It's like running your own business really - being your own boss.

You decide what time you get up in the morning, you decide what to have for breakfast, you decide where to go for the day, you decide how you'll get there, you decide how much money you'll spend, you decide what you'll do for dinner, you decide which bar to go to, you decide who you'll drunkenly try to hit on later on, and you decide when to give up and go home.

Yep, travelling solo is pretty sweet.

Until, of course, you need to use a public toilet while you're carrying around a fully loaded backpack. Or you want to stay in a double room for a reasonable price. Or you want to take a photo of someone other than yourself. Or even just have a normal conversation.

Okay, there are two sides to it. And I'm still not sure which I prefer.

Travel, by nature, is a very individual pursuit. Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a good holiday - or even what constitutes "travel". So why should you have to compromise?

I've headed off on my own plenty of times - usually because I haven't had a choice. But I've loved the challenge of me versus the big wide world. I've loved the often bizarre situations you seem to find yourself in when you're travelling solo. I've loved the complete sense of freedom, the joy of being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want, and not having anyone around to judge me.

But it has always felt like something's missing slightly, which is probably why on most solo trips I end up hooking up with a like-minded traveller to share the experiences (and some of the costs) with.

Because that's what you really miss when you travel alone - someone to share things with.

There's also the added costs. If you're in a country that doesn't have hostels that do the dorm thing, you're looking at shelling out double for your room. Then you have to pay for cabs by yourself, food by yourself - basically, everything becomes that bit more expensive.

Oh, and then there are your photos, which will end up consisting of hundreds of boring landscapes, interspersed with odd, slightly blurred close-ups of your head with some sort of recognisable landmark in the background (Exhibit A - click here).

There are only so many of those you can have fun with.

And the worst thing about travelling solo happens when you get home, and you realise no one cares about your boring stories. If you had a travel buddy, you could always go to the pub and bang on to each other for hours about the "awesome" adventures you had.

(However, if you are going to travel with someone, make sure you choose your chum wisely. If it's your partner ... well, you haven't got many options there. But if it's a friend, make sure they're of the easy going, low maintenance variety. Many's the friendship that's been destroyed on the road.)

All that said though, sometimes flying solo is unavoidable since, if you're the kind of person that fancies three weeks in a Mongolian yurt over lying on a beach in Cairns, there's every chance no one's going to want to go with you.

So there's only one thing for it - make friends when you get there. To that end, grab your trusty (or hated) Lonely Planet guide, and pick the hostel it most warmly recommends. It may not be the best place in the city (or even on its particular street), but you can bet your last peso it will be filled with travellers looking to meet up and hang out.

And if you can grit your teeth and bear it, you can even try the local "backpacker" bar at night. You might have Shelly from Essex spewing all over your shoes, but you might also meet some like-minded souls to share the adventure with.

And, if it's your thing, you can go with the home stay or Couch Surfing route - you're guaranteed a pal that way, and you'll get a chance to flex your linguistic muscles.

Or, worst come to worst, you can just suck it up, and strike out on your own. It'll be a huge adventure. Just remember to buy a tripod for your camera.

Are you a fan of solo travel, or do you prefer to take your partner or friends? How do you meet people when you're travelling?


(This article is written by Ben Groundwater at The Backpacker blog)