Why Traveling Alone Sucks
Solo travel is by definition is literally one of the most loneliest things you can do. Traveling to a new country or even within the states can be difficult if there persists a language or cultural barrier. Having a travel group means experiencing and solving those travel difficulties together, instead of trying to figure it out alone. Many times I have had difficulties trying to figure out how to get to a location or communicate to a local that I desperately need to use the toilet (on a side note if you're trying to eat cheap, don't cheap out on cleanliness). Bonus points if the person in the group has prior experience as there will be less planning on my part and more vacationing. Less stress and more fun!
It's not just having more minds to solve a problem, some days/nights can be incredibly lonely. I find it very comforting to have someone to rely or talk to when things get a bit dull, especially at a new city or location that doesn't have much to do. If I get unlucky, my hostel roommates are either on business or already in a group that they have no need to make new friends. Sometimes, some days I just don't feel like going out of my way to befriend or meet new people (the introverted side of me needs some me time). In times like this, it's reassuring to know that I have someone to share my thoughts with, without having to expend much energy.
Leisure wise it can be sometimes easier to travel in a group than alone. Some restaurants (mostly upscale) and attractions (such as amusement parks, etc) are probably best done in a group setting. Traveling in a group is safe and comfortable but...
Why Traveling Alone is Awesome af
Solo travel is one of the most liberating and entertaining things I've ever done. There's just so much room for flexibility and how that you can do whatever the hell you want. Want to spend the entire day eating noodles in Japan? You don't need to ask anyone (make sure you're willing to gain like 2 pounds in a day though). The most important thing, though, about traveling alone is that for a lot of people, their forced out of their comfort zone for a short time in their life. Although this sounds weird, but being forced out of my comfort zone granted me a new perspective on myself and other people. Plus it's super fun.
Yeah solo travel can be lonely sometimes, I mean come on it's called "solo" travel. But, meeting and hanging out with new people of all sorts of different backgrounds is extremely fascinating. Spontaneously meeting and hanging out with new people is great because most of the other travelers that I met were also solo travelers. That's the most wonderful thing about hostels, I was kind of forced to talk to the people around me. Because of that, spontaneous hang outs or just grabbing a drink can lead to some interesting conversations.
Going to restaurants alone may seem daunting at first, but once I realized that I could do whatever the hell I wanted, boy was it gratifying. Eating alone, for a lot of young people I guess, is awkward since most of their life has been spent eating together or with a group of friends at school. Turns out once you get into the real world, nobody really gives two shits. There's so much freedom in eating out in traveling alone. No longer do I have to decide amongst friends what to eat or find a restaurant that can fit all of us. Fancy a slice of fresh pizza at some seemingly dodgy pizza joint in the backroads of Rome? Go for it! Afterwards you'll realize it's the best god damn pizza you've ever had in your life and you would've never found about it had you not spontaneously decided to go for it. It's just so convenient eating alone as I can dictate when and what I want to eat.
Most attractions in the world don't require a group to have fun, even just by myself I can find excitement or tranquility. I can go visit museums, take a nice stroll around the park, go urban exploring, etc on my own time without needing to wait up on someone or plan anything. If I feel lonely, then I can just ask some of the people that I meet in hostels or through apps (Couchsurf and Meetup are great for this) to hang out with me. Sometimes it's just too annoying or too hard to plan everything in advance.
That tingling of nervousness and unexpectedness can be scary, but traveling alone has been a great learning opportunity. If I could I would make everyone travel alone at least once in their life.