Solo travel?

Have you ever traveled solo or thought about it?

I'm not talking about going on a long weekend. I'm talking about taking a solo trip for a few weeks, a month, or more.

Whether traveling in an RV, your car, backpacking, or traveling internationally as an expat, traveling solo is a fun and different experience.

When you travel solo, you make all the decisions. You get to go where you want to, do what you want to, and do it when you want to. Naturally, there are some disadvantages. What if you get sick or hurt? I'm sure you could come up with many reasons why you shouldn't travel solo if you really don't want to do it.

Some people look forward to and dream about solo travel, while others dread the thought of it. Some people tell me they would be scared to travel alone.

Are you too old (or young) to travel solo?

I hear people say all the time that they're too old to travel by themselves, and I've talked to a few people who think they're too young. In my opinion, both of those are just excuses. I'm 83 and have traveled solo for more than 20 years.

In my travels, I've met many solo travelers—old and young. Whether you enjoy solo travel or not depends mainly on your attitude. Whether you think you'll enjoy it or won't, you'll probably be right.

Experience new adventures

Whether traveling in the US or internationally, I like to stay in hostels when I'm not traveling in my motorhome. They're way less expensive than motels or hotels, and they're full of excited young people looking for adventure. Of course, sometimes the young people are loud and stay up late, but that's part of the adventure of staying in a hostel.

I've found that renting a room or an apartment is less expensive if you stay longer than a week or so. You can usually rent an apartment for a month for about the same cost as renting it for two weeks.

One time, when I was staying in a hostel in Tampa, Florida, I had breakfast with a woman from England. It was not until later that afternoon that I realized the woman I had breakfast with was someone I knew online. I had read her book and followed her on YouTube, but since I wasn't expecting to see her in the US, I didn't put two and two together until that afternoon. You never know who you'll meet in a hostel.

As an expat, I've traveled to more than 30 countries, spent 13 years living and traveling in my motorhome, and now I've moved to Costa Rica. I never want to stop traveling, and I love traveling solo.

You'll meet many more people when traveling solo. When traveling with someone, you'll spend most of your time talking to them, and ignore the people around you.

Can you see yourself as a solo traveler?

Whether you have a significant other or not, consider doing some solo travel. Take an extended trip—for at least two weeks (a month or more would be even better). Don't just go for a long weekend—that's not the same.

You should both go on a solo trip if you have a significant other. You could go at the same time (but to different places), or if someone needs to stay home and take care of the dog, go at different times. When you return, y'all will have so much to talk about.

Pictures yourself in these places

After you've gone on a solo trip or two, you'll no longer feel scared and you'll have much more confidence.

Bottom line: Pack a couple of bags (or better yet, only pack one bag or a small backpack), hit the road, and try your hand at solo traveling. It's something everyone should try at least once. I love the solo traveling lifestyle, and the adventure it brings.