01 Sep 2020

Ah, the age old question. Should I travel alone or with my mates?

I have done my fair share of both, and have found there are pros and cons to each. 

So here is the lowdown. 

 

 

Travelling alone

If I had waited for someone to travel with me, I would have never travelled anywhere. 

I was itching to travel through South East Asia but none of my mates were keen. At first I was super apprehensive about travelling by myself, but it soon turned into an addiction. 

The pros

The best thing about travelling by yourself is that you are travelling solo, not alone. There are loads of people who are doing the exact same thing as you and you are bound to make new friends. 

Travelling solo means you can do what you want, when you want to and you have nobody to worry about other than yourself. You can go to as many museums or monuments as your heart desires and can make your own adventure!

I’m sure you have heard before that travelling alone is a truly liberating experience, and it’s true. You will learn so much about yourself, become more independent and step out of your comfort zone. There is truly no better way to get to know yourself as a person. 

The cons

Other than being a tad more expensive at times and having no one to take your photos for the gram, the biggest con is that there will be times when you do feel lonely. Not every experience will be a fantastic one, and not every hostel will be a social shindig. 

The worst part of travelling alone for me was eating alone. The first time I ate alone was scary af, I thought everyone was staring at me and felt like the biggest loner.

But like most things in life, it always seems impossible until it’s done, and doing a trip on your own will undoubtedly be one of the best things you’ll do in life.

Travelling with mates

The pros

The biggest pro of all is that you get to share incredible memories with your closest mates. What more could you ask for? It’s also heaps easier to be bold when travelling with your mates and much easier to say yes to risky (and often silly) adventures. 

What can be seen as a negative to some is that you’ll never be alone. But travelling with mates by your side can make your adventure safer, by knowing you always have someone there who has your back in any sticky situations. 

Say goodbye to selfie sticks and building up the courage to ask a stranger to take your photo, and say hello to having a personal photographer at your disposal! 

The cons

I travelled with a friend through New Zealand and we even hiked the Routeburn Track together. The only time we spent apart was when we were asleep (yes, we even showered at the same time), and by the end of the trip we could read each other's minds through a single facial expression. 

But the truth is, we fought over where to eat every day, we compromised on activities and let’s face it, we knew each other a little too well. 

Travelling with mates certainly comes with its difficulties. All decisions need to be made together, and for those used to travelling solo, having to include someone else in these decisions may not be so fun to begin with. 

It's inevitable there will be moments of stress and tension, add that to difference of opinions and those days when one of you will want to go to a museum while the other will want to spend the day relaxing at the beach… truth is, travelling with friends takes a lot of compromising and patience.

The verdict: look... the decision to travel alone will depend on the purpose of your trip and the vibe you are going for when you go. But either way, travelling is always a great idea! Here's to hoping we can travel again soon.