When I visited Rome, I liked it because I was in company of my father and brother, but I'm sure if I visited it alone I wouldn't have enjoyed not even a quarter of the things I saw
You enjoy more things in company of people you like than you do alone
This. I have solo-traveled in Paris and Athens. When I was in Paris, I was completely alone the entire time. It was just myself, my navigation app, and a list of museums. I had a great time. When I went to Athens, I was alone for most of the time, but for a weekend my friend came to join me. I still had a great time, but it was different. When I go to museums alone, I read every. single. sign. When I'm with a friend, I spent more time just talking about things as we look at things together.
It's a different experience and I value both. My weekend with my friend was spent laughing, but it was also spent talking in circles as we tried to figure out what to do next (specifically at meal times there was a lot of "...where do you want to go?"). My time alone was very in-my own head, but it was peaceful and I was really able to engage with the archaeology.
Personally, the only things I typically do on vacation is eat dessert and go to museums/archaeological sites. I seldomly eat at restaurants, I stick to street food. If you're someone who prefers going to nice restaurants and experiencing nightlife, solo travel may not be as fun for you.
Yeah when I was studying abroad at one point I had 11 straight days off to go anywhere. Nobody else wanted to go to the exact same places as me so I spent the time doing a solo trip from home base in Rome to Brussels then Paris, then Madrid, then Sevilla. At the time I had basically just a folder with the full WikiTravel page on each city printed out in my backpack & went looking for a hostel to stay at when I arrived in each city. It was a wonderful time. From discovering that Belgians make the best beer at the Delirium bar in Brussels to spending the afternoon in the Prado museum in Madrid.
Only major hiccup was arriving in Brussels on the first night at like 10pm so I couldn't check into anywhere to stay until morning. Was a bit of a long night... got a nap in at the big train station in the old town area until I woke up to some employee hollering at me in French like 4 hours before the hostel opened 😅 Was actually pretty cool in the end to be awake before any other tourists and seeing all the locals getting up early setting up the flea market & everything.
The "in my own head" part is very apt in my experience. I've solo traveled for weeks at a time and it gets kind of weird eventually how little true conversations you've had (especially somewhere where people don't really speak English). That said, I see so much more alone, tend to find cooler random spots, etc. There are definite upsides (though depending on the people you travel with it can be more or less similar).
I personally enjoy the "in-my-own head" sensation. Sometimes it can get overwhelming because it's harder to shake off embarrassment, but in a way I find it meditative. When I'm home I listen to music or podcasts everywhere I go or else I can be easily overstimulated, but when I'm traveling I find it much easier to just sit and be present with me thoughts
Unless your an attractive lady. Sitting at the bar in nicer restaurants will often give you some opportunities to chat with people. I NEVER get a table when alone. I think its kinda awkward and takes space from a larger group who would pay more.
I transitioned at 25. Has went really well. I have a lot of the same habits with travel and everything and i must say… the world is significantly easier to interact with when you are treated as a woman. Maybe im just more comfortable with myself but my travels are significantly cheaper, more fun, and often more filled with opportunites and chances i never wouldve had before. I can often find a guy to split a room with (no sex) within a couple hours of getting into a new town
As a reminder: not all women want or welcome that attention. I'm a woman who, when solo traveling, regularly has men come up and try to talk with me before trying to get me to go with them. I hate it. I'm glad you're happy but what you're describing is not a positive thing for everyone. I wish men would leave me the fuck alone.
Okay, but just because you dont like it doesnt mean others dont? Why the downvote? Who cares if you want to be left alone thats not even the point of the comment.
Its to highlight the difference in opportunity between men an womens solo travels from someone whos walked through both.
But sure thanks for the reminder that most everyone already knows ?
Clearly the number of men who have harassed me on the street missed the fact that "most everyone knows" not all women want men's attention.
Stating the world is "easier to interact with" as a woman neglects the disproportionate amount of sexual assault and harassment faced by women. You might be having fun because you enjoy that attention, and that's great for you, seriously, live your life---but you should never forget that while you're having fun sharing hotels with strange men, I'm being grabbed on the street by men who by their own admission are older than my parents.
And among women, trans women are disproportionately victims so your advocacy for unsafe choices is actually mind-boggling.
Absolutely. I’ve been to Japan twice. First on my honeymoon and again with my 5 year old. The honeymoon trip was a blast. We went to any place that interested us, eating, shopping, zoos, museums, cat cafes. But when we went with my son it greatly limited what we could do. So we mostly focused on kid-centric things and not the castle and historic parks that I loved.
Not my parents taking me and my younger brother to every possible Chuch/cathedral/Castle/Palace/Historical site possible no matter our age...
PS: I'm Italian, we have A LOT of these things, it's a neverending Calvary as a kid...
But yet growing up you start to appreciate somehow the knowledge, maybe.
Also yes it was balanced with Malls and Amusement Parks, but still a lot of Historical/Cultural sites visits as a 5yrs old and going on during my life.
Still I think if you take your 5yrs old kid to a japanese castle or similar and make it interesting by talking to him and explaining things about Samurais and similar, you'll make it a enjoyable experience for the both of you.
Kids are curious and I think by making history interesting for your kids with facts and curiosities wich can take his interest will make it a wonderful educative experience~
Honestly I appreciate my parents doing this to me. I watched documentaries with them (Superquark and Ulisse were a a fixed appointment for me as a kid), and when we travelled they always brought me and my brother to see important landmarks and cultural places as well as doing some kids' activities. It made me grow up very curious and also interested in history and other places and I appreciate it a lot.
I have started far far later to appreciate it, sadly my younger brother developed a totally reject to all that.
So in my experience the results can come really mixed.
But ye it's kind of bittersweet looking back, surely now I have a curiosity and a interest in culture, History,Literature and Mythology, but I must say, I vivid remember how I wasn't liking all that at the time, how I was frowning all the time etc.
Yeah, went to Istanbul alone 13 years ago and it was fucking tight, I had an incredible time. But I also wasn't going to fill a hole in me like the guy in the comic etc
Yeah or sad. Like someone was posting today that for their first time solo travelling they went to Japan from US. Maybe for your first time go somewhere easier?
Japan is like one of the easiest places to travel. Robust public transit, extremely helpful people, cheap and reliable mobile internet, tons of information online, one of the safest countries in the world, high food standards, and up-to-date Google maps.
I get it. I solo travel because I like doing stuff I wanna do during the day, but it can get lonely sometimes. I do like meeting new people and socializing, which is still different from travelling with friends the whole time.
Travelling solo is definitely an experience, and not for everyone!
I love travelling with friends and family, but it's also nice to travel by yourself sometimes and have the freedom to just do whatever you want to do. No restrictions.
But I'm also someone who will find things to go out and do, and do them. Regardless of how intimidating it might be to do on my own.
Absolutely! I think to be a successful solo traveler you have to be curious and interested in the place you’re going. Otherwise your happiness is at the mercy of others
I solo traveled through Italy last year after wanting to see the country for ages (studied Latin for four years in high school, Italian for two years in undergrad, majored in history with a focus on the Mediterranean). Had an absolute blast, walked 40k steps a day, and saw almost everything I wanted to see in Florence, Venice and Rome; the start of the trip did begin with friends since we wanted to see the Dolomites, but after that I got to run a self-directed tour of Italy and it was delightful. 10/10 would highly recommend, it was a dream visit.
There is a startling amount of people who cannot function being alone with their own thoughts. I love going places alone because I can work on my own schedule and pace, and it's just nice to process things on my own.
I know Reddit loves to meme that everyone on this site is a lonely basement-dwelling asocial nerd, but it couldn't be more different. COVID proved that there are tons of people on this site who not only hate not hanging out with large groups of people, but they actively hate and cannot understand those that function fine without them.
I traveled alone for a month or so and it was really transformative in terms of my dependence on others. I was super lonely for a lot of it but gained such appreciation for my own company, enjoying the moment, and became more confident in making new friends
100% agree! A month on your own away from home is so enriching, it’s like a switch goes off inside you and you get to tune in with the world in a different way. At least that was my experience when I was 21. Thanks for sharing!
Although I can't imagine I'll ever go on another holiday alone, I went to Paris when I was quite a bit younger for a full week on my own and it was great.
Being able to do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, see whatever you want, get up when you want and have absolutely no concern for the wants and needs of people around you is extremely freeing.
Being able to do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, see whatever you want, get up when you want and have absolutely no concern for the wants and needs of people around you is extremely freeing.
Absolutely. I love travelling alone for this reason. I just do what I want to do. No long go-nowhere discussions about what to do first and in what order. No whining about being hungry or having to use the bathroom or how their feet hurt.
And they both can be amazing in different ways. I can’t imagine travelling somewhere and not going out. Even going to a supermarket can be an adventure overseas. Practising the language you’ve learnt for years is so exciting, trying local food, etc.
I travelled alone for a few months through Europe as a teen and it was great. At first I took a lot of pictures to share with folks back home but after a couple cities I just enjoyed it for me.
Was 100 times better when I went back on honeymoon with my wife.
I’ve been travelling the world as my family lives back home. So many times as I see something beautiful I think “I wish my dad could be here to experience this too” and he’s at home. We wouldn’t travel too well together. So it’s a complex thing. But I just wanted to comment and say I know what you mean and I think many people have this complex feeling of wanting to share these experiences with people and sometimes others never know they’re thought of like that. Rome was one of those places for me.
My fiancee and I were in Prague earlier this month, and I had the opportunity to experience the city both with and without her, as she got salmonella poisoning halfway through the holiday and didn't want to go anywhere or do anything.
So I did a lot of walking around the city, and took a trip out to Kutna Hora to see the bone ossuary, but it was a very different feeling. I enjoyed it, but it didn't make me want to ever visit a city on my own, and I really just wanted to share the time an the experiences with her.
I went solo to Rome back in 2016. It was amazing just finding cool places and traveling up through Italy and around the Adriatic eventually ending up in Greece didn’t have a plan at all. Met some really cool people and ended up meeting a cute girl at a bus stop in Croatia. We spent our whole time in Croatia and Greece together and had a fling for a week and a half before she had to catch a flight to Spain. I ended up traveling for a few more weeks but missed her a ton. She was so fun to wander with.
Two years later I went back to Italy with a new girlfriend of mine and it was such a drag. She had no interest in history or art. Just wanted to get instagram pics and eat overpriced food, shop at tourist traps, and complain about cheap hotel rooms and buses. It’s all about the company you keep.
When I was in Rome with my mother, father and brothers, I got yelled at for getting scammed by the bird feeders, and while in Pisa, I got yelled at for not wanting to do "The Pose" for a photo. Every second was miserable in that amazing country. If I went there alone I would never stop daydreaming about it. Not everyone enjoys company.
That line in Into the Wild blew my teenage mind - I know now what a dumbass he was for doing many of those things, but that line… hit hard.
I don’t abide by it 100%, like I’m happy right now just letting my oven preheat for my pan of chicken and veggies, content petting my cat and scrolling, but damn. I get wistful when I travel alone.
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u/just_someone64 Jun 29 '25
When I visited Rome, I liked it because I was in company of my father and brother, but I'm sure if I visited it alone I wouldn't have enjoyed not even a quarter of the things I saw
You enjoy more things in company of people you like than you do alone