The travel experiences of a solo male traveller
By Darren Cronian on Thursday, June 19th, 2008

Amanda recently wrote about her experiences as a female solo traveller, so I thought I would do the same. I travel a lot on my own, primarily because my mates don’t like the type of holiday I do, they cannot afford to go on holiday, or simply don’t want to spend a week living with me.

The travel experiences of a solo male traveller

Here are my experiences.

Time to think

When you get a group of lads together, after a few days we run out of things to talk about, so start to talk about work, and things you’d rather not be thinking about. When I go away on holiday I want to time to think about the future, what I want to do with my life, and I want to forget, about work, and as horrible as it sounds, about life back home.

Independence

The main advantage of solo travel is that you can do what you want to do, when you want to do it, that may seem selfish to non solo travellers. I like to be able to wake up, go for a walk on the beach, return back to the hotel, have a shower, and then go for breakfast and plan my day ahead. I love this.

Meeting new people

I make more friends and meet new people when travelling alone, because I don’t want to sit in a bar or restaurant without speaking to a human being, so you find yourself introducing yourself and talking to other travellers or the locals. I’m actually still in touch with friends I met whilst travelling around Australia.

Feeling safe

As a single male traveller, I feel much safer compared to when I have gone on holiday with my brothers or friends, there’s less chance that you’ll get involved in a fight, and because you know you have to look after yourself, you tend to drink less, and be aware of people around you, and the situations you find yourself in.

The downside

Whilst I can think of many advantages to travelling alone, there are disadvantages, for example, I hate it when I’m sat in a quiet restaurant, eating alone, and when I’m on the coach from the airport to the hotel, I feel that everyone is looking at me because he’s the sad person, with no friends, travelling alone.

So non solo travellers, what’s your impression of solo travellers and, solo travellers, what do you enjoy the most about solo travel?


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5 responses to “The travel experiences of a solo male traveller”

pam | 20 June, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Eating alone does take some getting used to. I’m good with it now, though often, when I’m traveling solo, I have my big meal at lunchtime when there are lots of other solo diners. Then I just have cafe snacks or something in the evening or, if I don’t feel like going out, I’ll get a sandwich or something and take it back to wherever I’m staying.

If I do dine out alone evening hours, I take something to read (or a journal to write in). Then, I get to be “who is that interesting woman dining solo, she must be a writer of some kind….” then some tragic wallflower.

But that’s all in MY head. Who cares, really, what those other people are thinking.

Darren Cronian | 22 June, 2008 at 2:41 pm

@ Pam

Good idea about the book or journal to write in, will try that next time! :)

Justruss | 23 June, 2008 at 9:05 am

I’m older and have been solo - not just traveling - for a few years. Some destinations really shine for the solo traveler while others just leave me flat. I recall seeing the both the Mona Lisa and the pyramids for the first time and wishing I had someone to share my thoughts with. Then again, there are some trips to Spain during the high season where being accompanied would have been just awful.

I have never considered the idea of traveling with other men. If I’m going to travel with a companion, my companion is going to be a beautiful woman.

Kirsty | 30 June, 2008 at 7:30 am

I love busting out the ol’ laptop at a cafe with wifi. Seems less lonely and I can get work done in a sociable setting rather than hiding away in a hotel room.

I agree with Justruss, the downside is not having someone to share amazing moments with. But then again, you’ll often meet new friends to share moments with so it’s a tradeoff I guess.

Anonymous | 20 September, 2008 at 3:26 am

Also, bring another female you know and trust well, such as a friend, family member, or relative when you’re alone or with other guys so that way you don’t get into trouble, especially with local women and children.

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