How solo travel in Europe can be more social than travelling as a couple
It’s a big call, but I think Frank from Finland is the most interesting person I met on the train. This politely spoken, stocky young man with long black hair, a beard and a serene smile sits diagonally across from me in the first-class carriage of the express from Berlin to Krakow. Not only is he from Finland – from somewhere I haven’t been yet – but he’s also from a small village above the Arctic Circle, near the Norwegian border. His mother is Sami, a First Nations people from the far north. We have a lot to talk about as we race through the Polish forests.
It helps that on this train, first-class seats are placed in compartments consisting of two rows of three seats facing each other; order is almost an invitation to talk. And I’m talking not just to Frank, but also to JJ and Jennifer from the USA, who sit right across the window. I chat with them about American politics, voting systems, and our travel experiences in general, and we realize we’ll probably meet again on the same vodka tour in Krakow. Later in the trip, Luis and Laura from Brazil take these seats (they have reservations) and I can gauge South America’s view of Central Europe.
This isn’t the first time I’ve chatted with strangers on this Eurail train journey that will eventually take me from London to Istanbul. The free-flowing conversation and air of goodwill support an unexpected observation I made along the way: I don’t feel lonely at all when traveling alone.
This seems counterintuitive as you would assume that solo travel is the loneliest form of travel and that traveling with a partner or friend would be the most social. But I’ve discovered that traveling alone can actually be more social than traveling with someone else.
How do I know this? Through experience.
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I talk to people every day of my six-week journey from London to Istanbul. Sometimes there are conversations with waiters and hotel staff that go beyond the transactions at hand, but I often have long conversations with friends traveling on trains.
For example, the Corona sleeper train journey from Budapest, Hungary to Brasov, Romania offers good opportunities for discussion, given its over 15 hours and old-style dining car. As I enjoy a leisurely dinner of goulash soup and pork ragu as the Hungarian landscape passes by, I strike up a pleasant conversation with the inevitable Aussies (hi Noel and Robyn from Newcastle) at a nearby table.
Of course, nothing prevents you from talking to others when traveling with a partner. But there’s something about traveling as a couple that creates an isolating environment: you can often resolve issues between the two of you rather than asking for help, you can take care of each other’s luggage, and you don’t feel the urgent need to socialize as solo travelers do.
I’ve definitely felt that pressure on the road this year, so I’ve been talking to everyone and having lots of fun conversations with locals and fellow travelers. On reflection, I suspect I feel more vulnerable alone and therefore have a greater need for social interaction. When you think about it, this isn’t a bad thing; It forces you to communicate. Craggy castles, dazzling art treasures and grand museums are all well and good, but ultimately the point of travel is connection.
The writer traveled with kindness Eurail, Visit Berlin, Visit Malopolska, And Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Tim Richards began travel writing after living and teaching in Egypt and Poland. He is a light object obsessive and is particularly interested in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Follow him on Instagram @aerohaveno
