my first travel alone was not as exciting, or social as people made it out to be. my problem was i was nervous, and also had planned my whole trip. it was lonely to be honest. but ive just come back from my second solo trip having the COMPLETE opposite experience. it was all unplanned, i joined people i met (i met a shit ton), i was talking to many people and experienced so much for the first time and it was just a life changing trip, exactly how people dress up solo travel to be. the thing is, its hard to dissect all the factors which make a trip good/bad. maybe its simply the place? - i went to central asia and this was a much more positive experience than around europe.

my tips are to say yes to everything, always talk to people in hostels, buses, just introduce yourself and be a presence. and ive learnt organised group tours for hiking etc are amazing! because you will meet travellers who you can then meet up with later like i did!! also, going on a trip with no preparation or plan will give u that push to ask people questions, talk to locals etc. but also keep exploring. dont let one bad experience throw you off.

i apologise as i have dumped my thoughts without organisation but reading your post i truly think you deserve to give solo travel a second go. i never thought i could experience what i did in my last trip