My first “solo traveling” experience was to a restaurant of my choice, all by myself. I had had a rough day. I tried to get some company but it was a week day and everyone seemed pre-occupied. And so, I ventured alone to this fancy cafe. Being an introvert, I didn’t make “new friends” in the two hours I spent there, but I did realize that one can have a nice time alone outside home.
The concept of traveling alone can be very daunting for a lot of people. In today’s world, where everything is about staying connected to people via social channels and what not, solo travel can be a very hard decision to make. But unless you do it, you’ll not understand how solo traveling is a life-changing and self-defining experience you cannot miss to have.
1. More “Me” Time To Enjoy
It can be very hard to give time to yourself and pamper yourself with luxuries when you are burdened with the many responsibilities and chores back home. A solo holiday can be perfect for you to have ample me-time. You can go on a long, long adventure, meet strangers and be friends with them or treat yourself with relaxing spas. It’s just you and your interests that matter.
2. A chance to Reinvent Yourself
We all are creatures of habits and are influenced by pervasive culture and tradition. Our connection and communication with people we know usually takes form of a pattern which makes it hard for us to bring out the best in us. This is why when you travel alone, you will be presented with an opportunity to break such customs and try something new every day. You can inhabit a different version of your personality, pick and choose elements of your persona and nurture them without fearing about other peoples judgments.
3. Make your Traveling Experience Insightful
When we travel with other people, it is easy to get distracted and not be fully focused on the traveling experience itself. When you are on your own, you have more chances to intercept and take notes of how a certain place has affected your personality and thinking. Traveling alone will also push you out of your comfort zone, and this is exactly how the most epiphanies happen. You’ll be alive every moment and you’ll be able accept all the moments as they are.
4. Enhance your Confidence Levels
Traveling alone is a very brave thing to do. Period. Travelling solo takes your confidence to new levels. This way you will be able to understand that you can actually have good time on your own. You also stop caring about thoughts and opinions of other people. You learn that life is too short to rely on people to share experiences with you and that you are an independent person who doesn’t need anyone else to feel good. This feeling, you know, of self-reliance is really empowering.
5. Learn About Yourself
If you travel alone, you will get more chances to understand your personality. When alone, you have to take responsibility for your behavior and your actions which is a very good test to check out your resourcefulness, adaptability, and self-sufficiency. You will get a glimpse of who you are as a person and what do you value the most.
6. Meet New and Interesting Strangers
Solo traveling helps you in meeting like-minded travelers. These people may be of any age, any profession, and may have more traveling experience than you. These people may help you open your mind and understand yourself better. This way you can make new friends and memories that will stay with you even when you come back home.
7. No Compromise
Traveling alone means you get to do what you want to do. If you want to spend time shopping , you don’t have to compromise on that because other people with you don’t like going to markets. You can visit beaches of your choice, museums if you are into history, art galleries if you are an artist or treat yourself in a retreat spa for hours without having to compromise on what other group members want to do. You do not have to do anything that you are not interested in. Makes sense also right? It’s not too often that we get to travel. And when we do, it should be perfect.
8. Organize Better
It is very hard to organize a trip when a bunch of people are involved. I am an early riser and when I am travelling, I like to start early. But not everyone in the group is that way. So that makes it hard to plan and organize. Apart from that, everyone wants to follow their own schedules and plans, do their thing, visit places of their choice and eat at the restaurant they like. But if you travel alone, this will no longer be an issue for you. You can make your plans way ahead of time and make an itinerary for yourself and follow that route that you have decided.
9. Meet More Locals
When you are traveling with another companion, you can easily become insular without even knowing. Traveling solo will definitely help you in eliminating that comfort zone and safety net of your companions, your partners, your families, and your friends. And so, you will get a chance to meet more local people who may help you in understanding their culture and traditions better. More interactions with the locals will help you immerse yourself in the culture of the place you are visiting.
10. Stick to Own Financial Plan
One more thing that you need not compromise on when you are traveling alone is your budget. All of you may have a specific amount of money in mind that you would like to spend while you are on holiday, but it can be very hard to keep money within budget if traveling with another friend or a group. On the contrary, if you have a huge sum of money to spend and the group you are traveling with does not, even then traveling may become hard for you. Also, more than money, it’s about which experiences you want to invest your time in while traveling .
11. Most countries are Safe For Solo Travelers
A lot of people think that traveling alone can be very risky, but it is not true provided the traveler is taking basic precautions. So, if you are dreaming about traveling alone, just be sure to choose a tourism friendly country, which most countries are.
Don’t think too much. Pack your bags and head out to have the time of your life.
P.S. I have heard stories when solo travelers have found their soulmates while traveling in far-off lands. You could be one too!
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Keep Reading. Chao!
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Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.