![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-@our.taste_.for_.life_-700x875.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTravelling solo is one of the most rewarding things a person can do but, at times, things can get tricky. One minute you\u2019re partying at the hostel bar with the international friends you met that day, the next you\u2019re on the floor of the hostel bathroom realising you probably shouldn\u2019t have tried that questionable street meat earlier. Life comes at you fast! As a solo traveller you\u2019ll encounter both incredible and incredibly awkward situations, and though the pros will always outweigh the cons, the struggles of solo travelling are real AF. If you\u2019ve ever given it a try, you\u2019ll definitely be able to relate to these 10 most relatable solo travel struggles!<\/p>\n
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\ud83d\udcf7\u00a0@our.taste.for.life<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n As a solo traveller, expect your mum to ask you for the hundredth time: \u201cwhat do you mean ALONE?! Don\u2019t you have any friends?\u201d (thanks mum). Getting questioned by friends and family for choosing to travel alone is an uncomfortable struggle that every solo traveller has likely faced. No matter how many times you try to explain that you\u2019re ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and see the world on your own terms, you\u2019ll still get some funny looks and some silent (or not so silent) judgements. They just don\u2019t understand that there are so many reasons to love solo travelling, like not being on anyone else\u2019s timeline and having the freedom to do what you want. These things make it pretty easy to ignore the haters!<\/p>\n For me, the most anxiety-inducing thing about travelling alone is worrying I\u2019ll get stuck at a hostel where everyone goes to sleep at 10pm and I\u2019m left sitting at the hostel bar alone, scrolling through Tinder. Try chatting with your bunkmate, starting a game of beer pong, or signing up for the hostel\u2019s walking tour to meet some new people. But whether you end up making hostel BFFs or not, you know you\u2019ll have an amazing time exploring a completely new place!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf7 Sophie Mendel<\/em><\/p>\n Have you ever been stood up by a date and ended up sitting alone at a restaurant? Well, imagine doing that by choice. <\/em>If your belly starts rumbling before you\u2019ve had time to make any friends at your hostel, you\u2019ll face the classic struggle of having to eat alone at a restaurant. Don\u2019t worry, in the backpacking world this is the norm \u2013 but if you\u2019re still feeling awks, try eating at the bar or researching restaurants with a more social vibe. If all else fails, use your alone time to reflect on your day and appreciate the incredible place that you\u2019re in (and of course take advantage of the free WiFi).<\/p>\n When you\u2019re on your own, navigating can be a little rough. I\u2019m talking about those times when you\u2019re trying to get from Prague to Krakow via flight, train and mini bus, but you end up getting off the mini bus in the wrong city because no one speaks English, so you have to take a train to your final destination hundreds of miles away. Hasn\u2019t happened to you? Weird! Well, most solo travellers have definitely struggled through something similar. The best thing to do is stay calm and remind yourself that you\u2019ll eventually get where you\u2019re going. You\u2019ll be able to look back in the future and laugh (like I\u2019m doing now\u2026.ha ha ha).<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf7 Sophie Mendel<\/em><\/p>\n No one wants to be that obnoxious guy with the selfie stick, knocking people in the face and looking like a blatant tourist. Asking strangers to take your picture is another awkward struggle we face when travelling solo, and I never feel brave enough to ask for that artsy pic even though I obviously want it! It\u2019s polite to learn how to ask for a photo in the local language and make sure you ask if they\u2019d like you to take one of them in return. You just might end up with that artsy shot after all – and hey, pics or it didn\u2019t happen right?<\/p>\n \u00a0 \ud83d\udcf7\u00a0@calidreamtravels<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n We all know solo travelling can get a little lonely at times, and some days you\u2019ll get back to the hostel and realise you\u2019ve barely said a word all day. The best way to get out of a rut like this is to post up at the hostel bar and strike up a conversation with the bartender and your fellow travellers. Ask where they\u2019ve been and what they love about the city, and you just might end up with some insider tips. Putting yourself out there and meeting new people is all part of the experience, and is one of the best things about solo travelling!<\/p>\n Travelling alone in a foreign city can be scary, especially when you\u2019re female and you feel like hitting the town. You want to check out the city\u2019s nightlife, but you don\u2019t want to do it alone (because that\u2019s both awkward and potentially dangerous). This is when the hostel\u2019s bar crawl is an absolute godsend, hooking you up not only with cheap alcohol, but also a group of friends who\u2019ll all be coming back to the same place at the end of the night.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf7\u00a0@scarpalessandra<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019ve definitely been the one who keeps the entire dorm up all night with constant sneezing, coughing and sniffling. That person is the worst and it sucks even more when that person is you! You call your mum at odd hours asking what to do, try to explain your symptoms to the local pharmacist and struggle to decipher the instructions on the back of your medicine bottle. Luckily, being sick while travelling alone forces you to slow down, get some rest and take the break your body has been begging you for. It may be time to treat yourself to that hostel private room!<\/p>\n Waiting in an endless bus queue and thinking of quickly running to the bathroom? Think again! You\u2019ve got all your bags with you and no one to hold your place in line. Unless the guy standing behind you looks like he wouldn\u2019t mind, you\u2019re completely stuck. If you decide to go for it, then it\u2019s wrestling all your luggage plus yourself into a tiny bathroom stall and hoping for the best. No one will be stealing your stuff today!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf7 Sophie Mendel<\/em><\/p>\n That moment when you\u2019re gazing at the coolest, most awe-inspiring force of nature you\u2019ve ever seen in your life and are dying to share it with someone, but alas, you\u2019re alone! This feels like one of the loneliest struggles of solo travelling, but don\u2019t be discouraged! These moments are perfect for journaling and self-reflection, and will help you learn to appreciate your own company. Recognise that some experiences are that bit more special when you\u2019re truly doing them just for yourself!<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf7\u00a0@autumnestelle<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n From eating your third kebab of the day to avoid sitting alone at a restaurant, to navigating your way through a new city with a severe case of food poisoning, there\u2019s no question that solo travelling can be character-building! But, for what it’s worth, the experience is 100% worth it. Solo travelling teaches you how capable you are and will make you realise that if you can do this, you can do anything. Go find out what you\u2019re made of. Get out there and solo travel!<\/p>\n My name is Sophie Mendel and I\u2019m an American wanderluster currently residing in Chicago, Illinois. I have travelled to over 40 countries and lived in 5, am fluent in English and Spanish (and always in the process of learning more languages) and love lugging my guitar around the world with me! Read more about my adventures on my blog: The Unbounded Traveler<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Travelling solo is one of the most rewarding things a person can do but, at times, things can get tricky. One minute you\u2019re partying at the hostel bar with the international friends you met that day, the next you\u2019re on the floor of the hostel bathroom realising you probably shouldn\u2019t have tried that questionable street…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":136616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9473],"tags":[254796],"class_list":["post-115022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-soltra","wpbf-post"],"yoast_head":"\n1.\u00a0<\/strong>Explaining to friends and family why you\u2019re travelling alone<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Being nervous that you won\u2019t make friends at your hostel<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/solo-travel-struggles-Sophie-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. Eating at a restaurant by yourself<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Having to navigate on your own (and getting lost)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-Sophie-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n5. Not having anyone to take your picture<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-@calidreamtravels-742x875.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/p>\n6. Sometimes you\u2019ll go an entire day without saying anything out loud<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Leaving the hostel after dark<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-@scarpallesandra-875x875.jpg\")
<\/p>\n8. Getting sick while travelling alone<\/strong><\/h2>\n
9. Having to bring your bags with you everywhere you go <\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-Sophie-1-662x875.jpg\")
<\/p>\n10. Seeing something totally amazing and appreciating it solo<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"solo](\"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Solo-travel-struggles-@autumnestelle.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAuthor Bio:<\/h2>\n
Keep reading:\u00a0\u2b07\ufe0f<\/h2>\n
\ud83c\udf1f\u00a0The 10 best hostels for solo travellers 2019<\/b><\/a><\/h4>\n
\ud83c\udf1f\u00a0The 10 best places to travel alone<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
\ud83c\udf1f\u00a0The 10 best solo female travel destinations<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
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