Why You Should Solo Travel While Studying Abroad

When I finalized my decision to study abroad, the first thing I knew I definitely wanted to do was
to go on a solo trip. Living in a new country is one hurdle, but I wanted to give myself the experience of traveling fully on my own, without program coordinators or friends to rely on. Not to prove anything to anyone other than myself, I wanted to push my own boundaries. And now that I have finished my study abroad experience having done four solo trips, I can say that they were some of the best experiences of my study abroad.

I started small. I studied abroad in Perugia, Italy which is a pretty small city compared to most places people decide to study in. For my first solo trip I took a train to Rome and spent a day wandering and seeing the sights. It was definitely overwhelming being alone in such a popular city, but it was a great start. I found my way around Roma Termini, went to the Colosseum, tried fun gelato flavors, and did some shopping. It was a great day and a perfect way to test the waters of solo travel.

I jumped straight off the deep end with my next solo trip and went to Paris for my birthday weekend. I have always wanted to see Paris and I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to turn 21 by the Eiffel Tower. I planned this trip to a tee! I booked a hotel (just for the extra safety since I was alone), bought my flight, planned excursions, and made dinner reservations well ahead of time.

This trip was extra daunting because I decided to go to Disneyland Paris. I am a huge Disney fan and despite it being kind of weird to stand in line by myself, that ended up being my favorite day of the trip. After Paris, solo traveling to Austria and London were a breeze. Learning how to do things on your own is one task, but doing them completely ostracized in a different country is another. Sitting with only yourself as company at dinner, standing alone in lines, asking strangers to take a photo of you by a monument, these tasks would give anyone anxiety. But now that I have done it, I am so much more confident in my abilities and in myself. This is why I recommend anyone, studying abroad or not, to take a trip solely by themselves and prove to yourself again that you are more than capable of doing difficult things.