There are many reasons why people do not choose to travel solo and wait to travel until they find the perfect companion or choose not to travel at all. However, the risks outweigh the rewards! Here are all the reasons to travel solo:

1) Discover New Places – There is so much of the world to see from rain forests to glaciers, with endless architectural structures, museums and streets to discover. You will never run out of places to visit.
2) Meet New Friends – When you travel solo, you become more social which will make it easier for you to meet other travellers and locals whom you can share your travel stories with and maybe even visit them in their home town later on. The only problem will be keeping in touch after your travels.
3) Feeling of Absolute Freedom – When you travel solo, you have unlimited possibilities, places to visit, things to see and you can be whoever you want to be, see whatever you want to see.
4) Face your fears – People find it very difficult to start travelling solo, they are afraid of the unknown, and others are scared of heights. This is the first step in concuring whatever fears or doubts you have.
5) Empower Yourself – There is nothing more powerful than realizing that you have a bit more understanding of another person’s cultures and you have done what you wanted to do!
6) Do Soul Searching – When you travel alone you have plenty of opportunities for self reflection and while you overcome obstacles of travel such as delayed flights or overbooked hotels/hostels, you discover yourself.
7) Go at Your Own Pace – Some people need 8 hours in the Louvre while others think two hours is more than enough. Well when you travel solo, you do not have to feel guilty about either wasting other people’s times or going to fast.
8) Become more open minded – In North America, I found people who complained that their Starbucks order was wrong, that they mixed up their drinks and how it ruined their day. However, if you’ve been to places where having water and indoor plumbing is considered a luxury, you would think twice.
9) Discover Your True self – You will find who you are and what you are made of. On a day to day basis, you often play a role in your office, with your family and friends, but in a world where no one knows your name, you can truly be yourself.
10) Become more assertive – Often, you have to be careful when traveling alone especially as a woman traveller. Therefore you will become more assertive in what you do, where you go and whom you choose to communicate with.
11) Easier to meet locals – When you travel solo, locals are more likely to engage in conversations and show you the true beauty of their country/city. Usually, when you travel in groups or as a couple, people tend to leave you be.
12) You will become a better photographer – This is a no brainer, the more pictures you take the better you will become. Traveling solo, you have time to take photos of buildings, people, panoramic shots and have the time to analyze them while still on location. And then of course, there are selfies – the new norm for taking photos.
13) Amazing stories post trip – Going solo gives you a sense of adventure and you have endless stories to tell your family and friends upon arrival. They will be amazed at how a local drove you around the island, how you were helping an Australian find beer in Egypt and not to mention all the pictures that will come with the stories.
14) You will have the time of your life – No matter where you go and what you see, you will remember this as time well spent.
15) Become a better people reader – You will learn to rely on instinct as you will often find yourself in places where you do not speak the local language. This trait is often lost in our day to day lives.
16) Become More Independent – You will have no one to rely on, so you will be forced to do everything that you relied on others to do such as: pack bags, plan your trip, follow your map, carry your luggage, and do other stuff that you normally would not do on a day to day basis.
17) Find Your Own Path – You can get lost in a city and discover something amazing. When I travelled with friends, or ex-boyfriends I had to follow “Our” plans which were different than what I would have liked it to be. To this day, I regret not breaking away on my own and going to the Dali Museum in Spain because everyone was late to depart.
18) Follow your own budget – No need to spend more or less than what you can afford. You can travel on a few dollars a day or splurg on a few hundrad dollar a night room, it is all in your control.
19) No snoring, complaining or negative person near you – This is self explanatory, but you can be as positive and negative as you want to be and will not need to hear a complaining friend telling you that they do not like this coffee shop or resturant that you picked while you are enjoying your meal!
20) Have fun!

If you always wanted to visit a destination, stop dreaming, pack your bags and go… you will find your way along the way!