“Why do you travel alone” is one of the most common questions I get, right after people inquire about helmet sizes and dangers of being a solo female rider. For some reason, few people ask others, “why do you live alone?”. But to travel alone, especially as a woman, seems to still raise eyebrows.
It’s different for everyone, and some peoplemay get lonely on the road. For me, however, the whole solo travel thing is working out just fine, and here is why:
It Just So Happened
I travel alone because I’m generally quite happy with myself, on or off the road, and when I first set off in 2013 in Peru, I simply didn’t have anyone to come with me. Months on the road became years, and it’s not like I had some specific plan to travel alone. Nor, come to think of it, had I any plans to become a full-time moto nomad. It just naturally happened this way, and I just never actively sought out company – chance encounters on the road, riding short stretches with other ADV travelers, that sort of thing, of course, happens. But overall, I ride alone, and I enjoy that.
2. The World Is Your Oyster
When you’re traveling solo, you aren’t encased in a bubble of familiarity with your partner or friend, whether it’s the same language or the same culture. When you’re alone, you’re facing the world as you are, no backup, no filters, and the experiences are a lot more intense, natural, and raw.
3. The Locals Are More Willing To Talk
When you rock up at a gas station, roadside restaurant, hotel, or just a plaza in a strange city on your own, people are a lot more likely to approach you and chat with you. Alone, you inspire curiosity rather than suspicion, and that’s a sure-poof way to make friends fast.
