Is Solo Travel Boring? Truths From A Solo Traveler.

Let me start off by telling you, this isn’t a question I can answer with a yes or no answer. Someone once told me that boredom is a choice, which in a way, I guess is true. There is so much we could do in our daily lives to eliminate boredom, yet usually we don’t and let it fester. But when you are solo travelling you have the entire world at your disposal! How can solo travelling be boring? Well, the fact of the matter is, I’ve been bored many a time while solo travelling. Whether on not I chose to be bored or not I don’t know…

So, Is Solo Travel Boring?

Solo travel is going to be pretty hard to find boring. You have been dropped into a distant land, alone, with no connections and a rough plan to follow. If you find being alone in a completely new country and having to fend for yourself boring then you must have had a very exciting life already! However, as I said in the previous paragraph, there are times when boredom sets in.

What Are Some Of The Ways Solo Travel Can Be Boring?

Solo travel has the potential to be more boring than travelling with friends at certain points, I have a full article on Solo Vs Group travel you can read but I’ll give an overview here. A lot of people have the misconception that solo travel means travelling alone, which kind of is, and kind of isn’t the case. In my opinion, if you solo travel the right way then you should be with people the majority of the time. When travelling with friends from home you’ll always be with people, but the same people, whereas solo travel allows you to travel with and meet new people constantly.

So what are the points where you may find solo travel more boring than travelling in a group? Well, it’s hard to say because you never know how your day is going to play out. But things like waiting at bus/train stations can be pretty dull when you’re solo travelling. Possibly even more boring when you actually board. You’ll also find that sometimes, unfortunately, you won’t meet anyone to explore with and you’ll have to venture out on your own. Personally, I embrace exploring a city alone, but I will admit it’s nowhere near as fun alone, as opposed to doing it with a random from your hostel dorm.

The real crux of it is that the most boring part of solo travel is the few moments of loneliness you will experience (read how to deal with it here). But the fact of the matter is they will be few and far between. You really just have to embrace it and find a way to occupy yourself. It’s really never long before you beat the boredom and meet great new people to hang out with!

Why Solo Travel Is The Opposite Of Boring!

Solo travel is such an amazing adventure it’s pretty rare to ever feel bored. It can be pretty hard work and will challenge you both mentally and physically at times, but that’s what’s so great about it! If there was ever a ready-made tool for self-development then solo travel is it.

You will be constantly meeting new interesting people from different cultures and backgrounds to yourself, learning from each individual without even realising it. You’ll be thrown in at the deep end, becoming more independent by the day, nobody’s going to take care of you so you’ll have to learn to do it yourself! There will be struggles and challenges you have to overcome regularly, things you probably never thought you were capable of. How can you be bored with all this going on?

Well, let’s be honest it’s not always going to be a crazy adventure. But the majority of the time it will be! I can almost guarantee that you will find solo travel less boring than anything else you have ever done in your life. Maybe not every moment of it, but overall you will struggle to find a boring period. Moments of boredom will come and go, but they will be fleeting and as I said before, there is always a new adventure around the corner. If you’re looking for inspiration to travel solo read this guide.

I will say though, solo travel has higher highs and lower lows. You will find you have lonely days/nights where you just don’t click with anyone and resort to sitting on your phone, scrolling endlessly bored out of your mind. Just remember that unfortunately, this is part of solo travel.

How To Avoid and Beat Boredom When Solo Travelling.

As I have said there are always going to be times that you find yourself bored on any solo backpacking trip. But there are some easy ways to keep them to a minimum! Here are some ways I like to avoid/beat it when I’m on a trip.

Stay In Hostels!

I know pretty obvious. But really this is the best way to meet new people and avoid as much boredom and loneliness as possible! The best way of meeting people when travelling is by making friends in hostels in my opinion. You are sure to make some great connections with really interesting people when staying at hostels.

The best thing is you all have something in common, a love of travel! Second best thing, hostels are full of other solo travellers in the same boat as you looking to make friends and explore together.

If you follow the unwritten rules of hostel etiquette then you are bound to make loads of new travel buddies, I really can’t stress how important staying in hostels is for solo travellers! If you’ve never stayed in a hostel I have a full guide you can read here.

Take Part In Hostel Activities.

Following on from the first tip, most hostels lay on some (usually) free activities for guests. This can be things like guided tours to local spots, pub crawls or just fun games around the hostel.

They can be a great way to relieve any boredom and also to meet new people to hang out with while you are wherever you are.

Join Free Walking Tours.

Walking tours are another great way to both beat and avoid boredom. An added bonus is that you will learn lots of fascinating information about the city you are in! For those of you who don’t know, free walking tours are tours arranged by locals where travellers will meet and explore the city on foot whilst the guide tells you about their city. They are free but it is usually expected that you leave a tip at the end depending on if you thought the tour was worth it.

They are a great way of meeting new people and also killing an hour or two exploring the city. I always take advantage of free walking tours and have learnt some really interesting stuff and also made some great friends along the way.

Use The Hangout Feature On Couchsurfing.

Couchsurfing is a really cool app that allows travellers to find hosts in the city they are visiting that will let them sleep at their place for free. There is also another feature of Couchsurfing which is the hangout setting. It allows travellers to connect with each other and meet up.

Couchsurfing also has events and meetups that you can find on the app. It really is a great tool for meeting new people and finding something to do when you are bored!

Take A Class In The City You Are In.

You will be able to find a myriad of classes to take when you are away. Again like the walking tours, they can be a great place to meet people and also learn something new! Also, it’s a great opportunity to learn something specific to where you are, for example taking a Thai cookery lesson in Bangkok. There are so many options available so if you want to learn something new and meet some new people, I’d recommend taking a class wherever you are.

Talk To Locals.

I know, it sounds pretty daunting right! But it’s actually easy if you use the trick I use. Just ask them a question, literally anything, even if you know the answer. It’s a great way to strike up a conversation, just ask the time, where to eat, what to do in the area…they will probably be interested in talking to a foreigner and even if they’re not, now you know a great place to eat!

Final Thoughts.

I hope I’ve shown you both sides of how solo travel can be boring and how it can also be one of the most exciting things you’ve ever done. As I said before solo travel offerers you higher highs but also lower lows. I think with anything in life for everything positive there’s always a negative that follows. I just hope that you can see that in this instance the positives of solo travel far outweigh the negatives!