Why Every married Man Should Solo Travel

Yo! If you are a frequent visitor of this website, I am sure you will already know who I am (my face constitutes roughly 70% of the pictures on here!). For those of you new here: welcome! My name is Massimo and I am Helen’s (much) better half.  This month on the blog, she's focusing on past travel experiences, beginning with our separate adventures of solo travel in South America.

We also recently celebrated ten years of hard slog being together. To commemorate our journey thus far, she thought it would be a good idea for me to feature on her blog. After some forceful persuasion, I relented (my wife doesn’t really take ‘no’ for an answer). And so here we are. Hopefully you enjoy what I have to offer!

An interesting fact about my wife and I is that both embarked on solo trips to South America since being married. Our decision to travel independently has baffled and impressed in equal measure. In this post I will aim to convince you that rather than being the height of madness, this is something that all married couples should look to do at least once in their married lives. Here goes!

Before you were plural you were singular.

Do what you like, when you like, how you like.

Helen and I share many interests and passions: we love to eat out; we both agree that Breaking Bad is the greatest show of all time (don’t @ me); we both love a good book alongside a cup of coffee. But we’re also very, very different. Whilst Helen would rather be out dancing salsa till 2AM, I’d rather chill on the sofa with my boy Jax Teller. Whilst Helen would like to visit every tourist attraction possible within the space of two hours, I’d rather chill on the beach. And as you can see through my photos, I like hiking and being out in nature. Inevitably, when travelling as a couple, your itinerary will need to include things that you both want to do. There may be some experiences/ places that you will have to forego in a bid to reach a compromise. Whilst there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this, it’s not a thought when you travel solo. It’s what you like, when you like, how you like.

You, yourself and…you.

Now, I can’t lie, this can also be a challenging aspect of travelling alone. Solo travellers are a great species renowned for their friendliness and openness. You can make connections with some great people from all parts of the world and, in so doing, save yourself money on accommodation for future trips (I’m sorted when I eventually visit Argentina ?)! Even still, these great people may come and go at different legs of your journey. Unless you’re extremely lucky, you will experience being lonely. And that can hit kind of hard. 

I remember getting to my hostel in Arequipa and having a whole 4-bed dorm to myself. Yeah, nobody had to put up with my occasional snoring but it was tough (thankfully, my host was awesome and made me pizzas! ?). You can feel loneliness more keenly even during some of your trip’s highlights. I remember reaching the top of Machu Picchu Mountain; I was surrounded by a small group of like-minded nuts who paid extra for access to the mountain top which was 600m higher than the famed citadel. It was breath-taking. Our collective awe brought us together. We connected over selfies and boomerangs and it was real cool. But what I would have given to have been able to share that moment with someone genuinely special to me.

That said, I think that realisation made me treasure the moment even more. I thought 'I achieved that by myself. I gave myself an experience unique to me. I created for myself a very personal memory'. Therein lies the real reward: you add to your own story.

And there you have it. Some reasons why every couple should do some solo travel. I hope the post has been insightful and has inspired you to make it happen/let it happen.

Would you ever travel solo after marriage? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay safe! Massimo x