Everything you learn when you backpack alone

It’s safe to say that all travel, both domestic and international, changes you in some way. But the time I spent backpacking alone through Europe taught me things about myself and the world that I couldn’t have learned any other way.

Backpacking is a unique experience in and of itself, but backpacking solo is like nothing else. If you’re considering taking the plunge, there are some pretty absolute lessons you’ll learn.

You will hate being alone

As soon as you get off the plane, you want to walk right back on. You’re overwhelmed and panicking because as much as you prepared, you’ll still feel entirely ill-prepared.

Plus, you have to take selfies everywhere if you want photos of yourself.

Rome, Italy

But you’ll love being alone

For the first time, you have no obligation to others. You want to go to this museum? You go. You want to eat six meals that day? No judgement. I think I spent Thanksgiving eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Having complete freedom to do whatever we want is rare, and traveling alone educates you on the importance of being selfish sometimes. Every day is a chance to get to know yourself better and be better in touch with what you want and need.

You will lose control and be okay with it

Most plans you make will probably not go as you hoped. You’ll meet people and miss flights and that’s okay. You’ll just roll with it.

Geneva, Switzerland

Talking to strangers becomes an art form

You have no one to fall back on — absolutely no safety net! Luckily, almost 100 percent of the time there are other people in hostels also traveling alone and looking for a buddy. And it always seems to happen at the most random, and needed times.

Santorini, Greece

And then it becomes nearly impossible to take only selfies.

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Looking good is not worth the extra weight in your backpack

You’ll throw away any makeup you brought and mail home extra shoes and clothes after carrying a 30-pound backpack around for more than a week, trust me. There is no better way to dematerialize your life because backpacking forces you to travel with the least possible — you carry everything you need, not everything you want. The best advice I ever got was “take out everything you want to bring, and then pack half.”

Brattleboro, VT, USA

Sneakers are the best creation ever

You probably have never walked so much in your life. Appreciation for supportive shoes is way too real.

Lucerne, Switzerland

You become the master of sleeping anywhere

When you need sleep, you take it, whether it be in an airport, a train station or on the table in a hostel, you learn how to get the sleep you need.

It’s okay to be fearful

Taking your first step into the unknown is always scary but the best way to counter the unknown is to turn it into something that’s known.

Athens, Greece

Trusting your gut is crucial

You will be tested and tempted and provoked and pushed and you will live through it all! You’ll find courage and perseverance you never knew you had.  You are so much stronger, and can handle much more than you thought you could.

I finished my freshman year of college a train wreck of uncertainty. I was unhappy with school, unhappy with people, and mostly unhappy with myself. I didn’t recognize who I was anymore. Traveling not only brought me back to “me,” but showed me who I could be and what I was capable of.

You become thankful for the strangest, and most wonderful things

Santorini, Greece