Why Self-Care Is Important for Solo Travelers | A Personal Essay

When you search “solo travel” in Google, the top articles that appear are always ones promoting it, tour companies (ugh), or encouraging you to just quit your job and travel, thus “glamorizing” it.

Why isn’t there more of an open dialogue on the correlation between mental health and travel? 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health disorders affect one in four people, which is a staggering statistic. To date, more than 40% of countries have no mental health policy. Over 30% have not instated mental health programs. Around 25% of countries have no mental health legislation at all.

This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. This year, the topic of mental health is even more relevant than ever with the hardships of COVID-19 and quarantine.

Here are some of the main reasons why self-care is of utmost importance before, during, and after traveling. Especially for solo travelers. 

You Only Get One Life and One Body

Be mindful of the fact that you only get one life, one body, and one state of wellbeing. 

Sure, you can twist this to seem more like, “YOLO, I’m just gonna travel the world and live my dreams.”

However, if you don’t take care of yourself and your mental health before stepping on a flight by yourself for the first time, you may crumble without a strong support system and adequate resources (especially if you’re in a country where English isn’t the native language).

That Time I Moved Home from Japan

In 2015, I moved to Japan to teach English. Due to my prior experience of moving abroad, I thought I’d love it.

Instead, I was faced with the tough decision of sticking out my job in a rural area (where no one spoke English) and risking my mental health or coming home to reevaluate my future career.

I ended up flying home. It was the first time in years that depression had resurfaced again. I felt the full brunt of it during my short-lived time in Japan, and in my interim period at home. I felt like an absolute failure who had just thrown away her career objectives, and I was too embarrassed to reach out to friends for support.

However, everything happens for a reason. I needed those few months to reflect and recuperate. I was able to piece myself back together before ultimately deciding to move abroad again. This time, to Thailand, which was far better for my mental health. Had I chosen to stay in Japan in that particular job, I’m adamant that my mental health and wellbeing would have severely suffered. 

Remember, things are a lot more difficult when you’re thousands of miles away from the comforts of your home.

Treat your body and life with the respect you deserve. You wouldn’t tell your friends and loved ones to stick out a job that makes their mental health suffer, would you? We put so much inherent pressure on ourselves to always live up to our expectations, that we often forget about the more important things: proper self-care and self-love.

You only get one life and one body, so do everything you can to preserve and take care of yourself. Whether you’re already abroad or thinking about traveling (when it’s safe to do so).

Solo Travel Can Be a Double-edged Sword

Like most things, solo travel has a full list of pros and cons. Unfortunately, online media (especially Instagram) depicts solo travel as this luxurious, picture-perfect lifestyle because the harsh realities rarely align with anything you ever see on highly Photoshopped feeds.

As glorious and freeing as solo travel may be, it can also serve as an inherent danger and catalyst for mental health issues. For instance, if you’re an introvert like me, you may tend to hole up and not reach out to anyone when you’re struggling on the road. 

Thus, any internal struggles and stress may fester inside of you. Slowly eating away your mental health, creating more health issues than you began with.

Any reputable solo traveler will tell you that traveling alone is 100% not easy and blissful all the time. Our social media feeds never tell our full stories.

Read More: First Aid Kit For the Body and Mind: My Ultimate Health Travel Kit

That Time I Was Depressed While Being Paid to Travel the World

For instance, I was severely depressed when I was posting photos of every new country I was in during my second year working on cruise ships. No one knew about the countless times I cried in the shower or the times I isolated myself in my cabin. During that time, I also developed anxiety to the point where I felt crippled making the simplest of decisions while shopping, eating, or determining whether or not to hang out with people.

It may sound incredibly entitled, almost like I’m a spoiled brat, to say that I was secretly struggling with depression while getting to see over 50 countries in a 6-month contract. Yes, I was getting paid to see the world. However, you can be traveling and not even realize you’re depressed or ticking off all the symptoms for a mental health illness if you don’t take the time to improve your wellbeing in the first place.

It’s extremely important to be honest with yourself and get the help you need if you’re struggling while on the road. You can find a list of free global resources here.

Running Away Doesn’t Solve Everything

Travel isn’t an instant remedy, solution, or cure for your struggles.

There were a few times in my travels where my friends told me that it seemed like I was just running away from certain things at home by continuously moving abroad. Everyone has their reasons for traveling (whether on your own or with a partner), but it’s important to evaluate why you’re going rather than the act of traveling itself.

Depression is one of the most common mental health issues among travelers. According to WHO, an estimated 264 million people are affected by depression globally, and more women are affected than men.

In many ways, traveling with depression or any other mental health illness is extremely dangerous if you’re by yourself. Picking your life up and planting it elsewhere in the world won’t make you invincible from yourself and your issues. 

While travel does give you a fresh start and new perspectives, just be very mindful of how you approach it.

Traveling With a Mental Health Issue Is Possible, But Everyone’s Situation Is Different

Even if you have a mental health issue, it is possible to travel. 

However, everyone’s situation is different. Just because you read success stories online, it doesn’t mean you should book a ticket abroad in hopes of finding yourself (especially not this year).

That Time I Tried to Hide My Mental Health Issues On a School Trip

When I was 14, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder and depression. My road to recovery took years, and research states that you’re never truly “healed” from an eating disorder, due to long-lasting psychological effects.

I got away with “hiding” my Anorexic tendencies for a chunk of my 8th-grade year. I couldn’t imagine trying to “hide” this while traveling. Especially while being immersed in a new country and all of its beautiful intricacies. 

It’s dangerous to realize how easy it is to hide a mental health issue if you’re traveling alone.

As mentioned earlier, I relapsed into depression a few other times, even during some of my travels. Other than my mom, no one I knew was aware of my struggles. I was ashamed and hated the thought of burdening other people, so I never was honest to admit my negative headspace.

If I had chosen to move abroad while struggling with an eating disorder and depression, I wouldn’t have had the physical or mental strength to walk 30,000+ steps a day, experience everything to its fullest, nor eat all of a country’s most famed local dishes. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy all of my priceless moments abroad.

Ironically, I went on my school’s 8th-grade trip while struggling with Anorexia. As a result, I don’t remember any of it. I have photos from everything, but the only fleeting moments I recall were making excuses not to eat meals and just drinking iced lemonades for dinner.

While there are always ways to travel with a mental health illness, remember that only you can determine whether or not you’re in the right state of mind to move abroad or travel.

Overcoming Adversity Makes You Stronger

We’re all human. We’re bound to make mistakes and have hiccups in our lives in some way or another.

When I was struggling with Anorexia, my therapist said something to me that truly resonated. “If you can overcome this, you can overcome anything in life.”

Many have started sharing their stories on how travel helped them recover. By sharing your struggles and being vulnerable, you become more relatable, authentic, and strengthen bonds within your communities. 

Struggling with a mental health illness may feel like the end of the world when you’re in these moments. But it’s these experiences that inevitably make you the strongest version of yourself. There is beauty in sharing your story with others. Especially when so many of us have endured similar types of struggles in our journey to “happiness” and fulfillment.

Wellness and Travel Go Hand in Hand

There is a distinct correlation between wellness and travel, which makes the title of this site even more impactful. 

Mental health and wellbeing should be more actively discussed and prompted with solutions within the travel industry. For long-term expats and anyone who has traveled, it’s apparent that wellbeing and travel are synonymous. 

Without our mental wellbeing, how would we fully enjoy our new experiences around the world? Without wellbeing, we wouldn’t be able to focus on the new sights, sounds, and smells in front of us; we would instead be worrying, stressing, and engaging in negative thoughts.

There are so many ways to practice self-care while traveling. I’m a huge advocate of hiking and getting fresh air outdoors, as well as the therapeutic act of daily journaling. Remember to make the most of your travels, but take care of yourself first and foremost.

Summary

This is meant to be a rational article that shows varying perspectives and the realities of travel and mental health. Overall, travel is effective for improving mental health, but everyone has different situations and should never treat their wellbeing the same as someone else’s.

You need to do what’s best for you (and only you truly know that). Take care of yourself first before you travel. While you’re on the road, be sure to do daily check-ins with yourself, whether via meditation or journaling, to ensure that your wellbeing is being monitored.

Travel is extremely transformative. Nearly every person I’ve met has not regretted their experiences (you shouldn’t regret anything in life). Just be mindful of the fact that solo travel comes with its struggles just as much as its triumphs. 

How you overcome these challenges is what empowers you to help others and share your stories with a nuanced perspective. All while making your mental health a top priority.

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