Travel Guides Solo Travel
Kylie McCreary
Traveling solo is an incredible adventure that everyone should try at least once in their life. While it’s amazing to explore a new place with friends and family, there are some drawbacks to being with other people. Traveling with others creates a sort of bubble of familiarity for you to escape to. This can be comforting, but in that same vein, it can stop you from getting out of your comfort zone and integrating fully into the place you’re visiting.
Solo travel, on the other hand, takes away any buffer between you and your environment. You have to figure things out on your own and turn to the locals if you have any questions. It can create a great space for introspection and solitude. But, it can also get you to exercise and strengthen your social skills. Because, after some time, you’ll realize that you need a little human interaction. When that happens, we recommend taking a night tour.
It’s the perfect evening plan
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It’s easy to travel on your own during the day. There are museums, cafes, parks, gardens, nature excursions, and more. But in the evening, the pickings become a bit more slim. Lots of places close their doors and, for obvious reasons, sightseeing becomes less than optimal. The most popular thing to do once the sun goes down is to socialize. People will be eating and drinking with friends till dawn. This is especially true if you are visiting countries that are notorious for their late nights like Spain or France.
If you want to experience a city’s nightlife while you are traveling alone, a great way to do this is to book a night tour. If you like to get a little spooked, you’ll likely enjoy a ghost tour of the city you’re in. It’s a great way to get to know the city’s history and folklore once the sun has set. Another popular evening tour option is a bar crawl. With these tours, you’ll have an expert guide take you and a group of people through all of the locally loved spots to eat and drink.
Night tours are a great way to socialize
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Not only will a night tour keep you busy in the evening, but they offer the perfect chance for solo travelers to meet people. If you get along well with a person or two, you can continue your night together, getting a beverage or bite after the tour has ended. This is especially easy to do if you have a drink or two in the course of the tour. Another perk to this kind of socializing is that it creates a safe environment to meet other travelers. You’re all out in public and get a kind of peer protection from fellow group members and your tour guide.
In a Reddit thread that started with the question, “Pub crawls as a solo traveler?” one user, @ARenko, recalled his pleasant experience meeting friends on a night tour. He wrote, “Most people were solo or pairs (couples or friends), plus a group of three friends. Everyone was interested to talk to each other and moving between venues afforded the opportunity to mix things up and not stick to talking to the same person(s) – I don’t think anyone felt left out.”
Every mix of people will be different, of course, and so will the tour you choose. But, if you’re trying to decide if a group tour is right for your next vacation, and you’re traveling solo, there’s a good chance that doing a night tour will be the perfect way to stave off any loneliness or night-time boredom.
