A couple months ago I was flying to visit some friends in Bulgaria, then booked a last minute excursion to Vienna. I did not have anyone to go with me, but as I have dreamt of seeing Austria for years it seemed a shame not to visit before heading home. So I bought the ticket.

This would be my first ever solo trip.

All my life I have been warned of the dangers and disadvantages of solo travel. In the weeks leading up to my trip, I was again advised of these. And in addition to these forewarnings, I was also told many a time that traveling by myself could be a very “lonely” experience. And for a minute, I almost contemplated not undertaking this solo portion of my trip. Well, I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that I didn’t quit on it.

I am so glad I went to Vienna alone!

Because guess what? I wasn’t lonely.

The forewarned loneliness I was supposed to experience on my solo trip did not occur. I actually found these four days alone to be extremely peaceful.

If I wanted to get up early, I could. Or if I was enjoying that soft hotel bed, I could sleep in too. I could stick to a travel itinerary, or I could act in the moment, exploring something exciting I had just learned of from a local.

I was at liberty to change plans whenever I wanted without worrying about possibly annoying a travel companion. And let me tell you, this is a freeing experience!

Lonely. Touring alone made me feel liberated.

But you know what?

I may have booked a solo traveling experience, but a lot of my time actually ended up being spent in the company of others. Being alone made me more approachable to locals and tourists alike, leading to me meeting some of the most interesting people.

My first morning in Vienna I ended up sharing brunch with a sweet couple from Belgium. We were all three standing in line outside the famous Cafe Central, umbrellas in hand, patiently awaiting our tables. Because I was alone, we started chatting and this led to them inviting me to share a table with them.

Voila! I had brunch companions.

Later that day I got lost looking for the Austrian National Library. When I approached who I thought was a local to ask for directions, I found myself talking to a woman who was also a tourist (from Peru) and who was looking for the same destination as I. We ended up sharing an Uber together and got to our location, only to find out it was closed.

No worries though! The night was not to be ruined. We simply crossed the street, bought last minute tickets to a small symphony, and listened to local musicians perform Mozart. They were superb and we both enjoyed ourselves immensely.

When I went to the Vienna Opera as a ticket-for-one? Once again I had a marvelous time.

I met kind women of all ages who complimented my dress, drank wine with me, and offered to take pictures of me at this gorgeous opera house (I took pictures of them in turn). Most of these women did not speak English well and my German and French is far from good, but it did not matter.

Smiles and wine are always a recipe for laughs and a good time.

On day three I explored the gorgeous Schönbrunn Palace and I absolutely loved it there. After completing a fun tour of the palace interior, I enjoyed wandering the grounds and then watching birds splash about in a beautiful pond. The sun was beginning to lower, so different colors were dancing across the water beneath the birds, making for a very picturesque sight.

When I saw two young women trying to take a selfie here, I offered to take the photo for them. Because of this, we started to chat about each others trips – they were from Turkey and in their early twenties like me. Ends up we liked chatting so much that we wanted to spend the afternoon together.

Yet again I wasn’t alone.

I spent three hours with these lovely ladies. We bought tickets to the Schönbrunn Palmenhaus where we enjoyed looking at many fascinating plants, watching birds, and taking selfies. Afterwards, we explored an outdoor market where we tried a delicious coconut pastry and some giant, soft pretzels. Yummm!

This adventure of mine to Vienna really was a life-changing undertaking. It taught me that I can be confident in myself – that even if I don’t have friends to travel with, I can still go on dream-worthy trips and have a fabulous time!

Solo travel is extremely rewarding and something I would advise you to try as soon as you can. You won’t regret it!

Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed this article, please share on Facebook or Pinterest so you can encourage your friends to travel solo as well! And if you have ever traveled solo before, please feel free to leave a comment below and tell me about your adventure 🙂

xo,

mikéla

P.S.

Like these photos? They were all edited with my Wanderlust Lightroom Presets.