Hey,
I was once in a restaurant, Italy, Amalfi coast more exacly, and i entered a pizzeria and sit down, ordered and the waiter asked me...are you waiting for someone? and i felt weird. I was ok that i am alone until that very moment. so i was wondering how was it for you to travel alone?
I almost always travel alone.
No debates with others about what to do from day to day.
Locals and fellow visitors are more likely to talk to you if you are alone.
I feel weird sometimes, but I tend to meet up with others and travel with them, then split ways, meet someone else, or just stay alone. It depends on my mood.
Anyway,I've travelled a lot alone,a fair amount with friends and a lot as part of a couple.
All three have their pros and cons.
The pros of solo travel for me...you can go where you want and do what you want,when and how you want.You can move on when you feel like it.You can control your budget and spend as much or little as you like.As mentioned above,you have a lot more contact with local people and in particular with other travellers.
I travel solo. Sometimes I'm at a restaurant by myself. It felt weird at first but I've gotten used to it. If you're at a hostel or couchsurfing it's not hard to find someone to come along with you, explore, do stuff with. But don't be afraid to do it alone.
In some countries it's less common to eat out alone (like parts of France, Italy, especially) but don't let that stop you. In fact I've used it to get dates with locals :)
I'm a woman (surprise, surprise!) And I'm old (ish). And I do it all the time, because otherwise I wouldn't eat at all. Not only do I never have a problem - I always get very well treated. Sometimes I even get little 'extras' thrown in.
My secret? no secret. I just make sure to treat the waiters like my family rather than like servants. And they treat me likewise. Even if we don't speak the same language, we smile a lot and have a great time. I also return to the same place if I find a good one. The more often you use a place the better it gets.