yourself through it all.
Traveling alone is a great time to think, reflect, explore and discover more about yourself. If you are in need of finding yourself again, traveling alone can be a salubrious way to do so. Healing, restoration and renewal of your mind and heart can be achieved from traveling alone.
At times, it’s tiring to be with people, and you cannot deny that since you are only human too. If you experience burnouts because of people and people’s issues, traveling alone can be a good way to take a breather and skip the unnecessary stress that comes with them.
Think of your solo trip like this, and you can overcome loneliness.
2 – Call your loved ones.
The possibility of feeling homesick whenever you are far away from your family occurs even when you are traveling for vacations alone. Especially for getaways that last for a month or so, even when they are superb luxury escapes, being alone can make you feel lonely. It’s a shame to waste time just getting sad all the time, so to relieve the loneliness you feel, call your loved ones!
In this age of digital technology, means of communications are plenty, accessible and more progressive. Get in touch with family and friends you miss through social media. Do video calls with them if you want to see their faces too. Chat with them through online communication apps and sites. There are so many ways to connect with people all across the globe, so wherever you are traveling, you can break the boundaries of distance through the products of advanced technology.
Traveling alone is fun but you might feel quite gloomy after the exciting activities you do since you have nobody to share your glee-filled stories with. It would be more satisfying, and your chest will feel happier if you have someone to recap your trip’s moments with. Calling your loved ones to recount your solo trip’s experiences for the day is possible. That’s the way to ease your loneliness and to share your joy as well.
3 – Approach people, and make friends.
Solo trips will test your socialization skills indeed because you do not just go traveling the world without speaking with strangers whose help or presence you might need to. Be courageous to approach people and make friends if you want to. It could be your seatmate in the bus, your hotel room’s housekeeper, your cab driver or anyone who seems to be a good person you can talk with some time during your trip.
Traveling alone can also be a cool way to build friendships. It can be random but wonderful! In case it happens the other way around, like if a fellow solo traveler approaches you to make friends with you, then be open to the possibility of new friendships! Of course, you should be smart and vigilant to keep yourself safe and away from thieves and delinquents. Nonetheless, if you feel and prove that they are sincere people, it’s fine to entertain them.
4 – Join group tours.
When traveling alone, it could be difficult to visit tourist spots and do activities that are designed mostly for groups. This can make you sad. However, do not lose hope. You can join group tours where solo travelers, pair travelers and all sorts of travelers come together to enjoy tourist destinations and pursuits together.
In a group tour, you are strangers with all the participants as they are to you. That’s an easier chance to meet people and make new friends. Be friendly and approachable, so you can strike up friendships confidently! Taking photos while traveling alone could be difficult, but in group tours, you have someone or some people to help you around.
_____________
SAD NO MORE
Getting sad while traveling solo can happen sometimes. It could be a leisure trip or a business trip, and this emotional response could arise. It’s often difficult, especially if you get homesick despite all the luxurious experiences and fun encounters in your trip. But you should and can overcome it. With the help of the tips written above, you should and you can.
Be sad no more. Cheer up. Cherish the trip’s every second. Bring home lovely memories from your solo trip to share as stories to your loved ones when you come back.
_____________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nicole Ann Pore is a writer, an events host and a voice over artist. Quality and well-researched writing is her worthwhile avenue to enlighten and delight others about things that matter. She is a daytime writer for Kims, a beachside retreat in Australia offering awesome beachside lodges like no other. Nicole graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.
