Traveling solo was one of the best things I’ve done for myself–if not the best thing. It’s super intimidating, incredibly frustrating and scary as all hell, and something you must, must do. When you imagine traveling to exotic places around the world or having adventures, most people don’t imagine doing those alone. I sure didn’t. But the truth is that life doesn’t always happen the way you want it to (does it ever? 😜). And sometimes you have to go at it alone. It’s never easy but it’s so worth it, and that’s why I’ve put together these inspiring quotes for traveling alone.
I think there’s different types of traveling alone but they all take courage, especially if you aren’t outgoing. Or if you’re one of those introverted-extroverts–a mixed breed type if you will–like I am.
Different types of traveling alone? Hear me out. There are trips where you are 100% solo traveling. Then there’s trips where you might fly by yourself only to meet up with someone later. Or you want to visit a place but don’t have anyone to go with, so you go alone and join a tour full of strangers.
(Why do I feel like I sound like Karen Smith from Mean Girls trying to describe her lineage of cousins right now? She’s not making sense and then Gretchen Weiners is just looking at her like, ‘No Karen.’)
ANYWAY, the other options may not be entirely solo, but you might end up on your own at some point. And regardless of if you’re planning your first solo road trip, your first solo international trip or a partial solo adventure, it still takes courage.
My Solo Adventures
One of my first solo ‘adventures’ was moving from Kansas City to Miami on a whim, on my own, and without knowing anyone there. I know it isn’t necessarily traveling, but it requires the same self-preservation methods as traveling alone.
Shortly after I moved to Miami, I landed a travel job that was posted online (ok, it was actually posted on Craigslist. Don’t judge me.) and I FLEW to Trinidad and Tobago on my own for a job I had found on freaking Craigslist. My parents nearly suffered a heart attack and begged me not to go, but I was stubborn and determined to have my first semi-solo adventure. THANK GOD it ended up being exactly what I thought it would be and met up with an amazing crew to explore Tobago. I later flew to Jamaica to meet up with the same group!
Now, I’ve flown to countless countries on my own…sometimes meeting up with a tour when I’m there and sometimes not.
The second series of travel-related heart attacks I undoubtedly gave my parents was when I told them I was going to move to China.
WHO MOVES TO CHINA OUT OF NOWHERE?!
Me apparently. I flew to China by myself and moved there for a year. It was the ultimate solo adventure that was both humorous and painful. Throughout that year, I cried, I laughed, I dropped an immense amount of f-bombs (sorry Mom) and somehow managed to make it to remote corners of China, though I arrived in a haggard state of disarray each time. China is where I learned perseverance. Even now, when I look back at my time there, some of the hardest moments are some of my best China stories.
And I didn’t stop there. (This is what they call ‘a glutton for punishment’.) Before I returned from China, I decided to stay and backpack through Southeast Asia for several months completely alone. So trust me when I say I have experienced every sort of feeling there is to be associated with traveling by yourself. I understand the fear, the problems, the inconveniences. But I also know how rewarding it is. There are many pros and cons to traveling solo, but I will tell you over and over to take the trip.
Fear is a powerful thing and if you let it get the best of you, you’ll never accomplish what you’ve set out to do. So take the trip–and read on to be inspired and encouraged!
READ MORE: Solo Travel
Quotes for Traveling Alone
- “Some journeys can be only traveled alone.” -Ken Poirot
- “There is a big world out there. Don’t wait for someone to take you by the hand. Just go.” -Unknown
- “If you never go, you’ll never know.” -Anonymous
- “There are some places in life where you can only go alone. Embrace the beauty of your solo journey.” -Mandy Hale
- “You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong.” -Sue Fitzmaurice
- “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” -Neale Donald Walsch
- “Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life changing experience of your life. Try it at least once.” -Unknown
- “If you make friends with yourself, you will never be alone.” -Maxwell Maltz
- “A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places.” -Isabelle Eberhardt
- “Travel far enough to meet yourself.” -Anonymous
- “As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself, it’s inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are.” -Unknown
- “You have to get lost before you can be found.” -Jeff Rasley
- “Solo travel not only pushes you out of your comfort zone, it also pushes you out of the zone of others’ expectations.” -Suzy Strutner
- “Sometimes a solo trip is all you need to reset.” -Unknown
- “Into the wild I go, losing my way, finding my soul.” -Anonymous
- “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over.” -Tony Wheeler
- “The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels with another must wait til that other is ready.” -Henry David Thoreau
- “You never really travel alone, the world is full of friends waiting to get to know you.” -Unknown
- “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure.” -Freya Stark
- “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.” –Chinese Proverb
- “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” -Unknown
- “If you are waiting for someone to travel with you, you may end up waiting a lifetime.” -Anonymous
- “I am never happier than when I am alone in a foreign city. It is as if I had become invisible.” -Storm Jameson
- “Go Solo. Go far.” -Uknown
- “Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind.” -Marty Rubin
And there you have it. I hope these quotes for traveling alone have inspired you to take a leap of courage. Traveling solo is what taught me so many lessons about the world and about myself. It helps you grow as a person and learn your strengths (and weaknesses!). You can do it!
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