Why solo travel is the best confidence coach you’ll never hire

Four quietly powerful reasons to take the leap

“Run fast, trust the process and enjoy the ride.”

The instructor’s words echoed in my ears. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my thudding heart and wobbly legs.

We were standing close together on a wooden platform, strapped into a harness attached to a hang glider. Below us, the mountainside tumbled sharply towards the Atlantic Ocean.

A year ago, as a stressed-out corporate worker in London, I would never have imagined myself here. Afraid of heights, yet about to leap off a mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

That’s the thing about solo travel - it takes you beyond what you think you can handle, changing you in unexpected ways.

This is me in Rio, about to go hang-gliding off the green ledge you see behind me.

You learn to listen to yourself

My first realisation began long before I arrived in Rio. It started on the very first morning of my round-the-world trip. I woke up in a beachside teepee at a yoga resort in Goa with a revelation: I could do anything I wanted. No negotiations, no compromises.

At home or at work, we’re so accustomed to collaborative decision-making that we can forget what we actually want to do. Solo travel strips away that noise.

Suddenly, you’re forced to listen to your own voice.

You can do as much or as little as you want. Want a quiet day with your journal? Done. I spent plenty of mornings resting and writing in cafes when I didn’t feel like sightseeing.

And when you emerge? The freedom to choose can lead you to incredible experiences. In Bali, I hiked up Mount Batur in the darkness, reaching the summit as the sun rose over the volcanic crater, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink. In Malaysia, I surprised myself by becoming a certified scuba diver, discovering underwater worlds I’d only imagined.

There’s something profound about rediscovering your own desires when no one else’s opinions matter. And when you’ve practised listening to yourself for months on the road, it becomes second nature in daily life.

Making a new friend in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

You make friendships faster

Here’s the surprising thing about exploring the world by yourself: you’re never truly alone. You can form deep friendships way quicker than at home.

When you’re flying solo, you naturally gravitate toward others - and they’re more open to meeting you too. There’s something about being unmoored from your usual life that makes people drop their guards. Conversations that might take months - if ever - to unfold at home can happen over a single meal.

Throughout my journey, I met incredible people. Some friendships burn bright for a couple of days before you part ways. Others you carry across borders and years, texting from different time zones and planning reunions.

I met Jenny on an airport bus in Thailand. Within minutes, we were chatting like old friends and sat next to each other on the plane. A few weeks later, she flew from her home in Singapore to spend the weekend with me in Bali.

Then I was in Malaysia on the eve of my birthday, convinced I’d spend it by myself. Yet not only did everyone from my hostel dorm join me for dinner and drinks, two new friends flew over from Borneo to celebrate with me too.

Travel teaches you that you don’t need to arrive anywhere with a social circle already in place. You can show up alone and trust that connections will form naturally. This kind of confidence stays with you long after you return home.

Meeting up in Bali with a friend I made in New Zealand - these unexpected reunions make the world feel very small.

You prove you can handle the unknown

This might be the deepest transformation of all: what you discover when you’re in unfamiliar territory, facing things that terrify you.

So what happened when I actually launched myself off that platform in Rio de Janeiro?

“Run fast, trust the process and enjoy the ride.”

Taking a deep breath, I ran as fast as my trembling legs would carry me off that platform and we soared into the Brazilian sky.

Once airborne, my terror melted into wonder. We were floating. Below me, Rio in all its contradictions - luxury hotels with turquoise pools glittered beside thousands of favelas climbing the hillsides. The Christ the Redeemer statue watched serenely over it all, arms outstretched as if holding the entire beautiful city together.

Up there, suspended between mountain and ocean, everything looked different.

That’s exactly what solo travel does - it gives you a new perspective on the world and yourself. Most of the catastrophes I imagined never happened. The times I got lost led to the best discoveries. The moments that scared me became the stories I was proudest to tell.

Once you’ve proven you can leap off a mountain in a foreign country, everything else starts to feel manageable.

When we landed on the beach and my feet touched solid ground again, I was a changed person.

Me with the hang gliding crew from my hostel in Rio de Janeiro.

You return home unshakeable

When I left London for this round-the-world trip, I was paralysed by indecision and overwhelm. Often lying awake at night, worried that whatever I did would go wrong somehow.

During my year of travel, I found tools to calm my anxiety and grew to trust my intuition. Amazing things happened when I slowed down long enough to listen to my body instead of my racing mind.

I went to countries where I didn’t speak the language. I navigated getting lost, getting sick, getting scared. I faced my deepest fears suspended from a hang glider over the Atlantic Ocean. When things went wrong - and they did - I proved to myself that I was strong and resilient.

When you finally return home everyone will be there, ready to welcome you back. The streets will look the same. But you’ll be different. Calmer, steadier, more content.

You’ll have the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you can deal with whatever life throws at you. Because you learned it when it was just you, your backpack and the world.

Taking the leap

Travel will change you in ways you can’t predict from the safety of home. You’ll trust your instincts. You’ll make friends all over the world. You’ll prove you’re capable. And you’ll return home unshakeable.

That instructor in Rio was right. But you don’t need to be standing on a platform about to soar off a mountain. Maybe you’re standing in your kitchen deliberating whether to book a solo adventure.

Either way, the secret is the same: don’t overthink it. Take a deep breath. Believe in yourself.

Run fast, trust the process and enjoy the ride.