Over the past few years, I’ve had the chance to travel both with friends and completely on my own, and I’ve realized that each way of traveling gives me something different.

When I travel with friends, the best part is sharing the experience. We laugh at the same strange situations, try new foods together, and help each other when things don’t go as planned. If one of us gets lost, the others are there to figure things out. At the end of the day, we have stories that we can talk about for years. Sometimes we even develop little inside jokes that no one else understands.

On the other hand, traveling alone feels more intense and personal. I notice more details because I’m not always talking to someone. I can decide what to do and when to do it without having to negotiate with anyone. If I want to spend two hours in a small bookstore, I can. If I want to change plans at the last minute, there’s no one to convince.

Of course, solo travel can also be lonely at times. There are moments when I see something beautiful and wish I could immediately turn to someone and say, “Did you see that?” But those moments also push me to talk to locals or other travelers, and that leads to conversations I probably wouldn’t have had if I were with a group.

In the end, I don’t think one way is better than the other. Traveling with friends gives me connection and shared memories. Traveling alone gives me freedom and self‑knowledge. I feel lucky that I can experience both, depending on what I need at that moment in my life.