Shyness and introversion are two separate traits. While shy people may be introverts, all introverts may not necessarily be shy.

To simplify this further, it can be safely assumed that introverts simply derive joy and fulfillment from within. They like solitude, work best in an individual capacity and are able to recharge themselves better when they are on their own. This is in contrast with the personality of individuals who are extroverts, meaning they derive pleasure from social activities and can generally perform and feel their best in a friendly group setting. They’re relatively more chatty, more outgoing and are able to strike conversations (or ‘break the ice’) with new people they meet with far more ease than introverts. And then there are ambiverts who fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum – those who love their social circle but also equally enjoy their solitude depending on their life’s situations.

All these traits generally fall in a spectrum and it’s quite possible for an individual to change their behaviour to a small extent depending on the situation and their experiences. For instance, certain life experiences that bring about feelings of grief or despair may push an introvert to temporarily become even more solitary than they would otherwise prefer to be. On the other hand, if they experience success and happiness, they are likely to temporarily feel more outgoing and may even become a little chatty and open to meeting new people. These behavioural changes are usually temporary as the core personality usually remains more or less unchanged throughout adult life.

Personally, I’m an introvert and I have always found it impossible to mingle within social circles. I might be able to do it temporarily from time to time but it simply does not come naturally to me. It exhausts me! I also love travelling. It’s easy and fun when I’m with a select few close friends or with family but it’s even better at times when I’m doing it solo. As an introvert, travelling solo can be extremely freeing and calming but it does come with its fair share of uncomfortable experiences.

Here are some things that are my pet peeves and what I usually do to make my solo travels a little less daunting. These tips also help if you have a little bit of social anxiety.

Eating meals alone in restaurants or sitting alone in cafes

Grab a book or a newspaper, watch a movie on your phone or write your thoughts in a journal. If you don’t know what food to order and are queasy to verbally ask for recommendations, check out the restaurant on Google maps for reviews and food suggestions. If you don’t know what a certain dish is made of, Google that too!

Asking for directions

Prepare in advance! Study the area on a map before you set out on your journey. Learn how to read a physical map and carry a small one with you at all times, and also download an offline version of Google maps incase you don’t have internet connectivity later. But if you’re really lost, just walk into the nearest store or shop and ask for help. Trust me, this mentally feels a lot easier and safer than approaching and asking a stranger on the street for help.

Run-ins with the police or local laws

Have your IDs or atleast copies of our IDs on you at all times while you’re out, especially if you’re in a foreign country. I would even go one step ahead and advise you to keep a copy of either your tickets or receipts from your accommodation handy. If you have a run-in with the law or the police for any reason, it’s easier when they believe you’re a legitimate traveller. Remember you’re all alone on a solo trip, so most likely, no friend or family might be able to help you out immediately.

Surviving airport layovers

Survey your food options, washroom options and lounge options in advance so that you don’t have to go asking for help from strangers each time you need something. It’s fairly easy to find most of this information from a single help desk or a kiosk that has a map of the airport.

Living in dorms or using shared areas like kitchens, dining halls or common sitting rooms

I personally check out the place first, then usually grab a seat and reserve it for me by leaving my book or my bag, and then go about doing what I need to do. So that when I come back with my plate of food, I already have a place to sit. On occasions when the seating areas are packed and there is absolutely no space to sit, I usually prefer to take my food back to my dorm bed or if the weather permits, sit outside and enjoy my meal in solitude.

Want cute photos but don’t want to ask strangers for help?

Invest in a small tripod for your phone. Even a cheap foldable plastic one works great. The timer setting is your best friend and you can take as many photo angles as you like. Another hack for this, if you’re too shy to pose in public, is to record yourself in high quality video mode and just move about as aesthetically as you can. Later you can use some still frames from this video as pictorial memories! As an introvert, this has been a very comfortable thing for me to do myself as compared to asking strangers to take and retake my photos.

When crowded public transport seems overwhelming

If the city you’re travelling to has hop-on-hop-off buses, use them to your advantage. It’s far easier than hauling public transport to each individual place of interest within that city. Also, these buses work on a pre-set route and have time schedules that can be easily obtained in advance. So other than grabbing your travel pass and a map (if needed), your general interaction with people in this case is significantly lesser as compared to being on a public transport network.

All these little hacks always help me feel comfortable and more importantly, they allow me to keep my interactions with other people to a minimum. It’s not that I don’t like socializing and meeting new people when I travel, but I personally find it better when I have some control over such situations.

I believe that as introverts, we’re simply truly comfortable with our own company, and that’s our super power! Introverts have a different brain chemistry as compared to extroverts. Here’s where I explore it further and deep dive into how introversion is not a simple character trait, but a very real difference in the brain’s pathways: The magical world of introverts!

Tell me, what do you usually do to make your travels less daunting?