Have you ever travelled alone? Without friends or family, or even your partner? The idea of being a lone adventurer can be daunting, everything seems overwhelming—from planning, to learning cultures, down to exploring.
But it can also be the most fulfilling thing you can do for yourself. The idea of getting your much needed rest, or finding yourself, or simply enjoying without thinking about the concerns of others is quite exciting, isn’t it? But if you’re not convinced, perhaps the following benefits that solo travel can provide will push you to go for it:
The street-smart in you will get unleashed
Traveling alone will help you navigate your instinct for survival, which means even if you’re not so organized, you will learn to plan for everything simply because no one will do it for you. Booking flights, discovering transportation, hunting for hotels—these are some of the things you’ll learn to master.
You’ll get to build a stronger character
Traveling solo helps you to be more open to life, to experience, and to things that will help you become a better person. You’ll be surprised just how it will show you how capable you are to do things. You’ll learn to think of ways to get out of an impossible situation, such as getting lost, and you’ll learn how to be emphatic of the people around you. Since you’re not engulfed in the company of your friends or family, your eyes will be wide open to see that there are other people and things that can show us the reality of life—you’ll get to finally see the world in a different perspective than you’re used to.
You get to be your own boss
Traveling with other people sure is fun, but we have to admit, it can be a little exhausting to follow a strict time or to think of them when all we want is to do things our own way. Traveling alone gives you the control over everything. You want to wake up late? Go ahead! You want to exhaust the entire day just touring around? No one’s stopping you! There’s no need to consider the opinion of other people on the itinerary—you’re free to do exactly whatever you want!
You get to meet other people
Traveling solo forces you to interact with people who otherwise won’t catch your attention if you’re with a company. No matter how introvert you think you are, when you’re out there alone, you’re bound to talk to at least one person. Don’t be afraid of that, and instead take advantage of the opportunity. How often do you get to experience sharing your experiences and learning new things from people of different cultures? It’s life changing. Meeting strangers during a trip could lead to memorable travel experiences.
You get to discover yourself
Cliché as it may sound, traveling can truly help you rediscover yourself—away from peer pressure, stressful work, and mundane lifestyles. All of us need time to recharge and re-learn what we want for ourselves. Be a little kinder to yourself, and get that well-deserved alone time.
