I was recently asked to contribute for a feature on Solo Traveling by Oman Observer, one of the leading English-language newspapers in Oman. I love traveling and exploring new countries, and due to many reasons, I find myself traveling alone, aka Solo Traveling, the majority of the time! So the article was really an opportunity for me to share my experience tell a bit of the story about why I travel solo – and I thought it was a chance to give a glimpse of my experiences outside Oman.
The article also features three other travelers who share their valuable insights and experiences, you can read my portion below, or head over to Oman Observer’s website for the full article.
Thanks to Rumpa Mitra and the team at Oman Observer for the feature.
I have never imagined calling myself a solo traveler, but over the past 10 years or so I found that most of my travels have been done as a ‘solo traveler’, definitely more often than any group trips I would have done, making me think that perhaps the phrase would be an apt one to describe me. I got my first experience traveling solo probably back in 2006 where I traveled to Japan alone, and gained an experience that I probably did not full appreciate or realize until years later: that you don’t actually need to wait on or rely on anyone but but yourself to make a trip or a long-held dream of a travel destination happen – and visiting Japan had been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid.
This was a very liberating feeling, and ever since then I have not thought twice about not traveling due to not having a group or friends to join me – and have used this experience to travel to destinations ranging from the Great Ocean Road in Australia, to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Pripyat in Ukraine, and the stunningly gorgeous Caucasus mountains of Tusheti in Georgia. Despite all of this, I definitely do not consider myself a ‘loner’, on the contrary, I believe I am a sociable person who enjoys meeting people – to me solo traveling allows me to have the freedom in making (as well as adjusting, and readjusting) plans and destinations, while also being able to meet some wonderfully fascinating people whether they are locals or or fellow travelers in the destinations I visit.
I do not think it is very uncommon to see more and more people traveling solo, as I believe the trend is rising worldwide. I believe the biggest factor in this is the rise of Smart Phones which had a tremendous amount of information, tools and apps accessible in the palm of your – this had made it much easier for a solo traveler plan their entire trip, find their way around a new city, book tours or public transport and be able to communicate with locals even without understanding their language. I should also not discount the impact of social media, especially Instagram, which has a large impact in motivating you (if used in a positive way) to discover and visit new places, and even approach and connect with new friends.
For those who are considering a trip, my advice is ‘have a plan’ – a good plan doesn’t have to be detailed and should be flexible to adjust or fill details as you travel – but have a big goal or thing you want to do (i.e. to visit a certain national park or visit a monument or museum) and fill the details around that. Plan a portion of your solo travel trip in a group activity – this could be visiting family/friends or booking a group activity such as a hike or group tour, for a first timer this will help make you more at ease and hey you combined a great experience with meeting your family or friends. Buy a local SIM card with data wherever you go. Have an open mind and don’t stress if you don’t make a plan or target!
Sorry for the selfie overload, but I was trying to make a theme somehow!
One reply on “Solo Traveling: My article for a local Omani Newspaper”
Thank you Ali for participating in my article, you are one of my favorite travel bloggers from Oman. Your blog is really helpful as they always provide the right information.