That being said, whilst it sounds like a no-brainer to me, I know how nervous I was when I waved goodbye to my parents at the Heathrow departures gate for my first solo trip, knowing I wouldn't see them for two months. I was worried about a lot. Would I be lonely travelling by myself? What would happen if I got into trouble 6,000 miles away from home? There were a lot of questions, looking back none of which I needed to be worried about.
When it comes to travelling by yourself, the best thing you can pack is an “I’ll give it a go” attitude
For my aforementioned first solo trip, I chose Cape Town, South Africa. A bit of a bold choice, considering how it usually manages to fringe around the edges of the World's Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities ranking, and considering I was a very British, very young, solo traveller. However, there was a logic to my madness. English is universally spoken, which ensured I wouldn’t experience a language barrier. I also was joining a month-long wildlife photography program in the Kruger National Park in the north-east of the country, so I decided to add a two-week stop in Cape Town first, to get my fill of nightlife, surfing and diving, set against some stunning scenery. As an adventurous-minded person, with a passion for watersports, it was a natural choice, and I loved my time there. But not everyone would have the same experience. So, if your thing is history, art, clubbing or simply sitting on a beach or a café, soaking up the vibes like a local, it’s important to choose the right destination. After all, that's the joy. It's all up to you.
As a solo traveller staying in a hostel, (always stay in a hostel when you're on your own, if you like your privacy, they do have private rooms) making friends is as easy as walking into the common room and saying hi. From one hostel in Cape Town, I made friends with people from Sweden, South Africa, Germany, Bolivia and the US. I didn't know any of them when I arrived and met most of them over a game of beerpong. The beauty of a hostel as a solo traveller is that chances are there's five others who feel as worried as you, or maybe a group of three about to go do something cool and there's a space in the car for you, or even two people getting ready to go on a night out that could be the best one of your lives, you only need to join them. You'll find everyone is a lot more friendly to you than if you were with even just one other person.
When it comes to travelling by yourself, the best thing you can pack is an “I’ll give it a go” attitude. Some of my best memories and experiences came from saying “Why not”. An anecdote of this was my stay in a hostel in Marrakech, Morocco. I had landed that afternoon and got to talking with two others in the hostel common room about their plans. I had planned for two quiet days walking around Marrakech, trying to adjust to the Saharan heat. As it happened, they were scaling Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa the next day. Despite having zero mountain climbing experience or gear, I decided to go with them, and it slid right into the top 3 of experiences that I’ve ever had travelling, with views that took my breath away more than the altitude did.
Even after all this, you might still be tempted to stick to the safe options. The lad's trip to Amsterdam, the family holiday to the Costa Brava. Both are fun and both have their places in your travel schedule. But don't rule out an adventure.
Because if I had, I wouldn't have made memories that I'll never forget, and I wouldn't have seen landscapes I thought only existed in David Attenborough documentaries. I certainly wouldn't have paraglided off a mountain to celebrate my 19th birthday, rode camels into the Sahara or come face-to-face with an adult male hippo whilst watching the Hangover Part 2. All incredible stories, that started with the decision to travel solo. So, book that flight, you might just surprise yourself.