The Truth about Loneliness as a Solo, Female Traveller

February 10, 2026
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In my opinion and experience, solo travel is one of the best ways to experience new countries, cultures and meet the most amazing people. But let’s keep it real and talk about something most solo, female travellers experience: Loneliness.

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Table of Contents

Solo, Female Travel and Loneliness

Is loneliness while solo, female travelling a myth made up by the patriarchy?

Yes and no.

Loneliness is very much something most solo travellers experience at one point or another (regardless of gender btw). But it isn’t in the sad “omg she has no one to travel with and we need to feel sorry for her” way that most people will try to spin it as.

Loneliness by definition is a gap in social connection, a feeling of not really belonging. And that unfortunately happens easier while travelling, as you are in a new environment, both physical and social:

You won’t be wanting to meet new people 100% of the time
You’ll sometimes switch hostels and not vibe with anyone
You will end up in remote places with not many other foreigners.
Sometimes, you simply miss home and that homesickness leads to a feeling of loneliness.

Whatever it may be, most of my trips I experience loneliness at least once. The good news here is that it usually doesn’t last more than a few hours or a day at most. If it does, it’s my sign that something needs to change, e.g. the hostel, the city or maybe my ways to connect with other people.

I don’t see loneliness as a bad thing anymore. Travelling is a rollercoaster of emotion and while most is positive, loneliness is one of the negative emotions. I used to really struggle with this and feel like I was solo travelling “wrong”, like I should feel amazing 1000% of the time.

Now I know that that’s just impossible and the quickest way to experience travel burnout. Those small moments of feeling lonely, or homesick, or simply sad help you balance with the amazing highs you are experiencing. They make travel feel REAL. And that’s so important!

How to deal with loneliness while solo, female travelling?

So, we’ve established that loneliness is almost a given when solo travelling. And it’s fine to feel lonely for a few hours or a day, but then things have got to change.

I have actually written a whole blog post on this (7 Ways I Deal With Loneliness When Solo Travelling), but here are some of the main points:

Stay in hostels or co-working hotels
Join tours and activities (e.g. free walking tours are my favourite to meet other solo travellers)
Use Facebook Travel Groups to make travel plans and meet people
Become comfortable being by yourself (embrace the solo in solo travel and you’ll rarely feel lonely in your own company)
Stay in touch with friends and family back home
Know when its time to go home

The last point may seem a bit dramatic, but it is more about knowing when you’ve hit travel burnout. When none of the above tips helps and you’ve been feeling less and less like yourself, it may just be time for a real hug from family.

Eating out at a restaurant alone

This is one of the main hurdles for most solo, female travellers, including myself!

I wish that after 39 countries and 100s of different cities I could say that I feel comfortable eating out alone, but it’s still something I struggle with sometimes. I just feel judged, which I know is silly but also can’t help.

There’s a few tricks I have learned over the years that have helped:

Food trucks and food courts are a great way to try local foods in a relaxed setting
Cooking in your hostel/Airbnb can save money and avoid the eating out dilemma
If you do go to a restaurant, remember that even if people judge (which they probably won’t), you’ll never see them again. Bring a book or a journal, choose a seat facing away from the crowd (window counter seats are my favourite) and just enjoy delicious food.
Another tip is to go for your “main meal” at lunch. It’s a lot more common and less intimidating to eat alone at lunch as people tend to do so during their workday. Grab smaller bites or to go things for dinner instead.

Final thoughts

Loneliness is normal to feel when solo travelling and nothing to be ashamed of. Embrace it if you can, fight it if you want and don’t ever let it stop you from exploring the places you’ve always dreamed of seeing.

And remember, there are so many others in the same boat who haven’t left home. Loneliness may often be mentioned with solo travel, but it is something every single one of us feels from time to time.

If you have any other tips for getting over loneliness or preventing it while solo travelling, please leave them in the comments!!