Is solo travel easier for extroverts? The truth about personality and solo travel
Solo travel is often assumed to be easier for extroverts. You’re social, outgoing, and comfortable meeting new people… so you’ll naturally make friends everywhere you go and have the best time travelling solo, right? While introverts might have a real challenge meeting new people.
But solo travel challenges extroverts and introverts in completely different ways, and often in the exact areas you wouldn’t expect.
Extroverts and solo travel: the hidden challenges
While extroverts often seem like they should thrive when travelling alone, the beginning of a solo trip can feel surprisingly quiet. You arrive somewhere new, full of excitement… and then suddenly you realise there’s no one to share it with.
You might notice yourself sitting in cafés or restaurants thinking “This would feel better if someone was here with me” or scanning the room, wondering when you’ll naturally meet people again. But it’s not that you can’t meet people, it’s that you don’t know when it will happen. And when you’re travelling solo, that uncertainty can feel unsettling at first.
My top 10 activities to meet other solo travellers (without staying in a hostel)
One of the biggest fears anyone has before their first solo trip is loneliness. Not necessarily being physically alone, but the idea of spending days without meaningful conversations, struggling to meet people, or feeling awkward walking into a restaurant by themselves. I guess it’s especially true as an introvert.
The good news? Meeting people while travelling is usually much easier than you think. And if hostel is obviously one of the most efficient way to do so, it’s luckily not the only one !
In fact, if you're in your late twenties, thirties, forties or beyond, and have a little more budget to spend on accommodation, there are plenty of ways to create a social trip without ever setting foot in a dorm room.