From Loneliness to Global Friendships: The Journey of a Solo Digital Nomad

One of the most common struggles among solo travel digital nomads is loneliness. It’s a pain I’ve personally felt and struggled through, numerous times.

Traveling solo gives you so much time with yourself, for introspection. But - it can sometimes be unbearably lonely and it is very hard when those feelings arise. Particularly if you’re an extrovert like me 🙃

But as they say, there are always two sides to a coin. I feel like this loneliness - and the human need to survive - has pushed me to explore cultures deeper, make local connections, and ultimately grow in so many ways and experience so many things I simply never would have otherwise.

If we’re honest, the start of my solo travels was not by choice. And if I had my ‘druthers, I would probably not be traveling alone (ok, maybe a little bit here and there.. we all need time alone, right? 😉).

Still, between not traveling and solo traveling - I will take and embrace this every day.

Over the last few years of my extended stay travel journey, I have built a global network of friends and acquaintances who make the world feel a little smaller and a lot more familiar.

So for anyone that may be feeling nervous about setting off on a solo adventure, remember: solo doesn’t have to mean solitary. The world is full of friends waiting to be made; you just have to be open to meeting them.