Want to learn more about the disadvantages of traveling? Check out this post to read what no tells you about the disadvantages of traveling.
As someone who’s spent the past 6 years traveling around the world, not many people talk about the downsides of traveling when you’ve been doing it for quite a while. In fact, for people who don’t travel often, they may see traveling as the most luxurious thing you can do.
Well… this post aims to highlight all of the disadvantages to traveling no one talks about as well as some personal examples I’ve experienced during my time abroad in Italy and Germany.
The Disadvantages of Traveling Solo
As someone who enjoys traveling solo, there are a lot of downsides that come with it when you do it as frequently as I have. These downsides include the following topics:
The Cost
When it comes to the disadvantages of solo traveling, the cost is not something you would want to forget. Things can actually get quite expensive when you’re traveling solo and trust me I’ve seen it all.
For example, if you’re trying to book private accommodation for a trip, such as an AirBNB or a hotel, it’s cheaper to split the payment with a group of friends than pay for everything yourself on one card.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love hostels more than anyone else from time to time, but it’s nice to have that private accommodation for the privacy and the independence it provides.
Loneliness
Another disadvantage to solo traveling is the loneliness you may feel when you have no one to talk to on your trip. I’ve been there and I know some solo travelers may also say they’ve never felt that way, but it does happen to some of us. For example, I remember going to Oktoberfest by myself for my birthday and although it was fun to check out all the rides and everything, it really sucked not having anyone to talk to on that special day.
In fact, on that day, I vividly remember just sitting on a bench in the middle of the festival as I contemplated whether or not it was even a good idea to come here alone. But I guess what made this day different than any other day I’ve traveled alone is the fact that it was my birthday.
And I have still yet to meet anyone who enjoys spending their birthday alone or much less someone who wants to feel lonely on their special day.
Safety
Lastly, another disadvantage to solo traveling that I’ve come across is the lack of safety you might feel when you’re traveling by yourself. In fact, the hypothesis that “there’s safety in numbers” couldn’t be more true. Being a part of a large group or being a couple does make you less vulnerable to predators who are looking for prey.
For example, one day when I was walking back home by myself in Germany, I noticed that there was an older man who kept following me the moment I got off the S-Bahn to go home. The neighborhood I lived in also wasn’t well-lit when the sun came down, so when I was walking by myself, it was literally almost pitch-black.
So, it’s no surprise the man following me back home thought I was the perfect target. While I was walking, he kept trying to talk to me in German by saying “Wie heist du?” over and over which left me feeling uncomfortable.
In the end, I did end up losing him since I was walking pretty fast but that didn’t make the situation any more safe than if I was with a friend or in a large group.
The Disadvantages of Traveling in a Group
The disadvantages of traveling in a group is also something that’s not always discussed among others. The downsides of doing this include but are not limited to the following topics:
Toxic Friends
Dealing with toxic friends is truly a disadvantage to traveling in a group. I for one, have experienced this at times when I travel in a group and it’s really something you don’t see coming until you actually travel with your friend.
For example, if you take a look at what’s in our media today, you would see that there have actually been stories on the news about women traveling with their friends who end up killing them.
One story in this case that actually comes to mind is the one about Shanquella Robinson whose friends killed her while they were on vacation in Mexico. It was really disheartening to read and it reminds me of a personal experience I had traveling with someone in Germany.
I met this guy on a dating app which isn’t exactly the safest place to find a travel companion but I was just looking for friends. He wasn’t my first choice but I wanted someone to come with me to Europa Park since my first choice ghosted me. However, it wasn’t until I spent the whole day with him at the park that I saw him for the toxic person he truly was.
Traveling with him honestly gave me PTSD by the end of the trip which I personally believe would have been avoided if I just went to Europa Park by myself.
Group-Think Mentality
Another disadvantage to traveling in a group is group-think mentality. Group-Think Mentality is the social phenomenon that happens in a group where people in a group tend to confirm group decisions due to the fear of being an outcast.
So, for example, if there was one person in the group who wanted to travel to Las Vegas for Christmas and another person in the group said “yeah, that’s a great idea”. Due to group-think, everyone else in the group will also think it’s a great idea because they’re afraid to be the odd one out of the group who has a different opinion.
This personally also happened to me while traveling in a group and I’ll always remember it to this day. I went out to eat with a group of friends and when the bill came one person said “we should all just split it equally”. Another person in the group agreed with her and I can assume you know what happened next…
Still to this day that was by far the most expensive bill I have ever paid after going out to dinner and I truly believe things would have been different if I had decided to go out to eat by myself.
Different Traveling Styles/Budgets
Lastly, another disadvantage to traveling in a group is when you’re traveling with people who have a different traveling style/budget than you. For example, you may be traveling in a group with someone who’s a museum person when you’re the type of person who’d rather focus on taking photos on a trip. Furthermore, when it comes to traveling in a group, you may be the one who’s on a really strict budget whereas someone else may have all the money in the world.
Traveling with people who don’t match your traveling style or budget can lead to a lot of unmet expectations on the trip which isn’t good for anyone in the group. Personally, as someone who is not a museum person, I once traveled around Rome with someone who was and it did lead to a lot of disappointment on her side because when she wanted to visit a museum, I wanted to do something else.
This ultimately led to us both going our own ways when it came to what we wanted to see but it was disappointing to see that we couldn’t do everything together.
The Health Disadvantages to Traveling
The health disadvantages to traveling is also something that’s rarely discussed among many. The downsides of it include but are not limited to the following topics:
Jet lag
Having jet lag is a disadvantage to traveling all the time when it comes to your health. It’s a sleep disorder that affects many travelers when they’re traveling across different time zones, leaving you out of sync with your own body’s internal clock.
I for one know what it’s like to have jet lag after recently traveling to Germany and I will say it’s not fun at all. When I first arrived to Germany, I remember feeling really sluggish and tired after getting off the plane. I wanted to go to bed so badly after arriving at my host family’s house but my host mom told me it would be better if I didn’t sleep.
However, when I did finally go to sleep, I ended up waking up at 4am because of the 6 hour time difference. Although, it can take a while for your body to adjust to the new time zone, it doesn’t make the side effects any less easier.
Limited English-Speaking Doctors
Having access to limited English-speaking doctors is another health disadvantage while you’re traveling. I mean this obviously doesn’t apply if you’re traveling to an English-speaking country but if you’re visiting the EU than it will.
For example, when I was in Germany I actually had to go to the emergency room because I sliced off my fingertip. It wasn’t pretty and neither was the fact that the secretary at the front desk spoke little English. I did my best to use Google Translate to help translate and it got me very far. But, I will admit, it would’ve been nice to explain all of this to someone whose English was a lot better.
In fact, even after leaving the emergency room, I still had a hard time finding an English-speaking house doctor I could go to regularly to change my dressing. I eventually ended up going to a house doctor my friend at the time recommended but he still needed to use Google Translate to communicate with me in some cases, so I guess that’s just what you have to get used to when it comes to your health.
Different Healthcare System
Being in a different country with a different healthcare system is another disadvantage to traveling when it comes to your health. As an American, I’m obviously used to the way physicals and check ups are done in the U.S., but it’s not until you need to have a physical done in another country that you start noticing the differences between that country and your home country.
For example, when I was studying abroad in Italy, I had to get my physical done at the university while I was there. It wasn’t that big of a deal at the time but it was very different from what I was used to in the U.S.
For one thing, while I was laying on the examination table, I remember the Italian doctor actually had to attach some clamps to my ankles. It was really weird and every American student who did it thought so but I guess it’s just something you’d have to get used to if you’re getting medical care in Italy.
The Cultural Disadvantages to Traveling
The cultural disadvantages to traveling is also something that’s rarely discussed among many. The cultural downsides to traveling include but are not limited to the following topics:
Language Barriers
Traveling to a foreign country where the local language is not your native tongue can be quite the disadvantage for any traveler. In these cases, many travelers rely on Google Translate to translate various signs, pictures, and words, but if you’re going to be living in that country for quite some time, then you’ll have to learn the language.
For example, when I was an Au pair in Germany, there was a huge language barrier between me and my host kids since English was my native tongue and German was not. I mean did try to learn the language as much as I could while I was their Au pair but there were some moments where I didn’t understand them. This as a result led to moments of frustration between me and the kids as well as lots of screaming.
In fact, I would even say the harder the language the worse the language barrier since some languages are easier to pick up for native English speakers than others. German, however, definitely isn’t one of them, making the language barrier to communication quite difficult between me and my host kids.
Culture Shock/Reverse Culture Shock
Getting culture shock or reverse culture shock is another cultural disadvantage to traveling. Culture shock is the feeling of being disoriented the moment you travel to another country whereas reverse culture shock is the feeling of being disoriented after returning to your home country.
For example, when I was an Au pair in Germany, there was a lot of culture shock I had to adapt to my first month of being there. My host mom’s communication style was different from what I was used to back home and the fact that Germans have no problem being naked in publicly appropriate places.
As for the reverse culture shock, it was depressing to come back home after a year abroad. I missed everything there is to love about Germany and I didn’t want to assimilate back to American culture. But unfortunately, this is something you’d have to get used to if you plan on traveling away from your home country for quite some time.
Homesickness
Homesickness is another cultural disadvantage that comes to mind when it comes to traveling. It goes hand in hand with cultural shock and it happens during the adjustment period.
For example, when I was an Au pair in Germany, I was very much homesick for the first month. I kept thinking about how hard it was going to be to adjust there and I wanted to go back to what I was used to in The States.
Being homesick also led to a lot of crying on my part which is something I for one didn’t expect emotionally but I believe in some cases it can get so bad that you might end going back home because of it. However, that is something every traveler has to decide for themselves.
The Racial Disadvantage to Traveling
The racial disadvantages to traveling is also something that’s rarely discussed among many. The racial downsides to traveling include but are not limited to the following topics:
Racial Stereotypes
Racial stereotypes are a racial disadvantage many people of color go through when they travel. Being stereotyped can most likely happen in countries where they may not have a lot of local people that are colored so they stereotype you based on what they see in the media or what they’ve heard.
For example, when I was an Au pair in Germany, I was surrounded by a lot of German children from time to time who may or may not have seen a black person before. In fact, I remember one day my host mother was telling me the story of the time her son met a black person for the first time. They were on the train in Germany and the black woman he saw was the only one on the train. So, without realizing it, he asked her “did that person not wash themselves?”.
I know… shocking but unfortunately, even in Germany black people are still being stereotyped as “dirty”. This is something you’d need to be aware of if you’re traveling a lot as a black person since not a lot of countries are melting pots like the U.S. or the U.K.
Racial Profiling
Racial profiling is also another racial disadvantage when it comes to traveling as a person of color. Due to your race, people from other countries may assume that you’re capable of committing criminal-like behavior or prostitution since that’s what people who have the same race as you do in their own country.
For example, when I was traveling from Germany to Italy via Flixbus, the bus driver made some stops within the two countries, expecting people to get off and new people to climb aboard. Well, there was one stop in particular where the bus driver noticed someone was supposed to get off but he didn’t know who it was. Looking around, he decided to ask me and the woman next to me for our passports and tickets. We were the only two black women on the bus so I thought it was weird that he didn’t ask anyone else on the bus for their documents too.
From that experience, I came to the conclusion that I was clearly being singled out because of my race and if I was any other race the driver wouldn’t have even given me a second thought. So, if you’re a black person who enjoys traveling from time to time, being racially profiled is something you should expect.
Fetishism
Fetishism is another racial disadvantage to traveling as a person of color. It’s something that can happen when you’re traveling to a country that’s known for fetishizing women of your race and it can lead to a lot of unwanted sexual gestures and harassment.
For example, this happened to me while I was studying abroad in Italy to the point where I decided to make a whole article about it for my alma mater:
I talked about some of the sexual gestures I received while traveling around Italy as well as the comments I got as well. Some Italian men for example literally had no problem sticking their tongue out at me and moving it whenever I walked by while other men had no problem saying “Mi piace” to me to get my attention. So, if you’re a black woman who’s looking to travel from time to time, you may come across some countries who have no problem fetishizing you.
Racial Slurs
Lastly, hearing racial slurs is another disadvantage to traveling as a person of color. Racial slurs are derogatory words that are used against people of a certain ethnicity or racial group with the intention of causing offense.
For example, when I was an Au in Germany, I did unfortunately have to hear some racial slurs when it came to dating. It usually happened when I was rejecting someone else over text but it didn’t make hearing it any less hurtful.
That unfortunately is something you have to deal with as a person of color traveling abroad and it’s even worse when the racial slur is in a language that’s not your native tongue. So, if you’re a person of color that likes to travel from time to time, you may come across some countries who have locals that use racial slurs in their vocabulary.
Overall, I really hope you enjoyed this post on what no tells you about the disadvantages of traveling! Please me know in the comments down below which disadvantage to traveling surprised you the most. I would love to hear from you! 🙂
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