Solo Travel is WAY overrated.

Across the Internet, you see people gush on and on about the wonders of solo travel.

Don't believe me? Here are the many examples:

1. From a travel website.

A truly liberating experience: Solo travel is one of most liberating experiences on the planet - you’ve got no responsibilities to anybody but yourself, you can do what you want and leave when you like, and the buzz you get from the sense of freedom is immense.

2, A quote within a nice photo:

(PS: I did travel alone and it was way lonelier than I expected)

3. Another quote:

Inspired by this, I planned a solo trip to Cambodia. Initially, I was even more ambitious and planned a SEA solo trip- Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and maybe even the Philippines. Obviously, that didn't turn out as plan and I settled with Cambodia only. That was the best decision I made with regards to my trip planning. I am so grateful I didn't have to go through the horror of travelling ALONE.

Haha ok it's not a horror but travelling alone just isn't as fun as travelling with your family and friends.

Searching through the Internet, I find people who went through the same situation as me: Experienced solo travel and feeling utterly betrayed by the people on the Internet. I won't go on bashing about how people lied about how amazing solo travel is. BUT, I am going to explain why solo travel is not for me and change people's perception- how wonderful solo travel is and how it will never fail to change your life- which is moulded by the majority of solo travel blogs which raves about solo travel.

1. THE COST

I'm going to address this first because... If you know me personally, you know that I'm a world class kiamsiap person. Kiam siap means stingy by the way. I only spend money on necessary things and things I love and travelling is one of them. But even while travelling, I don't spend unnecessary money and if I do spend the money, I will wonder: Is it possible for me to save more? And in the case of solo travel, the answer is: YES, YES, YOU CAN.

When travelling solo, you have no one to split the cost for the transport, accommodation and also, food (more on this later). For accomodation it wasn't an issue because I stayed in dormitory. Here is how much I spent on tuk-tuk (the main form of transport in Cambodia).

Tuk-tuk: USD111.40

The exchange rate of USD to RM was HORRIBLE at the time of my visit. 1 USD was equivalent to RM4.2. So, USD111.40 would be RM467.88. THAT is a lot. But if I went with another 3 friends (4 people is the most a tuk tuk can hold), I would only need to spend RM116.96, saving me RM350.91. 

That's almost 1/4 of my monthly income as a barista!

2. UNABLE TO TRY MORE FOOD

As I mentioned before, food is another thing where I can't split the cost. It's easy to save on food, you just eat less and survive more on biscuits and bread. But being Malaysian, one of the reasons I live is to eat, and while travelling, one of my main aim is to try more of the local food. 

Usually I travel with my family and that is the best time when I can try more food. Each of us order different dishes and we try a little of each other's food. That is not possible when travelling solo because I have no one to share my food with! I know I can always order another dish but I wouldn't do that because I can't finish all the food. 

BUT THEN AGAIN...

Cambodia's food is nothing to shout about. :X It taste bland compared to all the other food in SEA. With the exception of Laos, I have tried all styles of cooking in the region (I've tried Myanmar food thanks to my Burmese co-worker while working at a cafe) and I have to say, Cambodian cuisine is meh. I don't know why but all of it taste so similar: Slightly too sour, slightly lack of salt, slightly sweet and never just right.

Fish amok. The supposedly most famous dish in Cambodia. It tastes like a watered down version of ikan masak kunyit.

Everytime I travel I will crave Malaysian food after a few days but this is the first time I actually crave for Bak Kut Teh on the 3rd day after leaving the country. T.T

3. LOSS OF PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

I noticed Caucasians or Asians who hang out with Caucasians either don't take photos at all or they take photos of the place and barely take photos of themselves at the place.

But for Asians, we love to take photos everywhere we go. If not, how would people believe that you 

have been to Angkor Wat or Bayon or other historical monuments around the world? If you show them the awesome photo of Angkor Wat you took, they might think you took it off the Internet! For me I will definitely take a postcard-like photo of the place first then I won't forget to take a photo of myself there. This is easy when you are travelling with your friends and usually I won't miss doing a Scorpion in front of those places.

But alas... No Scorpion photo opportunities in Cambodia. 

By the way, this is how a Scorpion looks like:

I did ask people to help me take a full body photo in front of a few big temples and sites around Cambodia. However, I just can't build up the courage to ask someone to take a photo of me doing a Scorpion. They will definitely laugh at me. That, and I doubt that they can take a nice photo of me doing that as I can only hold the pose for at most 5 seconds. I can't trust strangers to take such a pose when they can't even take a photo of me standing with the sunrise at Angkor Wat, like so:

I just want a clear photo! I've been smiling for 10s and this is what I get.

4. CONSTANTLY BEING WORRIED ABOUT MY OWN SAFETY

Ah... This. Travelling solo will definitely make your relatives and friends worried. Travelling solo as a female will freak them out. Travelling solo as an Asian female will give them a major heart attack. One week before my trip was our yearly Chinese New Year reunion and my aunt was asking me if it's possible for me to forfeit my air tickets because 'travelling solo as a girl equates to suicide'. Hahaha actually she just said, 'It is very dangerous to travel alone. You are a girl! Go another time when you find a friend to go with you.' but her expression and tone conveys makes me feel like I'm venturing into the Middle East wearing tank tops and shorts only.

I wasn't that concerned about travelling alone until I saw people warning about the dangers of travelling in Phnom Penh due to the increasing numbers of snatch thieves in Phnom Penh. Truthfully, reading about that gave me nightmares for days before the actual trip and I'm starting to believe what my aunt said is right.

So I packed whistles, alarms and flashlight as a precaution. Also, while in Cambodia, I carried my bags in front of me all the time. Standard precaution as in Malaysia.

In the end? Well I was safe and sound. The only thing that scared me was the stories I heard at S21 Musuem.

However, being constantly vigilant about my environment did interfere with my enjoyment of the trip. I cannot fully immerse myself there because I have to pay attention to my surroundings. On the way from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, I could not sleep because I worry the teenage boy sitting beside me will rob me (I was the only foreigner sitting a packed van). Sorry if I'm making Cambodians sound bad but I was on super high alert. My back was hurting because I have to lug my huge backpack everywhere I can't leave my bag alone for fear of people stealing my bag or worse, people stuffing drugs inside my bag.

5. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE EXTREME LONELINESS

I should have seen this coming. It's called 'travelling solo/alone'. In spite of the name, I assumed I am immune to the loneliness since I don't mind not having another person's company while at home/hostel.

But boy, I was wrong. While travelling solo, I realised I love a company of someone I know so I can tell them what I saw and experience. Like the time I saw an outdoor hair saloon, beside the main road. I was so excited and I just feel like telling someone about the unusual sight but then a wave of sadness passed over me when I realised there is no one I can tell face to face =(

I have no to call over when I notice an interesting sight and complaint to when the heat becomes unbearable. No one to help me carry my heavy bag when my shoulders are hurting. Nobody to laugh with when I see a bunch of aunties dancing Sisowath Quay while being taught by a huge male dance teacher. No one who can help me look out for interesting carvings and bas relief at Angkor Wat. It was an endless list of moments which I could have shared with someone but because I was travelling alone, that did not happen.

Nonetheless, I did not regret my experience travelling alone. Cambodia was a beautiful country, especially Angkor Archaeological Park, but with a sad past. I have learnt loads and seen much. Travelling solo was interesting but I will not attempt it again if I can help it. It was not life changing as others have claimed. I did not have a moment of enlightenment and did not feel extra empowered. I just felt like my normal self, with more travel experience and less money hahaha.

Conclusion: Attempt solo travel if you love being alone and also if you really really really want to travel to a country but no friends or family want to go with you. Never give up travelling and adventuring just because you are a girl and no one wants to go with you :) But try to find a buddy to go with you. This is my take on solo travel. There are many obvious advantages to solo travel but to me, they are not worth it without people to share your experiences with.

One of the few photo that other people took that I was pleased with.

Taken at Ta Prohm, one of my top 3 favourite temple.