I’ve come to love the classic exchange that happens every time I tell someone that I’m about to leave for a trip:
“Who are you going with?”
“No one. It’s just me.”
“Do you have friends that live there?”
“Nope.”
Usually then some kind of surprised “Oh wow!” which I can’t say I really blame anyone for. If you know me, you know that I am pretty laid-back and reserved, and was a very timid child who never left my mother’s side. Sometimes I even surprise myself with how confident and adventurous I’ve become.
I was going to call this post “Why You Should Travel Alone,” but that didn’t seem right. I don’t want to tell you that you will enjoy traveling by yourself, because it’s not for everyone. Some people just wouldn’t like being alone and wouldn’t get pleasure out of figuring out a new place by themselves. With as much fun as I have on my solo trips, I can admit that it is not always glamorous. It can be awkward and even a little scary at times. But it can also give you the most memorable, authentic travel experiences, along with a healthy dose of personal growth and self-awareness. So here are all my key reasons for booking that single ticket.
Flexibility. You don’t have to wait around for the right friend to come along who has the money, schedule, and desire to travel to the same destinations as you. This is exactly why I started traveling solo. Sometimes finding the right travel buddy is hard and can hold you back. So don’t wait – just go!
The itinerary is all yours. Have you ever been in a museum with someone and they breeze through and are ready to leave while you’re still immersed in the first exhibit? What’s nice about traveling alone is that you can spend as much time as you need on the things you want. And no arguments in the first place over whether to go to that museum or skip it for a shopping trip instead. The only debates you’ll have are with yourself – and you make the final call!
More immersion. Walking down the street, you won’t be engrossed in conversation. The only commentary is inside your head, as you observe every person that walks by you, every building that you pass, every food that you smell, and every sound that you hear. You will be forced into more interactions with the world around you and will learn more about the destination. Isn’t that why you wanted to come in the first place?
You gain new skills and confidence. It can be so overwhelming immersing yourself in a city for the first time and learning the best ways to get around. It can be like a big puzzle that you have to solve, but once you get it down you feel like you can go anywhere in the world.
It’s quiet and relaxing. If you’re like me and enjoy the outdoors, it can be pure peace. On my trip to Atlanta I ventured outside the city limits to hike Stone Mountain. It was a cloudy rainy day so I was one of the only (crazy) ones on the trail, and the only sounds to be heard were the birds chirping and the water running down the rocks.
You get the hotel room all to yourself. A nice big king bed and a heap of comfy pillows all to myself? Heaven on earth.
You meet people. If you walk into a bar with friends, you’re likely going to spend the entire evening talking just to your friends. I’ve met so many people in my travels just by being the loner at the bar. The bartenders chat with you, you may meet some interesting locals with good pointers on the city, or maybe some fellow travelers from all over the country. In Montreal I was adopted for the evening into a friend group of locals who spoke mostly French with very little English but still included me in their multiple rounds of jaegerbombs! To this day it’s one of my favorite travel memories.
You can celebrate you. In other words, treat yo’self! In my daily life I am often too busy and stressed to stop and appreciate myself, so I love to use my travels to really show myself some love! Sometimes it’s as simple as getting a really hearty meal with a decadent dessert. The whole mindset of being alone in a beautiful destination, accomplishing new things, and splurging a little on myself gives me an absolute refresh and awareness of myself.
I hope that by sharing my experiences traveling solo I will inspire others, especially other women, who want to travel and have maybe been afraid or putting it off for some reason or another. Of course there are a lot of precautions that you need to take when traveling alone, but don’t let anything hold you back from getting out and achieving your dreams!
I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any experiences traveling alone? Do you want to travel alone but are still hesitant? Tell me in the comments below!
C to Shining C 