Travel is the gateway to self-discovery. It teaches about the world and helps us gain fresh perspectives on our own lives and situations.
Although many people love sharing the experience with good friends and partners, some get frustrated by their travel companions’ attitudes and think solo trips are better.
One annoyed traveler came to Reddit to vent their frustrations on finding a reliable travel companion, leading to an interesting discussion on why many choose to embark on solo adventurers.
Oblivious To Cost
The Original Poster (OP) came to the popular R/travel subreddit to vent that their friends, who claim to want to travel, have no idea how much a trip costs.
“I hate to travel with friends as they expect that travels barely costs a thing, but want to…stay at 4+ stars and fly direct,” they explained, exasperated by the ridiculous expectations.
OP also shared that a friend wanted to travel together to a different country with a budget of $300. “Travelling to European capital in July, hotel and flights. For less than $300. That’s just crazy!!” OP exclaimed.
Flexibility
Another user said they typically travel alone because they have a flexible schedule and can get time off, whereas their friends don’t have that luxury.
“I travel alone quite frequently, mostly because everyone I know has a regular day job, and my time is more flexible than theirs,” shared one user.
Many Americans likely know the feeling. Our work culture doesn’t offer much time off, so it’s hard to find time to book a weeks-long trip across the globe.
Preference for Solo Travel
Lots of seasoned travelers prefer to go alone. One said it’s better because no one is pestering you to do things you don’t want to do, while another said they don’t want to hear grumbling on days with early wake-ups.
“I also like traveling alone since no one wants to wake up at 4 with me,” laughed one user.
Another user said they just finished their first solo trip. “Thought I would hate it but was the best travel experience,” they shared. “No complaining. No fighting over what to do, and no sharing a **** room with anyone.”
People Flake
Many folks travel alone because the people they plan to go with decide at the last minute not to come. It’s hard planning a trip with multiple budgets when a few folks decide in the end not to go, leaving the planner holding the financial bag.
“I travel alone because everyone is just so flaky to deal with 99% of the time. People are never willing to commit to anything and will say yes to something and then never reply or follow up on anything,” shared one user.
“This 100%,” added another. “If you rely on people all the time for travel with jobs, life in the way you’ll never do anything.”
Don’t Get How Travel Works
Beginner travelers can have issues navigating the confusing standards flights and hotels have. One user said traveling with a friend left them shaking their head when the friend tried switching flights to save money.
“She also didn’t realize that by clicking “cancel” online that it didn’t always mean she’d get refunded,” the user shared. “But she assumed she would because she didn’t get on that flight,” they added, stressing that she never got a refund.
Sometimes traveling with someone who doesn’t know industry rules can be stressful.
People Forget About Inflation
Some pointed out that travel used to be cheaper, but inflation crept into all aspects of planning a trip.
“People do expect to travel at the prices that you might have seen years ago or during the pandemic, but now everyone wants to travel, so prices have increased with the demand. I still find some great deals for clients but not nearly as good as a year ago!” said one user.
Let Them Plan It
Some Redditors gave great advice for dealing with folks who flake or have high expectations: Let them plan the trip.
The OP felt overwhelmed because they made a ton of effort to find reasonable accommodations, cheap flights, and low-cost adventures, only to be told it was all “too much.”
“If your open to traveling with that friend or whomever, let them do the pre-planning and ask for what hotel/flights/etc. they were considering, so you can see if it fits with your preferences and budget (or vice versa if you invite someone, you pick all that stuff and invite them with those details already decided),” advised one user.
This way, OP won’t have to stress about planning everything. If the other person really wanted to take the trip, they’d try to make it happen.
What Do You Think About Traveling Solo?
Have you ever traveled by yourself? Do you think it’s sometimes better than traveling with friends and family?
This post was inspired by a Reddit Thread.
Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.