Traveling with friends and family can be a uniquely rewarding way to experience new and exciting places and to become closer with the important people in your life. However, coordinating free time, finances, and personal tastes can limit the time and place of a vacation or even downright inhibit traveling in the first place! I firmly believe that other people’s tastes and circumstances should never prevent you from seeing the world. Here’s a few common doubts that you can kick to the curb before grabbing your bag from the trunk of an Uber and walking into the International Departures terminal.
1. I Can Only Speak English
Look, I get it. As an American, it’s easy to get a sense that the world’s opinion of our uncultured ways is somewhat founded in truth; after all, only one in every four Americans can hold conversation in a language other than English. But the truth is that the United States shares an area roughly the same size as all of Europe! Imagine if each state spoke a different language, had a different history and culture, and each of us had been raised near several international borders. Of course, we would be more cultured; we are a product of our circumstance and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Now imagine every country in the European Union spoke a single language rather than many. Well, they do, and that language is English!
Right now, English is what’s called the world’s “lingua franca” or bridge language, which means that it is the second language of over a half a billion people. Particularly in countries of western culture, like our European example, nearly everyone you are bound to meet will speak some level of English. But even in Asian, South American, and African countries you will get by with English better than any other language, particularly in capital cities and the tourist towns you are likely to visit. A large portion of their livelihood depends on being able to communicate and do business with you. So no, you don’t need to learn Swahili before your safari in Kenya and that floating market vendor in Bangkok will gladly set aside his Thai to take your money in broken English.
If English being the second language of the world still isn’t enough, you will have perhaps the greatest linguistic crutch humankind has ever known in your pocket at all times! Seriously, you can have entire conversations through Google Translate, and although the software isn’t yet sophisticated enough to convey your complex opinions on philosophy and science, it can be plenty for asking directions, ordering food, and navigating general small talk.
2. I Don’t Want to Be Alone the Whole Time
Even if you wanted to be alone for your entire trip, you wouldn’t be. There are tons of other solo travelers out there all the time and they too are looking for cool people to meet, like you! You will inevitably sit next to a friendly stranger on a train or in a café that will want to know the details of your trip, and they’ll want to share theirs. And of course, if you’re staying in hostels, which I highly recommend, you will have roommates to talk to and a lobby full of fellow travelers to meet. The bottom line is that you will not be the only one traveling alone, and you will not be the only one looking to make friends. People want to share the stories they’ve amassed so far, and they want to share the experiences of the journey ahead with others; we’re social beings. I’ve observed a sort of unofficial “Social Order of Travelers” that tends to develop among people. If you sit across from someone who is also exploring a new part of the world, you already have one thing in common to grease the groove of conversation.
Traveling alone makes you more approachable to locals looking to help visitors and introduce them to the city where they live. This may sound hard to believe, but they are out there. I’ve had complete strangers buy me drinks, aid me in translation, serve as day-long tour guides, and even invite me to have dinner with their family all because of their desire to share with me why their town is so great. You can bet they would be less likely to offer such personal deeds to a group of tourists.
It is a fact of life that sometimes you will be by yourself, and you will need to be able to handle those times. Those moments aren’t sad and they don’t need to be lonely; finding comfort in temporary isolation is a good thing, because no matter how much we may not like to admit it, we simply cannot be surrounded by people we know every moment of every day. We must be able to handle this fact in order to remain sane and healthy. If you can become comfortable by yourself in a foreign environment, imagine how much easier it will be to adapt to temporary loneliness in your life back home. Solo travel feeds the soul in ways that few other things can.
3. What If I Get Bored?
You won’t. Next question. Seriously though, you’ll be in a new and exciting place that you’ve never seen before AND you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. It’s every kid’s dream! Nobody can tell you how to spend your time and if something isn’t doing it for you, get this… you don’t have to do it! If you’re not into a town, move on to the next one. Absolutely love a place and never want to leave? Don’t! There are no compromises on a solo journey; you have full control the entire time. You can tailor your trip exactly to your liking. Long hours spent on the train between towns may be the only exception, but this “problem” is easily remedied by some good reading material. If the vacation you planned and went on all on your own is boring… guess who’s fault that is?
4. What If I Can’t Get Home?
This is a very real concern that can be easily avoided by proper planning before your trip begins. The ability to be spontaneous and worry free during your trip is purchased with some simple due diligence before you leave. If you buy your return ticket ahead of time, it will likely behoove you to make the dates adjustable, this way you can shorten your trip if you sense that you will run out of money prematurely, or hopefully lengthen it because you’re having so much fun! You can also wait to order your return journey until you get a better sense of when you want to, or need to, go home. In any case, you should always have your passport and a credit card with enough funds to buy an emergency ticket home, regardless of circumstances.
5. The World is a Dangerous Place.
Correction: *Some of the world is a dangerous place. Staying safe comes down to planning, preparation, and situational awareness. There are several commonsense things to help stay safe: Don’t travel to a war zone, don’t stay out late at night in the bad parts of town, and listen to your intuition around strangers. You’re mother was right, if something doesn’t feel right, it likely isn’t! The world is made out to be a frightening and dangerous place by the evening news, grasping for shock value and attention in the 24-hour news cycle. But any serious time spent actually talking to the people who inhabit the “big scary” world will reveal that most people are just like you. They want what is best for their friends and family, they are polite and have been raised to be hospitable and kind to others, and they are likely to lend a hand to a stranger in need. The reality is that the city you currently live in is likely just as, or more, dangerous than many of the cities you may plan on visiting! Keep a good head on your shoulders, do a little research before you leave, and get some local advice once you’re there, and you’ll guarantee yourself an exciting, rewarding, and safe vacation.
Wander&Wonder 