7 Leadership Skills Solo Travel Can Teach You

Traveling solo still appears to be a taboo. While it's definitely fun to explore new places with loved ones, solo travel comes with its own unique challenges and rewards, since it's only you, the solo traveler, that's in the driver's seat (sometimes literally).

However this is likely to change. Online searches for the term ‘solo travel’ increased by 267% from December 2020 to April 2022. (Source)

I've been to nearly 70 countries so far and visited a big chunk of them by myself. In some cases I stayed at cabins, boats, hostels and backpacked my way around, and in some cases I splurged by experience the best hotels and restaurants, partly thanks to my personal passion for maximizing points and credit card rewards.

After each solo trip, I returned home feeling like a new and improved version of myself. And in other words, all these experiences have helped me build some new soft skills that benefited me in my professional life.

7 Leadership Skills Traveling Solo Can Teach You:

1. Due Diligence: An experienced solo traveler knows the value of careful planning. From managing your dates to determining what paperwork you need, from deciding on which are to stay in to building a daily itinerary, the more planning goes into this process, the easier a solo trip becomes a success.
2. Crisis Management: Strike at the airport? Host cancel on your the very last minute? There is ALWAYS a possibility for something not going as planned, and these moments test one's ability to zoom out, analyze the problem and find a solution using the tools available.
3. Confidence: Who hasn't ever experienced the infamous "impostor syndrome" at least once in their careers? Solo travel can help with that. Solo travel encourages self-reliance and independence, which are important qualities in a leader. You must learn to trust your instincts, read people quickly and be comfortable with uncertainty. All of these skills can help you make better decisions in the workplace and become a more effective leader.
4. Leadership: You're the ultimate decision maker in your journey. It's a one person show and you're in the driver's seat. All the decisions, even the risks associated with the course of the journey come from you.
5. Communication: Solo travel doesn't have to mean minimum human interaction. On the contrary, being extroverted comes in handy, and sometimes leads you to learn the best tips from locals. Traveling solo also helps you develop interpersonal skills such as communication, negotiation, problem solving, networking and empathy (which allows the traveler to sympathize with the struggles of the local people and rethink their charitable actions). These skills are essential for any successful business leader as they help them build strong relationships with colleagues and customers alike.
6. Public Speaking: Great public speaking skills rely on good storytelling skills, and stories are best made while exploring new cultures, doing new things and meeting new people. Traveling solo can really force you to come out of your comfort zone and inspire you to do the most as each day is pretty much "choose your own adventure" as opposed to being part of a group traveling together.
7. The Ability to Work (Travel) Smarter, Not Harder: A great business leader is usually one that looks out for ways to improve existing processes and increase efficiency. To travels, this translates as finding the cheapest / smartest way to book a flight or a hotel, getting the maximum cashback or using points to book travels, finding the best bank account to avoid ATM fees globally or, as crazy as it may sound, managing to pack all your stuff into a carry-on & a backpack for a 30 day / 10 country trip (PRO TIP: The key is doing laundry once a week).

Traveling alone can be an invaluable experience for developing soft skills that are essential for successful leaders. It teaches you how to think on your feet, make decisions quickly and take calculated risks. It also helps you gain a better understanding of different cultures and their impact on business operations. If you haven't traveled solo to a brand new destination, you should consider this article as a sign.

If you're located in the US and looking for professional guidance on travel planning and/or how to optimize your credit card & loyalty program usage for maximum perks and free travel, feel free to message me.