How travelling with a boyfriend convinced me to always travel solo

Let’s face it, relationships are tricky at the best of times.

Now imagine you are stuck in a rooftop tent on a 4wd in the middle of nowhere and your relationship has gone to hell.

Doesn’t leave much breathing room, nor room for escape. It is in that moment you are stuck with what you think is nowhere to go, that you realise the true benefits of travelling solo. Take heed to my advice, be careful who you choose to travel with.

So, a few months ago I packed up my life, put it in storage and on a whim, decided to travel Australia on what I imagine to be an epic road trip. I packed a bag with minimal belongings as well as my prized possession – my dog, and set off with a boy (yes he was far from a man) I hardly knew. And boy did I hardly know what lay ahead.

We had started a relationship so I felt I could trust him. After all, there is a lot of trust you need to put in someone if you are to travel together right?  I mean, the guy loved travelling and had done his fair share of it. So, I figured he was a great person to travel with. How wrong I was.

Just weeks into the journey, that trust was broken, time and time again. I had no idea someone could be so horrible and lie so much. I had invested so much into doing the trip, I was positive and worked on moving forward with it. This soon broke my travelling soul though.

There comes a point when the joy of travelling can die, when you are followed by such torture. Long and short, it didn’t work out. I found myself left dumped with my dog and all my gear in Cairns, little compensation for the time effort and money I had put into such a journey. In fact, the terrible boy left me with quite the debt of his expenses.

But like all travel experiences, they are a journey. Good or bad. In this case it was a mix of both. Bad because I chose such a terrible person to travel with, but also good as I learnt that my joy of travel comes from the experiences I have solo.

So, for that reason, I will now travel solo. Given, I am a social soul and forever making new friends on the journeys I take. But travelling solo gives you that sense of freedom. No one holding you back, no one to have to make decisions with. You do what you want, when you want. And I think that is the best part about travelling. Pushing your boundaries, stepping outside the ordinary and taking that leap by yourself. Given you will make amazing friendships along the way. The decisions to get there though are solely yours and yours alone.

Happy to say I am soon heading on a trip to the Solomon Islands, solo!

Have you had a bad experience travelling with people that taught you to travel solo? We would love to hear about it.