I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked somebody why they haven’t been to Paris, or taken that dream vacation to Bali, or even that religiously-inspired journey to Israel they’ve been yearning for their whole life and they tell me, as if being alone was the most terrible thing in the whole world, that they “couldn’t find anyone to go with them,” or “nobody had the time off,” and even, “I don’t think anybody could afford to go with me.”  What is this fear and aversion to traveling alone?  This Monophobia that keeps so many people from realizing their dreams and seeing the world?

I also can’t tell you how many times I did not let the fact that nobody could afford it, or had the time off, or etc etc etc stop me from taking a trip that I was hell bent on taking.  In fact, there are many times that I wanted to go alone.  Sure, traveling with friends, family, or a significant other has its obvious benefits, like having someone to take photos with (god forbid asking another tourist or, gasp!, a local to take a picture of you in front of the leaning tower of Pisa).  But there are many times, and this is increasingly the case the bigger group you are traveling with, that you want to do one thing, while everyone else wants to do this other thing, and you end up leaving having never got the chance to go to that Salvador Dali exhibit you were just dying to see.

Of course, when studying abroad, many students don’t have any other choice but to go it alone (this is one of the top cited reasons why many students don’t study abroad: the fear of being alone).  However, when you do find yourself on the other side of the world, countless miles and timezones away from all of your loved ones back home, please do yourself a favor, turn off the Netflix and shut down the internet, put on your walking shoes, and head outside!

Below are some tips on how I, and many others, have made the most out of being far away from home and all alone (and by the way, you’re never really alone… you’ll find this to be true as soon as you get outside).

I’ve been on countless trips where my camera -and whatever food I happened to be indulging in from one moment to the next- quickly became my best friend and travel companion.  I never needed anything more.  Here are just a few ways to enjoy your trip alone:

Stay at a hostel:

Hostels are another thing that, for some reason, many people (Americans anyway) seem to be deathly afraid of.  One mention of a hostel to your family and they’ll be having nightmares of bug-infested kitchens and dormitories, or maybe even chainsaw massacres, the entire time you’re away.  This is all utter non-sense.  I actually prefer hostels to hotels because they are invaluable at making friends and finding travel buddies when going it alone.  I have made many lifelong friends staying at hostels around the world.  Many of these hostels had swimming pools that would rival the Hilton down the street, bars and restaurants for socializing, and organized city tours and pub crawls sure to make your time with them a blast.

Write about your experiences every night, or at least twice per week:

During my first trip abroad, to Argentina, I thought that as long as I took a million pictures and uploaded them straight to Facebook that this would be enough to remember every detail about my adventure.  I was wrong.  And maybe safekeeping every memory you make while abroad isn’t your thing, but then again that’s just silly.  Of course you want to remember every single thing.  I often regret not having kept a detailed account of my experiences in Argentina, and later, when I moved to Europe for a few years and traveled around almost obsessively, I made sure to write down any funny, serious, interesting, or even dangerous, thing that happened to me.  The smallest details of everyday life while abroad (like that cat in Morocco with the oddly, football-shaped head, or the time I slipped and fell down the stairs at 100 Montaditos in Madrid in front of a crowd of apathetic locals) becomes something etched in stone (well, paper) that I can relive over and over again.  Now, I get so much joy reading through a random day’s adventures whenever I’m feeling an overpowering sense of wanderlust.

Get lost:

Whether you are traveling completely alone, or not, it is always fun getting lost in a beautiful new city.  As long as it is daylight and you are not in any danger of going into a bad area, getting lost can lead to discoveries in even the most familiar of places.  I have often stumbled upon what would become my favorite cafe or bakery, or even a mystical cemetery, while lost in cities all over the world.  Of course, there were a couple of times when I lost myself amidst the winding, criss-crossing streets in areas that became increasingly uncomfortable -the darker it got- as the sun quickly disappeared over the rooftops.  But I always found my way out okay, often thanks to the unthreatening locals pointing you in the right direction.  If all else fails, you flag down the first taxi you see and tell them the name of any popular landmark or plaza that you know just has to be nearby.  Trust me, getting lost is worth every ounce of awkwardness you might feel.

Eat alone: 

There is nothing better than sitting in a quaint cafe, watching the world go by while sipping on a piping hot cappuccino and munching on a Nutella-filled pastry. Once, somewhere in Uruguay, I sat down to eat on the terrace of a lovely restaurant with views of the ocean.  The food was superb (perhaps the best I’ve ever had -in URUGUAY!), and I remember enjoying every last bite and, even more so, I remember enjoying watching the street bustle as the Uruguayans and packs of street dogs bustled to and fro, absorbed in their day-to-day activities.  Getting lost in the blur of it all, I realized I had been sitting at the now empty table for almost an hour and immediately flagged down the server asking for my check.  Much to my amazement, he motioned off to a vacant table in the corner of the restaurant and told me that a woman had already paid for my meal about a half hour ago!  And then he waltzed away as if it were the most normal occurrence in the world!  I’ll never forget that day and experience, along with many others, that I simply would not have had had I been too afraid to dine in restaurants, cafes, or bars by myself.

My advice, then, is to never be afraid to go to a cafe or restaurant alone when you are traveling (or even at home for that matter) and really just let yourself melt into whatever delicious plate you have in front of you.  Besides, after a day full of sight-seeing and walking countless miles, you will do your legs and feet well to take a nice break and reenergize yourself for the night -and day(s)- ahead.

Take a book: 

I recommend this book be a guide book, obviously about the country or city you are visiting.  These often include maps that you will have at your disposal for when you’ve had your fun being lost and are ready to reorientate yourself.  They will also be a great companion at the cafe you’re sipping your cappuccino away at, giving you ideas of where you should head next.  Most importantly of all, depending on the book you choose, many give away really great secrets about the place you are visiting, secrets that the hurried and over-scheduled traveler will always miss.

Take a lot of photos:

While I, myself, am a huge travel photography fan, I think it is important for even those without the dedication to taking good photos, to always have a camera with them when in a new place.  Whether they are to share with friends and family back home, to make a scrapbook of your time abroad, or to simply save away in the hard drive of your computer waiting for the inevitable day when you’ll just need to relive your adventure, taking plenty of photos is a great way to forget about your problems, express your creativity, and gain a new focus on life.  You learn to look out for and see things that before you just would have never noticed.  When almost anything factors into the equation: “Would that make a cool photo?,” you really do gain a new set of eyes and perspective on the world around you.

You’ll also find that being forced to interact with the locals and other tourists in order to get a photo in front of the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House is a sure way to make friends, and practice a foreign language!

A lot of the tips I have given here, can be used even when you are not traveling alone.  Taking a camera around, for example, can be just as fun with a silly friend or your “photogenic” significant other at your side.  Getting lost, whether alone or with a group of friends, is sure to guarantee you with stories you’ll all remember for years to come.  And sometimes, when traveling with company, one of you gets tired or -god forbid- sick, or simply doesn’t want to do the same things as you every day.  In other cases, you may just need a break from your travel buddy, and that is perfectly okay!  When these moments arise, do not be afraid to follow one of the pieces of advice I’ve given above.  Go and enjoy a coffee and pastry by yourself while your friend is at the dreary Medieval Torture Museum that costs a ridiculous 40 EUR.  You can always meet up later and share your day’s experiences with one another.

So many people are afraid of doing things alone.  So much so that they often cancel trips they’ve been dreaming of for their whole lives simply because they didn’t have anyone to go with them.  I am always taken aback when I hear this.  Please don’t be afraid to go it alone.  Being alone is an art, the world is a canvas, and you, fellow traveler, are the artist.

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Paul Joseph Downey is a graduate from The Ohio State University with bachelor degrees in Spanish and International Studies, and Florida International University with a Master of Science in International Education.  Born in Columbus, Ohio, and currently residing in Miami, Florida, he also considers Madrid, Paris, and Buenos Aires all very dear to his heart.

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Do you enjoy, or even prefer, traveling alone?  What other advice would you give to those “going it alone” either by choice or not?  Leave us a comment!