10+ Honest Pros and Cons of Solo Travel (For Women)

If you’ve been searching for the real pros and cons of solo travel, this post has you covered, especially if you’re a woman considering your first solo trip

Thinking about solo travel but not sure if it’s actually for you? You’re not alone, especially if you’re new to it and/or still sitting on the fence.

Maybe the idea of total freedom excites you… But the thought of eating dinner alone or navigating a new city without someone by your side fills you with fear.

I totally get it, I’ve been there too. But after more than a decade of travelling solo (including a 2.5-year working holiday visa in Australia, a solo trip to India and plenty of solo city breaks in between), I can say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

This post is for anyone who’s feeling curious about solo travel, but wants to know more about what it’s really like (the good, the bad and the ugly). 

If you’re wondering, is solo travel worth it? This post will give you the honest truth. I’ll break down the real pros and cons of solo travel (not just the glossy Instagram version). 

We’ll talk about the amazing sense of freedom and independence, but also the tough stuff like loneliness, decision fatigue, and the infamous “solo traveller tax.”

By the end, you’ll have a clear, honest picture of what to expect and whether solo travel is the right choice for you.

This guide dives deep into the pros and cons of solo travel from a female perspective, sharing all my honest truths based on more than 10 years of experience.

Pros And Cons of Solo Travel: The Pros

Travelling solo often gets romanticised, and to be fair, it can be truly magical. But beyond the clichés, there are some truly life-changing benefits that solo travellers rave about. 

Here are some of the biggest reasons why travelling alone is absolutely worth trying at least once.

1. Total Freedom to Do (& Spend) Whatever You Want

In my opinion, the ultimate advantage of solo travel is the freedom to do exactly what you want, when you want, without compromise. 

This is one of the biggest draws for anyone considering travelling alone for the first time.

As someone who’s travelled often both with others and solo, there is something to be said about getting to choose exactly how you want your day (and your trip) to pan out. 

Whether you want to go and climb some crazy mountain, or spend your whole day doom-scrolling in your hostel bed with snacks, you get to choose without having to answer to anyone else. 

In addition to this, when travelling with someone else, you run the risk of having two very different budgets, which can make things awkward very quickly. 

You might be happy to spend an extra £10 on that bus that gets you to your destination 3 hours earlier than the cheaper option, whilst they would rather endure the longer, more painful journey for the sake of the small savings (or vice versa).  

What is supposed to be a simple and easy plan or decision can turn into some uncomfortable negotiations that are sometimes just not worth the stress. 

Yes, being responsible for everything can sometimes come with its drawbacks (which I will discuss later on in this post), but ultimately, I think the pros outweigh the cons here.

2. You’ll Build Real Independence & Confidence Within Yourself

A hill that I’m absolutely prepared to die on? Nothing will show you what a strong, independent woman you are more than solo travel, no matter what age you are. 

There are so many facets to travelling the world, from planning and booking the trip to navigating new and unfamiliar destinations to meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. 

As cliché as it sounds, doing this all by yourself will push you out of your comfort zone and will help to prove to yourself what a truly cool person you are and what tough stuff you’re really made of. 

As amazing as solo travel is, inevitably, things can and will go wrong. You might miss a train, get your phone stolen, or end up in the wrong city. But no matter what happens, you will figure it out (crying and having a meltdown whilst trying to figure these things out is absolutely ok too). 

And each time you deal with setbacks, you’ll grow a little more confident in yourself, and most importantly, you’ll learn to trust yourself and your gut instincts. 

3. You Say “Yes” More Often

I’ve always considered myself to be a bit of a “yes woman”, but since travelling solo, I’ve definitely said yes to more wild and wonderful things (and dare I say it, taken more risks). 

Honestly, I would have never had the guts to hike a volcano in Guatemala or travel solo to Africa if it wasn’t for going on my first solo trip, because being on your own pushes you to be that little bit braver (and of course, going alone is brave enough on its own).

On top of this, when I travel with others, I’m naturally more conscious of their feelings and preferences, which sometimes means holding back on the things I really want to do. 

But when it’s just me, I make more of a concerted effort to make connections with others. 

Because I don’t have the safety net of a friend or partner, I’m more likely to join group tours and put myself in social situations I might normally skip (especially as an introvert).

And more often than not, it’s those connections that lead to things I never would’ve planned to do (and more things I can say yes to).

In short: Solo Travel → New Environments → Spontaneous Opportunities → Saying “Yes” More Often → Confidence Boost

4. You’ll Meet More People Than You Expect

I briefly touched on meeting new people above, but it’s worth diving into properly because solo absolutely does not mean lonely.

If anything, travelling solo often leads to more human connection, because you’ll find yourself putting yourself out there far more than you would if you were travelling with a friend. 

In fact, solo travel has become so mainstream that 16% of all travellers went solo in 2023, and searches for ‘solo travel’ have more than doubled in the past decade.

Hostels, day tours, walking groups, and even co-working spaces naturally bring like-minded people together. 

And the best part is, you don’t need to force any of it. These places are full of other travellers who are also very open to meeting new people.

As someone who’s always been a bit shy and introverted, I can honestly say that travelling solo has helped me become more open and less guarded. And even now, at 33, I still find that the more I put myself out there, the more I grow.

Plus, you might even find yourself making some new friends for life, who you meet up with after the travel fun is over, as a little added bonus.

🛏️ If you’re looking for easy, solo-friendly places to stay, I’ve always had good luck booking through Hostelworld. They’ve got loads of filters that make it easy to find the right place for you. 

5. It’s a Journey Of Deep Self-Discovery 

This is very much another cliché, but a true advantage of solo travel. There is something very powerful about being alone with your own thoughts for a long period of time. 

And, if you are someone who has struggled to enjoy your own company, this experience will help you 10 fold. 

When you travel solo, suddenly it’s just you and your own choices. You’ll really begin to gain a deep understanding of what you love to do (and what you don’t), the type of personalities that light you up (and the ones that drag you down) and most importantly, how you handle challenges, and how you learn and grow from those experiences. 

Solo travel can really clear the noise in your mind and help you understand what it is that you truly want in life.

It can also leave you feeling a little more confused when you realise that you don’t want a “normal” life, but that’s just the beauty of realising that there is SO much more out there than the little corners we’ve been confined to in our hometowns. 

Despite all of the incredible things that solo travelling can give you, there are a lot of drawbacks to it which I don’t feel are often talked about enough on our overglamourised social media feeds. 

Here are some of the biggest disadvantages of travelling alone: 

6. The “Solo Traveller Tax” is Real

The solo traveller tax isn’t an official tax, but it’s a term you might have heard being thrown around in the solo traveller community. 

Essentially is a silly term for the extra costs solo travellers often end up paying simply because they’re travelling alone. 

When you’re not able to split the costs of certain things (hotels, rental cars, taxis, etc) with someone else, things can get really expensive, really fast. 

One of the most frustrating parts of this tax for me isn’t always about the money. For example, certain guided tours won’t run unless there’s a minimum group size.

And, don’t get me started on trying to get a decent photo of yourself when you’re alone. Asking a stranger is all well and good, but 99% of the time, they will not understand the vision and setting up a tripod next to every pretty view always feels like the biggest mission (especially if you’re in a hot climate). 

Of course, solo travelling for the last 11 years, I have experienced the solo traveller tax throughout my whole travelling “career”, but I never truly felt the full force of it until I went on my first over-30s backpacking trip. 

In my 20s, I was less concerned about getting private rooms from time to time, because I was very much into the hostel party lifestyle, but on my over-30s trip, I was constantly desperate to be in a private room, but couldn’t always do that because I knew it would have ended up blowing the budget. 

Despite this “tax”, things don’t always have to feel super expensive when you’re travelling solo. 

Here are some things that can help you keep costs down as a solo traveller: 

• Prebooking transfers and taxis ahead of time (where possible).
• Cooking your own meals from time to time.
• Finding people in the hostel to join you in certain activities.
• Booking a 4-bed dorm when you’re craving your own space (obviously not quite private, but fewer people in the room will always help when you’re feeling this way).

7. Worrying For Your Safety As A Woman

One of the biggest disadvantages of travelling solo as a woman has to be the additional burden we carry when it comes to worrying about our safety (an extra mental load that most of our male counterparts don’t have to worry about). 

As women, we’re raised with a heightened sense of caution, and we have so many rules to follow. Don’t walk alone at night, always watch your drink, and keep your guard up. 

Travelling solo can feel like having your guard up even higher, and always being switched on (which can become draining). 

When travelling solo, you’ll quickly learn to trust your instincts and here are a few simple things you can do to help keep yourself protected: 

• Always trust your instincts ( if you feel something is off, remove yourself from the situation).
• Booking accommodation with lots of good reviews (especially from other women).
• Share your travel plans with a friend or family member so that someone always knows where you are.
• Avoid walking alone down dark or isolated streets at night.
• Carry yourself with confidence (even if you have no idea where I was going).

Thankfully, in the last 11 years of solo travelling, I have managed to avoid any serious concerns for my safety, which I am very grateful for, even when travelling to countries that are considered more “dangerous”, such as India (which 100% isn’t as scary as Western media makes it out to be). 

But, these are a few essentials I never travel without that help me to feel that little bit safer:

• SafetyWing Travel Insurance – Reliable coverage for medical emergencies and unexpected travel issues. Having it means I don’t have to worry about what I’d do if something went wrong abroad. The best part is that you can renew it monthly, and you can take it out even if your trip has already begun. Plus, the payouts are SO quick. Plus, the payouts are super quick (I’ve had to claim on it 3 times in the last year). 
• Airalo eSIM – Affordable mobile data as soon as I land is so handy, as it makes it easy to message family, check maps, or book transport straight away. 
• Offline maps (Google Maps or Maps.me) – A backup that’s saved me countless times when I’ve had no signal. Downloading maps in advance means I can always find my way.
• Translator App (Google Translate) – A lifesaver when I don’t speak the local language. It’s helped me to translate menus, communicate with taxi drivers and more. 

8. Making Friends Over and Over Again Gets Tiring

I have and always will believe that one of the best parts of solo travel is meeting new people; however, having to do it over and over every few days can start to wear you out (especially if you’re travelling for longer than 3 months). 

With each new hostel you check into, you’ll find yourself having the same surface-level conversations on repeat, being asked the same 4 questions:  “Where are you from?” “How long have you been travelling?” “Where have you just come from?” and “Where to next?”

Honestly, I’ve even caught myself wishing I could hand out a little “About Me” card just to skip this whole charade, but something tells me I would have been labelled as the weird passive-aggressive woman if I had tried to do this, and that’s not really a good way to make new friends, is it? 

While connection is still important to me, I’ve realised that slowing down and spending longer in one place helps ease this social fatigue.

There are also a couple of things I try to zoom out and remember when I am feeling this way: 

• The only way to get to know people on a deeper level is to start out with the surface level.
• Once you’re at home, no longer travelling, you’ll really, really miss all these new interactions (so you’ve got to enjoy it while it lasts). 

9. Decision Paralysis is a Thing

Having the freedom to go where you want, when you want, is bloody fantastic, until it’s not.

You might have a loose plan for your travels, and then meet someone in a hostel who swears you have to check out a place you’d never once considered. 

This can more often than not lead to an internal tug of war, where you’re flip-flopping between sticking to the original plan or switching it up and having that constant feeling of “am I missing out?” no matter what you decide. 

Without a travel buddy to bounce ideas off, the joy of having the freedom to choose can sometimes turn into a burden. 

Two things that have always helped me in this situation are to first zoom out. If I’m having to choose between going to a beautiful beach town or going on a hike up a unique mountain, there really is no bad decision to be made (first-world problems, if you will). 

And secondly, remember that my decisions are not final; if I get somewhere and feel like I’ve made the “wrong choice”, I can always choose to leave. Yes, it might end up being a little more costly, but if you’ve accounted for these small mishaps in your budget, then you should be just fine. 

Finally, when in real doubt, I’ll always sound it out to my friends and family at home to gain some clarity on the situation. Although I will always go for this option as a last resort, because after all, part of solo travel is all about learning to trust yourself more. 

10. Loneliness Does Show Up Sometimes

Even if you love your own company, like I do, loneliness can sometimes creep up on you, especially on those quiet,  more “boring” days. And it’s one of the biggest fears that stops people from solo travelling in the first place.

Loneliness can feel even more intense when you’ve hit a period of travel burnout or you’re ill and under the weather (if you don’t get at least one round of food poisoning when you travel, then you should be extremely proud of your immune system). 

Just remember that feeling lonely is completely normal, and I can almost guarantee you that even the most experienced solo female travellers will admit to feeling lonely at times.

If you are feeling lonely, I’ve found that chatting with a friend, family member, or partner back home will always help to remind you that you’re not actually alone. 

I don’t know about you, but I would rather feel lonely on the odd occasion when I’m solo travelling than go travelling with the wrong person, so that I’m not alone.

11.  Burnout Happens Faster

As exciting as solo travel is, the constant movement and meeting new people can wear you down quicker than you expect. 

Packing up every few days and adjusting to new environments takes so much energy, and eventually, it will all catch up with you. 

Travel burnout often shows up as irritability, decision fatigue, or a loss of excitement about things you’d normally find amazing.

There have definitely been times on my travels when I’ve arrived somewhere so beautiful and thought, “Is that it?”, and it’s when I get to that stage of unappreciativeness that it’s a clear sign I need to slow down. 

Building in rest days, staying longer in one place and having lots of lazy days in your hostel instead of sightseeing can and will make all the difference.