The Case For Traveling Solo
By Caitlin Gallagher
As I entered the room that would become my home for the next few weeks, I stood dumbfounded. The photos on the hotel’s website showed sizable beds with luxurious white comforters, a flat-screen TV, and a view of Venice’s Grand Canal. You can only imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find a bed decorated with an objectively hideous chartreuse quilt and walls that were empty besides a smudged mirror and a crooked crucifix haphazardly hung on the wall. I quickly shuffled over to the window and opened it to confirm my suspicion that there was in fact no view of the Grand Canal at all, just a view of the empty hotel courtyard. Just a few hours prior, I had never left the country at all, let alone traveled anywhere by myself. Now, I found myself alone in Venice for the next two weeks for a study abroad program with plans to backpack across Italy after my class had concluded. Still wearing my 60-pound backpack, I sunk down into my scratchy twin bed and reconsidered my decision to embark on this journey. If not for my savings account or lack thereof, I would have hopped on the first water taxi back to the airport.
After overcoming my initial shock, which required a five-hour nap and a giant plate of pasta, I finally realized my circumstances. While I was slightly apprehensive, it was the first time I had complete independence. So long as there was still money left in my bank account, I could eat wherever and whenever I wanted, I could spend hours in a museum where my friends would find a complete bore, and I could spend as many hours tanning on the beach as I wanted to. In a way that it never had been before, my time was completely my own. In this day and age, it is easier than ever to make plans with others at any moment; however, I had never realized what a luxury it was to wake up and have no obligation to anyone at all.
I won’t deny that traveling alone is scary; it is. Especially as a young woman. Unfortunately, there was more than one occasion where a creepy old man offered me a drink that I didn’t want. I learned quickly that being alone was taken as an open invitation to be approached. However, I also learned how to keep myself safe in a way I never had before. I knew how to reject these unwanted advances in a timely manner, but in one that wouldn’t cause me any further harm. I learned how to laugh off the daily slew of ridiculous catcalls and comments about my appearance. Not to say that these things weren’t discouraging, but experiencing them all on my own forced me to navigate them in a completely different way. As much as I wish harassment wasn’t a part of everyday life, ignoring the reality can be just as dangerous. A lot of young women have the tendency to limit themselves out of fear of being in a dangerous situation, but traveling solo helped me not only love my ability to be independent but also strengthened my faith in my capability to keep myself safe.
To anyone considering solo travel, do it. Don’t limit yourself to group trips, as the odds are the trip won’t make it out of the group chat. Traveling alone may be daunting and overwhelming, but it is transformative. I won’t lie and say everything will go smoothly because it probably won’t. I’m sure you will also have your fair share of hotel rooms filled with strange decor and subpar views, but you will also gain a new outlook on life that will completely alter your thoughts about your own independence and capabilities. Without taking the risk, you can never reap the rewards that traveling solo is almost guaranteed to bring you.
