Is it lonely traveling alone?
How does it feel? Does it bother you? Do you enjoy it? Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
Is there a stigma with traveling alone? I'm a very self conscious person
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
yes
>How does it feel?
lonely
>Does it bother you?
i want to kill myself every day and travelling alone doesn't help contrary to what online depression clinicians try and make you believe with their retard armchair webmd education
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
even that isnt reliable, you get people who prioritize stupid shit over you so if you rely on them hanging out with you you're just going to feel even worse when they end up doing their own thing
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone? I'm a very self conscious person
do whatever you want, nobody notices or cares
You're like the billionth person this question; Im surprised you didnt find another thread in the catalog.
To answer your question: traveling alone gives you a ton of benefits as apposed to travelling with somebody or a group. You get to do whatever you want; whenever you want. You're never inconvenienced by another person, nor have to put up with them if they become annoying. For that reason I enjoy it.
Sure it would be nice to travel and share some experiences with people, but after a while the positives of travelling alone outweighs the negatives.
In this day and age there is no longer a stigma for travelling alone - as many individuals travel alone for business, spiritual enlightenment or simply wanting to get away from it all. Dont care so much about what other people think as they wont care at all.
>>1221240
the enlightened one has arrived to blow smoke up everyones ass. oh yeah bro its real liberating having nobody around to do anything with. you want to go to bars and meet people? uh oh cant do that according to you, because then youd have to start hanging out with them. damn now you cant do your own thing like walk around aimlessly in the city with nothing to do all day
>>1221237
It's very bizarre feeling so alone, and yet seeing a post that resonates so deeply with how I feel. If that's the case, am I truly alone?
>>1221243
yes,. and the worst part is we couldnt even hang out if we wanted to because we would just convince each other to finally kill ourselves already
>>1221241
Sounds like you're blowing smoke up your own ass.
>>1221246
>Sure it would be nice to travel and share some experiences with people, but after a while the positives of travelling alone outweighs the negatives.
you a fuckin retard? what if youre travelling with someone that wants to follow your schedule? with someone that walks as fast as you?
do you have any real reasons or is your enlightened retard ass gonna keep trying to gaslight people into thinking theyre wrong. humans are social animals, even if you travel alone you're still trying to find shit to do with other people because what else is there to do? are you going on a hike retreat or something you fucking gross piece of shit hippie? take a bath freak, then we'll talk
>>1221247
Not that guy, but honestly, ease off with the disproportional belligerence.
I enjoy travelling alone and meeting new people. Try to not willfully misunderstand people. Travelling alone and meeting new people is great because you're not bound by your usual social persona, as you would be to some degree if travelling with a friend. That's where the real sense of freedom is.
>>1221250
yeah it's fun pretending like you have no real friends so you can act like someone you're not to strangers you meet. i bet the plane tickets, gas and rent for that amount of spent time is worth it instead of spending it with someone you actually know
try not to willfully misunderstand me dude :)
>>1221252
>pretending like you have no real friends
H-hehe yeah, p-pretending..
>>1221252
OP here
I don't really have a choice, as I said I don't have much of a social life or close enough friends to invite with me
I still wanna travel though, even if it's a little sad
>>1221252
6/10
>>1221241
He didn't say metting people in the way wasn't an option. Damn you are platinum mad.
I would travel alone rather than going with you any day :)
Sometimes I like to be alone when I travel. I can clear my head better.
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
no
>How does it feel?
you can do whatever you want when you want to do it
Does it bother you?
no
Do you enjoy it?
yes
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
i had that stigma too, lost it when i started traveling domestically for work. this year i went to thailand/cambodia/hk/mcu for 4 weeks friends met me for the last 10 days honestly had much more fun by myself i find it's way easier to befriend locals and pull women when you're a lonely traveler
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone? I'm a very self conscious person
im sure some people will find it weird but fuck them im /trv/
just get out there and have fun you'll hate yourself for never doing it
>>1221235
memes?
Been travelling though the UK for 2+ years.
Its' lonely to start off with, but eventually I got used to the situation and made it work from there. When I was staying in hostels I found it a lot easier to meet people that are keen to go out and see the sights. Same again when I started working- met a few good people and had a decent circle of friends within a couple of months.
Don't sweat it mate. There's nothing wrong with going for a drink in a bar on your own. I've done it plenty of times, sometimes to be alone and sometimes to meet new people.
Just remember, travelling alone is a blessing and a curse, because you're alone but just remember you're not carrying any baggage from where you're from. Half the world is waiting for the other half to say hello.
I hope you have a great time!
>>1221788
Also, some would consider it cheating but if you really don't want to be alone, go on a Contiki tour. I haven't been myself but I've heard amazing things about them and I know more than a few people that have made friends for life out of them and yes, one of them went on the trip on his own.
>>1221235
>be not autistic
>go traveling alone
>make friends at hostels
>no longer "alone"
wow
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
It's not like you spend full time by yourself. If you stay at hostels, it's easy to mingle with people in the common room or during activities.
Other modern ways to meet people on the fly : Couchsurfing events (like Friday happy hour, English corner, sunday bbq and whatnot), Tinder (you can use it for casual meet-ups, and eventually get some sex on the side, isn't life great ?), Internations (a bit harder but doable).
>How does it feel?
You need to push yourself more to meet people and motivate yourself to do things, so it can be a bit exhausting at times.
But at the same time, I like to have some privacy regularly, as in "not having to talk to anyone for a while", so that suits me very well. It's difficult to have some shut-in moments when traveling with someone.
Actually, when I travel with friends, I often offer to have some sort of "free" days from time to time where each of us go to do what they want.
>Does it bother you? Do you enjoy it?
It doesn't really bother me, I like it for the extra freedom, ease to get privacy and how much easier it is to get to meet local people, and travelers alike tbqh, when you are by yourself.
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
I sometimes travel with friends, more often than alone actually. I seldowent alone because nobody wanted to go to some place with me (it happened a couple of time oc).
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone?
Quite the contrary. Normies are always surprised/slightly impressed to meet someone traveling by themselves, except if you're obviously a weirdo.
>>1221235
Of course it gets lonely sometimes but that's the price you pay for the benefits as others have covered. A big part of the appeal of solo travel is the roller-coaster of amazing highs where you feel on top of the world, and lows where you question your value as an individual and all the decisions you've made in your life to that point. This helps create stronger memories and more personal growth as opposed to the consistent pleasant blandless of daily life. Loneliness can certainly hold you back from doing things but it can also give you that extra push to try something new, it takes effort to use it as a force for the latter.
Loneliness can come at you from different angles, whether it be from culture shock, social embarrassment/rejection, or missing out on things with friends/family at home. You don't have to go abroad to experience many of these but by being out there without a reliable buddy to fall back on does make you more susceptible.
To me the downside isn't periodic loneliness, most western men have learned to cope with that to some degree. It's more frustration at the cycle of meeting interesting people you really click with, having great times together, feeling like you could be best mates for life, then leaving them never to see them again. So in a way the problem for me is really that you meet too many interesting people rather than too few.
As for how it's viewed that varies in different cultures and situations. In backpacker destinations and western individualist countries it's normal. In more family-oriented cultures people might find it a little strange but more in a sympathetic than a disapproving way.
>>1221867
How to not be a weirdo?
>>1221235
I prefer the actual traveling part alone. And I am usually traveling to meet people, or I find people when I am there, or before I go. I hate having to wait or worry about other people.
I also like doing tourist type stuff by myself. Sightseeing, museums. Easier to navigate crowds solo, amd you can move at your own pace. Even if I am eoth someone else, I usually get separated when doing stuff like temples or museums, with us meeting up at the end.
>>1221880
Act in a non-creepily way (no staring, no being too "intense", etc.). Don't be over touchy feely, don't push incomfortable conversations, don't try to fake your persona into some kind of jock to hide a lack of confidence.
Most people are completely OK with relatively dorky shy people, there is no need to play a Chad role, and people would see right through it. Just chill.
Talk about easy subjects (where have you traveled, what do you do, how do you like it here, etc.) and the convo will start on this way.
You'll see what works and what doesn't after a few botched encounters. That's the good thing when you travel alone : no witness of your fuck-ups :) And the brains are a wonderful thing, they tend to make you forget a lot of embarassing memories after a while.
>tfw I realize I look like a sociopath writing this
>>1221891
>tfw the embarrassing memories keep you up at night over a decade later
Not really, I feel better traveling alone. I had some bad experiences traveling with other people, getting told I was a controlling asshole and too bossy. I get asked if I want to go on trips with people, but I turn them down.
Sometimes it sucks, like eating alone and if I have to wait around, I don't have anyone to talk with. But it's also nice to decide where I want to eat and not make others angry about it.
I have social phobia and suffer from depression with a lethargic tendency. I have no friends to travel with, so I go for group travel offers by small businesses that take maybe 10-16 people per tour.
It helps me relax because someone else is taking care of the stressful stuff like navigating train lines. Following a schedule means it's much easier for me to get myself motivated to get out of bed early and actually do something. I find it much more pleasant to share my sightseeing experiences with like-minded people, too.
>>1221235
> I'm a very self conscious person
That's obvious.
It's basically the same, but if you don't feel like doing something, or you want to make a random change nobody will nag or bitch to you about it, It's more laid back and relaxing than letting others tag along, and unless you're doing a destination bachelor party thing that's how it should always be done.
>>1221235
The funny thing is that I never felt lonely when I traveled alone and didn't want to make friends. Just for sightseeing etc. it's perfectly fine for me to run around a week on my own just talking to people. But if I talk to people and make friends in the hostel I always get a gut wrenching feeling once they depart. I once stayed in a city for one month because of the people staying in the hostel during the same time and after that I traveled with two guys from the same hostel for another month, before we parted ways. I felt like complete shit once I was alone again. Probably because it reminded me that I have no friends at all.
There is no stigma with traveling alone, I would say the vast majority of people you meet in hostels off the beaten track are solo travelers.
>>1221235
I've always traveled alone.
My trip overseas lasted for four months. I knew before going that none of my friends would have the time or money to come along with me. However, they were all supportive and wished me the best of luck. One of my buddies met up with me in Istanbul as he was going around visiting relatives in Turkey. I was 19 then, lost my virginity, and made a handful of friends I still talk to on the regular.
Since then, I've never bothered trying to find a group before traveling. No matter where I go, I can always found locals or fellow travelers to give me company. Every so often I'll feel down or alone, but I always manage to bounce back. When I want to go somewhere with a group, I find a group; when I don't, then I don't. Having the freedom to make my own decisions is nice, but there are admittedly times when it'd be nice to share a view or a memory with a close friend rather than an Australian from the hostel.
There isn't any stigma in traveling alone. I've been to about 35 countries by myself since 2013 and have never had anybody criticize me for going solo. If they talk shit about me behind my back, I don't really give a fuck - I've had great travels and have made tons of friends.
If anything, traveling alone has taught me to be a lot more confident and care a helluva lot less about what strangers may think of me.
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
Can be. I travel alone a lot, mostly on extended biz trips, but sometimes also for personal stuff. Helps to have a good book and be willing to strike up conversations with strangers.
>How does it feel? Does it bother you? Do you enjoy it?
I enjoy it. It doesn't bother me.
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
I'm married with kids. So I have a family to travel with. But sometimes I have to travel without them.
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone?
Not that I have noticed or cared about. I have met solo travelers literally everywhere I have been (70 countries), some of whom I've done things with. In the places where I have been most out of place as a solo diner or what have you, I've stuck out anyway, as an obvious foreigner. Most people don't care. Many want to join you.
>>1221241
You need to meet people, dude. Doing stuff while traveling is (almost) always better with others. Yes, I enjoy taking a morning walk to a museum or whatever interests me, getting a quick bite, taking a nap, etc. But unless the scenery or the action is especially spectacular, my best memories often go back to people in a particular place, not the particular place itself. The place and its people are intrinsically linked.
>>1221252
Yes, the only time with merit is that spent with people you already know.
>>1221940
Right, I thought that was the whole fucking point of traveling--not just to get away to a new place, but to get away from all the people where you live friends and family included. Best trip as a US citizen was to Cuba because nobody guilt tripped me about not calling or emailing them constantly when I was away. I know this generation is all about Snapchatting every shit you take etc. But I just want to be left alone sometimes and even if you never leave your house that's harder than it sounds......I would think that someone with social anxiety or whatever would understand that, but it just sounds like you suck at making friends. Kys
>>1221235
people who travel alone wet themselves when they meet another person of the same race, then completely ignore the native people and rather get to know the new person they've just met
it's kind of funny, but sad to because they end up missing out getting to know another culture
>>1221978
OP not you*
>>1221978
I thought I made it obvious that I didn't have any experience traveling, these are legitimate questions why are you so defensive?
>>1221987
Well nobody ever has any experience until they do it. I guess you would have to judge for yourself the legitimacy of your own questions, but I'd say they aren't. If I sound defensive it's probably because if I had a dollar for every time I'd been asked those exact questions by friends upon my return I could open a few McDonald's franchises; honestly it gets annoying. My thoughts: if these are issues you're grapling with don't even bother, stay home because you wouldn't enjoy it anyway.
>>1221993
>but I'd say they aren't
Fuck off, get over yourself I got a lot of great considerate responses, some confirming my questions and have more of an understanding where I'm coming from
I enjoy the wilderness alone, but I've spent most of my life alone
I left home 16 months ago and was reallly worried about this. I usually have a hard time making friends and was usually alone on the weekends at home.
I can easily say that this has been the most social time in my life. It's incredibly easy to meet people just about anywhere in the world that you'd want to go. Either in hostels, on Tinder, wherever. When you're a traveler things are really different.
>>1222062
What's literally wrong with either of those?.
Hostels are cheap as fuck faggkt
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
I met a Frenchmen traveling the world alone. He had made his way to China by the time I met him. He was very lonely. The group I was traveling with invited him to dinner and go to the club with him. He really appreciated it, and he really missed his friends and family back home.
>>1221235
My experience:
with a good old friend > alone > with a random backpacker picked up in hostel
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
Not really, depends on the kind of person you are and how you plan out your trip. If you aren't very social at home chances are you won't be while traveling. I perfer to travel alone and meet different people from all over like myself so I actually prefer to travel alone alot since I don't have to have the conversations with friends of "what do you wanna do? I dunno what do you wanna do?" etc..
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone? I'm a very self conscious person
This answers your question, if you are very self conscious then there is a good chance you won't be to social with others, and more likely to not have as much fun.
This question really fucking comes down to what kind of person you are normally, just going to X place won't make everything instantly better if the issues are with yourself.
I hate traveling with people
>group can't decide on anything
>constantly bitching about where to eat
>sits in hotel room throwing ideas on what to do
>decide to go out on my own ask if anyone wants to come
>have a blast
>meet locals and stuff hang out at some pubs and such
>text yeah I'm at x if you guys want to meet up
>"wow anon where did you go, you just left us here?"
>this was the whole time we were there
I'll meet up with people somewhere, but I am going to make a schedule at least for some basic ideas of what to do.
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
If you want to be lonely you can be.
>How does it feel?
Liberating, you can do whatever you like whenever you like. You're not worrying about what other people want to do and see. You can also decide if and when you want to be social.
>Does it bother you?
No, I prefer it.
>Do you enjoy it?
Yes, most of the time.
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
I have people I would travel with, but they're probably in a similar boat to me.
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone? I'm a very self conscious person.
If you're weird about it. Don't treat it as some weird esoteric self-discovery bullshit. You're traveling alone because it's easier to use your time and money as efficiently as possible.
Is it lonely traveling alone?
My personal experience wasn't too bad making friends with locals took a minute and trying to stay away from more tourist areas was a little rough at first. For me it was basically clearing my head.
How does it feel? sightly blissful, slightly depressing
Does it bother you? No your're pretty good at asking the same damn question.
Do you enjoy it? Yep
Or do you just have nobody to travel with? I went backpacking for 3 months in eastern Europe just because I could at the time, which was much needed.
Is there a stigma with traveling alone? Depends on who you ask you fucking wanker.
Personally if I was going to travel I would rather do it alone, I've been out to places with friends but I get anxiety if I think what I want to do would bore them, so being alone I can just do whatever I want of my own accord
>>1222783
Lol
Is making friends with locals harder or easier in big cities vs small places?
I found that in the last few years a lot of traveler groups have popped up that makes finding people to travel with very very easy. I'm in Australia at the moment and have signed up for like 6 or 7 different backpacker groups and it's super easy to find people to travel with. People generally don't want to travel alone for long periods of time so they will tag along if you have something to offer yourself.
>>1222862
>Be Aussie solo traveler
>Have my travels ruined by some arsehole drunk Aussie
>mfw it's me
>>1222871
Get cucked
>>1221235
I am traveling alone right now.
It is a little boring, but I met a lot of person in this horrible hostel (French and Germans, nice people).
It is better to do all the shirts that I am doing with someone, but I know that the my friends will not walk 40 kilometers in the mountains, so, it is ok.
>>1222823
It's easier if you're in a bigger place I've noticed. Smaller areas people know your not from there. You might need to be more careful and they don't know English that well nor do they really open up. In my experience with smaller areas at least.
>>1222786
> I get anxiety if I think what I want to do would bore them
Iktf,b. How does one deal with this?
>>1221235
Personally I prefer it, although obviously night life and food can be more fun with friends. Although I prefer hiking, sight seeing, etc by myself because I can take my time and deviate to wherever I want to go.
It's lonely being holed up in your apartment 24/7 but that doesn't seem to bother most people.
>>1221235
>Is it lonely traveling alone?
Sometimes
>How does it feel?
I'm usually cool with travelling by myself, but in every trip there will be some moments where you realize you are completely alone in a foreign city. This coupled with the fact that you don't speak the language can make you feel isolated/lonely.
>Does it bother you?
No, there's a lot of advantages to travelling alone. But I'm alright with spending time by myself back at home too.
>Do you enjoy it?
Yes, it's total freedom and frankly better than travelling with a big group. It's also very easy to meet new people, be it locals or tourists.
>Or do you just have nobody to travel with?
Yes, my friends are not into travelling as much as I am and can't be arsed to join me half the time. Summer is high season for me aswell, which is when they get vacations, so it's hard to organize things together. But fuck it, I ain't gonna stop doing what I enjoy just cause there's nobody there to hol my hand.
>Is there a stigma with traveling alone?
Some people will be surprised that you are travelling alone, but I have usually found that they are more likely to be curious about your itinerary than to judge you.
I genuinely don't understand why solo traveling is so frowned upon. Can someone explain it to me really?
It seems to me traveling with other people would involve a lot of compromise and holds you back enjoying yourself with other people in the hostel.
>>1223387
Is it frowned upon?
I feel like you, but I could easily see why some people might want to have a buddy or two.
>>1223387
>>1223401
It's mostly the social stigma, more so on this board. Traveling alone is usually fine for anyone, just don't say it like "just me going to X". Generally most people will call it a "Get away" where I am from.
I usually will say at work I am traveling alone, which is true, but I will sometimes hit up some people I know online. Otherwise I will say "Nah just me, I need to get away from it all for a while", and most people will agree that it sounds fun.
Personally I don't like to travel with others, I don't mind meeting people at X or sharing a hotel room for cheaper costs(usually airbnb/hostel or something is cheaper and more fun). My issue with traveling with others is trying to get scheduling and other junk sorted out like transportation and shit that I'd rather not deal with on a vacation.
>>1223387
>I genuinely don't understand why solo traveling is so frowned upon. Can someone explain it to me really?
Hostel/backpacking/solo travel just aren't part of the US culture at all. I thought solo traveling was weird until I did it abroad myself, and found fuckloads of people doing it, like half of most hostels that I've been to.
>>1223435
A lot of it comes down to how you phrase it to others. I made the mistake once but figured out how to phrase traveling alone now people just go "wow that sounds nice".
Which sounds better:
A)
>Anon you're going to Japan for holiday/vacation?
Yeah just going by myself to see a few things around japan, maybe go to a concert, and maybe a few other things in tokyo.
B)
>Anon you're going to Japan for holiday/vacation?
Yeah, just going by myself and get some me time in, going to go sight seeing, go see a show and maybe do some stuff I haven't even planned yet.
Both said the same thing but one obviously sounds more exciting than the other. American culture is all about how you say it not what you say, especially when traveling.
>>1223444
I tend to focus on the aspect of meeting other people when I tell people about trips, and mention that it's much easier when traveling alone, which is very much the truth.
>>1223474
Most definitely, it's just when I tell people about trips I tend to keep it focused on about "me being me". Mostly just to give people the idea I am not going there just because I couldn't find anyone to go with or what not. I've met 10x more people and have had way much more fun traveling alone than going with friends who feel like you are blowing them off because you want to understand a place you've never been to.
Nothing beats travelling alone. You have to make shit happen - talk to people at the bus stop, restaurant, hostel bar or wherever. I've had countless times where I show up to a place all alone and being like "wtf do i do now" and then end up at a giant party and meeting new friends or going home with some broad.
There is no stigma to travelling alone. Most people I've encountered find it intriguing that I was travelling alone for an extended period of time. No one is judging you when you're travelling - at least I didn't feel that way nor did I judge people in a negative manner.
The only place I ever had a problem connecting or finding stuff to do with people was in Singapore. I was genuinely lonely there for close to 3 days.
>>1221247
Yeesh dude, seems like /b/ or /pol/ is more for you