How to convince your family that you’ll be safe traveling alone

Will you be safe traveling alone?

Traveling alone for the first time can be daunting. Initially, you will worry about safety, loneliness and maybe about finding yourself in unexpected situations. Once you decide to take the step and book your trip though, you will most likely overcome all these feelings and just feel excited. The problem then will be another one, your family and friends will be feeling the same things. With one difference: they will not feel the excitement of leaving and they will mostly fear for you. If you are in this situation, here you have some tips to convince your family and friends that you will be safe traveling alone.

How to convince your family you will be safe traveling alone

When your relatives hear for the first time that you are taking some holidays solo a few things can occur. First, you are lucky and someone else has done it before and went well. Then your family will be mostly ok, they may worry a bit, but they (most likely) will not be over protective. The second possibility is that you are the first one in your family flying solo. In this case, you are most likely to listen comments of the sort: “you’re crazy”, “how are you going to travel alone”, followed by one “change the dates if you don’t have anyone to go with and I can go with you”.

You know that they do it because they love you. And that that is the reason why the worry. In any case, if you are determined to go, you should listen but you should not let them change your mind.

Why should you travel solo? Read more about it here – Why Travel Solo

If you are unable to calm their doubts, negotiation is always the best way to go. What do they need to be more comfortable with you leaving? A call a day? A text will make it? Reading some entry blogs about how safe is your next destination for people traveling solo?

Usually, once they have accepted that you are going, you can reach a middle point between what they want from you and how much you can give. The best is always to talk about it. Also, who knows, maybe you’ll end up being a role model to your nephew or little brother!

Telling your friends that solo travel is safe

Then, as time passes by, the moment of leaving gets closer. And of course, the usual question of “where are you going next?”, gets more and more common. Then your friends (if they don’t know already), hear for the first time that you will be traveling on your own.

In occasions you may find a friend who will decide to tag along. Another possibility is that you will find a “mean friend” that will try to convince you not to go. Most likely this person will be reflecting their own fear onto you, so do not take it personally. Hopefully it won’t be the most common type of friend you have. Most likely, most of your friends will encourage you to go, and some of them will tell you that deep down, they are a bit jealous of you for having the balls of doing such a great thing.

Explaining to everybody else that you will be safe traveling alone

When the same topic shows up in a conversation with your job colleagues or other aquaintances, the first thing to expect is them looking at you like you’re a weirdo. Unfortunately, there is still a stigma associated to traveling alone. Then, they may make a comment on the lines of “I don’t think I’d be capable of doing that”.

In this case, I would tell you to brag about your plans and make them jealous. In case your are still not a 100% sure you will love it, I would keep on going with the “fake it till you make it” philosophy. Go ahead and let them know you are the best, and fear nothing. You will end up convincing yourself too!

To yourself: Yes, you will be safe traveling alone.

If you have doubts on whether you will be safe traveling alone, there are many things you can do to prepare for your trip and stop being afraid. There are many factors to take into account. For example, some of the most important safety concerns will depends on the destination, who you are and the type of travel you do. But the reality is that traveling alone doesn’t have to be more dangerous than travel in a couple or in a group.

Worrying about eating out in restaurants when traveling alone? you should not! Read these tips on how to master eating alone in Restaurants.

Be aware of your surroundings, and where you are. Do not get wasted or drugged, you depend on you. And trust your gut regarding how much confidence you put in other people. There is nothing like solo travel to develop a sixth “spidy” sense.

The stigma of solo travel

Unfortunatelly, traveling solo is still associated with being this strange person without friends. Although things are slowly changing with more people (and specially women) traveling solo, there is still the undercurrent feeling that we are weirdos.

Thankfully, with every person that decides to stand up and go travel solo, this stigma changes a little bit. Patience, and humour. There’s not much more to do about it.

Have you also gone through all these phases? Or some others? Let me know!

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