Posted on by Eric

Adventure Alone, Adventure Together – Which is Better?

When it’s time to strike out on adventure, which holds more benefit, going it alone or having a partner or multiple companions?

A solo adventure can be exciting and scary in a way group adventures are not. You might find yourself completely alone and isolated, subject to the whims of nature with no one to get you through except yourself. That can also have advantages.

Alternatively, adventure with others could compromise the outing beyond your acceptance, having to appease others’ tastes and comfort levels, or go at a pace not to your liking. Companionship on an adventure doesn’t guarantee safety either. Sometimes, depending on who you’re adventuring with, it could be a detriment to your safety.

Whether it’s better to go it alone or with others depends a lot on the particular adventure. There are some activities that simply require more than one person. If you’re rock climbing up a sheer face using ropes and harnesses, you’ll need at least one partner to be able to belay each other. Skydiving, scuba diving, heli-skiing and canoeing are other examples of activities better done with at least one partner.

But there are times when striking out on your own is exactly what’s needed. When uninterrupted contemplation is what’s called for. A solitary hike through the woods. A night camping in the desert. Fishing. A road trip.

It Depends

In other words, the answer to whether it’s better to adventure solo or together is the same answer given to so many of life’s questions: it depends.

Adventuring with has its advantages, such as sharing a spectacular sunset. (Image: photo by Aaker for Unsplash)

It depends on the adventure and the activity. It depends on your mood and what you need from it. It depends on the specific people involved and whether they are good adventure companions or not. The weather, the time of day, your location, the cost.

All of these factors will have bearing on whether to go it alone or not.

Still, amid this salad of dependent factors, some generalities exist. In general, there are advantages and disadvantages across the board of solo adventure versus group adventure.

Here is a breakdown of some of the benefits and drawbacks of both scenarios.

Solo Adventuring – Pros

  1. Your Own Pace. When you adventure by yourself, you are the only one you have to keep up with. Go slow when you need to, go fast when it feels right and you won’t have to wait for anyone to catch up.
  2. Inner Reflection. There’s nothing better than solo adventure for looking deep inside and getting to know your interior self. When you go solo, there’s no one there to interrupt your self-exploration.
  3. Meet Different People. When you’re alone, you attract different people out on the trail, the road or the water. Some adventurers are more likely to approach a lone person than they are a duo or group. Often, those are the more interesting ones!
  4. Go When You Want, Where You Want. No arguing over which course is better. No debating which attractions to see. When you adventure on your own, the plan is all yours, no compromising, only what you want to do when you want to do it.

Solo Adventuring – Cons

  1. Loneliness. The number one drawback of solo adventure. No one to talk with, no one to share with, no one to witness your accomplishments. For some people, their own company gets old fast. For them, not having someone else along can drive them crazy.
  2. More Danger. In the unfortunate event something bad happens – a sprained ankle, a broken arm or toe, hypo or hyperthermia – you have no one to assist, or, in extreme cases, go for help. Especially when attempting risky endeavors, it’s safest to go with a partner or partners.
  3. No One to Push You. Studies show when people exercise in groups, they exercise harder and release more endorphins as a result. That’s partly because it takes on a performative and competitive aspect when others are present. You are incentivized to push yourself harder, if only to impress other people.
  4. More Expensive. When you go it alone, you shoulder the entire cost of an adventure. That means paying for single rooms or campsites, all the gas and meals. Sharing the costs of overnight accommodations, gas and food can cut down substantially on the adventure price tag.

Adventuring with Others – Pros

  1. Company and Conversation. Conversation makes the time go by faster. It’s also a good barometer of how hard you’re exerting. If you’re on your way up a steep climb, it’s best to set a pace at which you’re able to carry on a conversation without running out of breath.
  2. It’s Safer. See above. Depending on the risk of the adventure, going with someone else as opposed to alone increases the safety margin considerably.
  3. Distribution of Weight/Chores/Work. If you’re hiking, biking, paddling or ski-camping, being with others allows the opportunity to spread some weight around, even out the loads you’re carrying, or taking shifts between light and heavy carrying, extending your endurance.
  4. Accountability. If you have an adventure or distance goal you want to attain, you’re more likely to reach it if you attempt it with others. It’s much harder to give up on a goal when you will affect someone else by doing so, and just the act of announcing your plan strengthens your volition.

Adventuring with Others – Cons

  1. No solitude. See above. If it’s solitude and quiet reflection you’re after on the day you’re venturing into nature, it can be difficult to get that in the company of a companion. However, it can be done.
  2. Someone Else’s Pace. When you adventure in a group, or even with one other person, you will move at the pace of the slowest person. If that happens to be you, you might feel pressure to push yourself faster than your comfort level.
  3. No Sense of Discovery. One of the joys of solo adventure is the feeling of discovering something – a path or a way through – for the first time, a route that no one else has taken. If you’re with other people, you lose that sense, that you are the first one to go this way.
  4. May be Harder to Meet People. When you’re with other people, especially if engaged in conversation, it can signal fellow adventurers not to stop, to keep on moving. But this depends on the adventurer; some are more likely to approach solo travelers, others to strike up conversation with a couple or a group.

Just Go

As you can see, adventure alone or adventure together, they both have their ups and downs. Which is better depends on several factors, including your mood and what you want out of it.

In the end, it doesn’t matter that much whether you go by yourself or with others. The main thing is to go, to get out and discover. Take the adventure.