Is Solo Travel Lonely?

When I first told people I was planning a solo trip, one of the main things I got asked by well intended, but skeptical family and friends was, "but won't you be lonely?"

Truth be told, I'm something of an introvert by nature anyway so I was actually quite excited by the prospect of spending some quality time with little old me.

That said, after biting the bullet and booking my first ever solo trip, a long weekend in Porto in sunny Portugal, I'd be lying if I said that the night before going away, I wasn't filled with nerves at the prospect of travelling abroad alone and having to fill my time in a new place on my own with no familiar faces to lean on.

Suddenly three days seemed to stretch menacingly before me...

But here's the truth about solo travel - it's all about what you make of it.

There are naturally going to be moments of awkwardness and uncertainty - we're only human after all. Butchering the few phrases you hastily learned on Duolingo trying to chat to the taxi driver; feeling like you stick out like a sore thumb eating dinner in a packed restaurant alone for the first time; having no one to help you pick out the tackiest souvenirs when you're killing time at the airport; these are all rights of passage for the new solo sightseer, but I promise, these are usually brief moments of insecurity that soon pass!

In my experience, what you'll actually find is that a solo trip is such a tonic. It's refreshing to have the freedom to call the shots, do what you want to, when you want to, exactly how you like it.

Want to spend the afternoon scouting out the most Instagram-able spots? You can snap away to your heart's content. Is spending the day searching for perfect pieces in the local boutiques more up your street? No one's going to be moping around waiting for you outside the changing rooms. Or do you want to live life like a local for the afternoon, sipping a glass of the finest local vino, watching the world go by? Go on, enjoy that main character moment!

By taking the time for myself on these trips, indulging in my hobbies and interests, learning how to be comfortable in my own company and opening my eyes to a new corner of the world, I always come away feeling refreshed, motivated and more confident.

So, if a fear of feeling lonely is what's holding you back, don't let it, because there's so much more you stand to gain from these solo travel experiences!

Here's my top tips for overcoming solo travel loneliness:

• Plan at least one set thing per day to give your day a little structure. It can be a little overwhelming knowing where to start on a solo trip - picking an activity, museum or sight to see in a particular area each day allows you to build your day around something central.

• Take a good book with you. If you're feeling a little awkward waiting for your food to arrive or waiting for your flight to board, pulling out a good read is a sure fire way to look nonchalant and keep yourself occupied.

• Get a good E-Sim so you can share as you go. Trust me the 'guess where I am' FaceTime's never get old!

• Take the pressure off yourself. It's your trip at the end of the day, so do exactly what feels good to you without judgement or worrying about what you 'should' be doing. After a long day of sightseeing I'm not ashamed to admit that I've grabbed a good old McDonalds and headed back to my hotel for an early night watching Real Housewives in air-conditioned bliss. I'm a culture vulture who loves new experiences, but I'm also on my hard-earned holidays, and sometimes a gal's soul is just crying out for nuggets and a Coke Zero.

Happy solo travels!

Alex

@thesolodispatches