World Travel Writer: "8 Things I Learned from a Year of Solo Travel"

▲Solo travel. (Photo / courtesy illustration)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Many people yearn for the feeling of wandering, and often, long journeys leave something behind—challenging ingrained thoughts and evolving into better versions of ourselves.World travel writerAlasdair PlambeckAfter traveling to numerous countries for a year in 2016, he shared 8 things he learned from solo travel.

“People” are often the most crucial factor and the main reason for deciding whether to continue traveling in a country, said Alasdair Plambeck. Leaving close ones behind and frequently interacting with locals and fellow travelers he met along the way significantly changed his introverted personality.

1. Distance can actually strengthen relationships with family
During his travels over the past year, by regularly calling his family each month to update them, sending postcards, and mailing gifts, he came to understand how to cherish his relationships with family, which grew even closer as a result.

2. Categorize friends into three types: deep friendships, developing friendships, and fading friendships
Travel can serve as a litmus test for friendships, acting as a convenient filtering mechanism. Alasdair Plambeck divided friends into three categories: deep friendships, developing friendships, and fading friendships.

During the journey, it’s inevitable that you can’t be part of your close friends’ daily lives. Once back home, you’ll appreciate those with deep bonds more and want to spend more time with them or help them. Developing friendships grow stronger because certain friends support what you’re doing, rallying around you and reinforcing the bond. On the flip side, the decision to embark on long-term travel may not sit well with some friends—but that’s okay, because those friendships have already faded, which Alasdair Plambeck calls fading friendships.

▲Travel can serve as a litmus test for friendships, acting as a convenient filtering mechanism. (Photo / courtesy image / illustration)

3. It’s easy to meet new people, but hard to maintain deep friendships
Friends you meet while traveling often share similar experiences and mindsets: stepping out of their comfort zones and venturing into unfamiliar lands. Alasdair Plambeck also noted that it’s much more likely to meet like-minded people while traveling than at home, but since everyone is on a different path, maintaining those connections is tough unless you’re heading in the same direction. He advises aspiring travelers to clarify why they want to travel before departure, write down their reasons, and refine them along the way.

4. Saying goodbye is never easy
Saying farewell during travels isn’t easy, but if you want to keep “traveling,” facing reality and having the courage to say goodbye is essential.

5. Most people are willing to help
Alasdair Plambeck mentioned that while traveling in Kraków, Poland, he once didn’t have enough change to pay his fare and was about to get off the bus when a seemingly destitute elderly woman stepped in to help. The next day, when he returned to the same street, he suddenly realized that surviving on the road almost always depends on the kindness of strangers—for shelter, food, or transportation. Of course, one must use wisdom to judge whether people are kind or ill-intentioned.

6. The need to connect is a driving force
Alasdair Plambeck likened it to this: if he needed something in a foreign country, he had to push himself to ask locals for help. For instance, hitchhiking in Romania led him to another country; getting lost in the Nagorno-Karabakh region resulted in an invitation to a local’s birthday party. These precious memories became treasures in his life.

7. You learn the most from locals
Alasdair Plambeck said he was invited into locals’ homes multiple times, which became one of his favorite ways to travel. Language barriers and cultural differences weren’t obstacles but rather added to the challenge. He likened locals to giving him a new perspective, from whom he learned a great deal, expressing deep gratitude.

▲Solo travel can often be lonely, but there’s no need to avoid it. (Photo / courtesy image / illustration)

8. Being alone isn’t scary at all
Solo travel can often be lonely, but there’s no need to avoid it. Unexpected encounters with wildlife, sleeping on mountainsides among trees, and in the last 10 days of his trip, Alasdair Plambeck went to Nepal to meditate, immersing himself in wordless silence. He found that solitude helps inspire creativity and reflection, providing more time for introspection—and that in the future, solitude will become an indispensable part of life.