Said It Here

How to deal with loneliness during solo travel

Traveling alone without a companion to share experiences with often leads to intense feelings of isolation, especially when surrounded by couples. Without a built-in travel partner or a clear way to meet others, it becomes difficult to enjoy the trip and make new friends.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Staying in social accommodations like hostels
  2. 2
    Keeping busy by walking around and exploring
  3. 3
    staying in a hostel to meet fellow travelers
  4. 4
    sticking to one country like Spain to minimize transit time
  5. 5
    Flying home early
  6. 6
    Booking a trip to a neighboring country
  7. 7
    Staying in hostels instead of private rooms to force yourself outside
  8. 8
    Finding low-effort activities like a day spa
  9. 9
    Creating a concrete daily itinerary or plan

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

There were quite a few moments where I thought, "I wish I had someone here with me."source ↗

Rude_Preparation_909 · r/travel · 3,012 upvotes

unfortunately couldn’t find someone to go with me…source ↗

where can go what can i do as a solo traveler? Also do u think i could make some friends? How?source ↗

Only-Vermicelli5353 · r/travel · 2 upvotes

I'm currently in Taiwan for what's supposed to be a 5 week trip, but starting the 7 day mark I've been stuck in my room with no motivation to go out.source ↗

I can tell I'm depressed, I have negative self thoughts and lay around all day.source ↗

RoseGolden___ · r/travel

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised