Travel Inspirations

Why Travel Alone – Psychological Benefits of Travelling Solo

October 03, 2022

Vacation is the biggest stress buster – do you agree? Nowadays, we are engrossed in desk jobs, deadlines, reports, WhatsApp, Skype, meetings, conferences, family commitments, and dinner dates. To get rid of this labyrinth, though for a short time, we desperately need to reclaim some much-needed headspace. It is just that urge to break free, and what better way to do it than traveling alone?

Solo travel is evolutionary. This is nothing but alone-time, which gives you not just a great amount of peace of mind but helps stem the solitary hunter-gatherer lifestyle of our ancestors. Moreover, the psychological benefits of traveling solo are quite a handful apart from its impact on your physical well-being. As per studies, traveling to a new destination, meeting random people, and traversing around can do wonders for your emotional and mental health.

Solo traveling is not limited to sipping margaritas on a sun-drenched beach or sitting on top of a mountain unleashing yourself. Solo adventure in an unknown territory is exciting, uplifting, and unnerving. The concept of going unaccompanied to an unfamiliar land might give you goosebumps, which further makes it so inspiring and exhilarating.

Want to break free? Want to face unforeseen, inevitable challenges? Want to get inspired? Leave everything behind, hit the road without anyone accompanying you – let traveling alone cultivate wisdom and foster mental toughness in you.

10 Psychological Benefits of Travelling Solo

Travelling Kills the Mental Stress and ‘Depression’

Can you believe this – as per surveys, “vacation is the stress-buster as it heals your mind and body to relax, recharge and rejuvenate, thus saving you depression”? The term ‘depression’ can be more fatal than cancer if not treated well. Taking a break from your routine life and the daily hustle and bustle is as indispensable and important as taking oxygen for the body.

2. Travelling Promotes Happiness

Dr. Tamara McClintock Greenberg is a San Francisco-based clinical psychologist who, in his book “Psychodynamic Perspectives on Aging and Illness,” talked about how traveling “helps us reflect on our personal goals and interests.” Yes, traveling alone instills happiness and saves your mind from taking off nerve-wracking situations.

3. Travel to Reinvent

Solo travel is often synonymous with experiential traveling – where once you get there, you are solely responsible for all the decisions you must make and apprehensions you must overcome, thus discovering the person inside you and reinventing your life. It further exposes you to raw experiences.

4. Travel to grow as a Person

Ever wondered what your little kid inside you always wanted – to wander, explore, expand, discover and grow?. Heading to unknown places will not only get you out of your comfort zone but challenge and test your patience.

5. It Gives Freshness and Broadens Your Perspective

One of the key benefits of traveling that has an immense psychological impact is that it helps people to start fresh after a major setback. For people dealing with anxieties, traveling proves to be the ultimate remedy. Moreover, experiences that a wanderer would learn along the way enhance and broaden his/ her perspective.

6. For Mental Resilience

Hitting the road for an unknown destination will open doors to an unfamiliar environment. On the one hand, you feel excited, and on the other, you are intimidated too. This moment ultimately toughens up psychologically, letting you adapt to the new environment that’s not your comfort zone. It teaches travelers about keeping patience, finding solutions to problems, and surrendering control to the uncontrollable.

7. You Deal with Larger Issues with Patience and More Grace

“The roads were partially closed off that night and the streets were filled with hundreds upon hundreds of people that made it incredibly difficult for us to move,” explains Marta Estevez, a famous travel blogger who injured her ankle during the Lantern Festival (Loi Krathong Festival) in Thailand. She added, “I had to learn to accept the situation and adapt our travels accordingly, without breaking down. I’m not sure I would’ve had the same composure a few years ago in this situation.” The more challenges and larger issues occur, you are capable enough to deal with them with more grace.

8. Travel Boosts Confidence

As you are challenged with limits, your ability to cope with issues and obstacles increases. This turns you into a stringent and confident person. You not only grow as a traveler but as a good human being too. You become more of an organized person.

9. Creative? Yes, It Does Stimulate Creativity

Merely vacationing in a foreign land, unless you explore it thoroughly, will not cut it. Instead, engaging in the local lifestyle and living up to their culture will instill creativity in you. For instance, if you are holidaying in Paris and are keen to learn how to prepare French dishes, enroll yourself in some French cooking classes and show your culinary skills even after vacation.

10. Enjoy Being Alone – Be Your Own Company

Isn’t it a great way to be your own company and enjoy the relationship with yourself? Solo travel can be your ultimate escape to relish some “me time”.

To embark on expeditions with nobody but your own company, you just need the will and the way. Be it a relaxing holiday in Georgia or a historic trip in Rome, or want to go shopping spree in Dubai, SATA gets you well-covered.