Life can become monotonous if you are following a set pattern
everyday. Sometimes taking a day or two off and traveling out of city can help
you unwind and recharge your batteries for a few months. However, it may not
seem possible if you have a family or you are not just comfortable traveling
alone. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to travel alone- at
least once.
Here are a few reasons why you should travel alone:
1. You Can Be Spontaneous!
Feel like packing a bag and hitting the road? If you decide to travel alone
you will not have to coordinate with a friend or your partner! You can prepare a small travel bag and go anywhere you
like for the weekend. Even if you are planning a big trip, you will not have to
worry about whether your travelling companion will be free on exactly the same
dates as you are.
2. Cross it off your bucket list
Everyone has a bucket list. There must be some adventure, such as jumpingout of a plane over Palm in Dubai, kayaking
in the river in Amazon, watching the northern lights in Iceland or sleeping beneath the stars in Sahara desert,
that you want to go on. However, you really never could because the people
around you did not share your interests. Do not let them hold you back. Go on a
wild adventure alone and cross it off your bucket list. For inspiration you can
check one of these travel bucket lists.
3. You will get to spend time with yourself
For some people it is a very strange idea to spend time with themselves. In
actual it can prove to be healthy and rejuvenating. You may not know it
yourself but you are pretty awesome. You can not discover yourself unless you
spend some time alone. You can go to any restaurant you like, sample new foods
or just have a cup of coffee in a small cafe and read a book. There are books
written about traveling alone. Two of my personal favorites are Wild and Eat,Pray, Love. These trips that you take alone can
prove to be nothing short of a spiritual experience. Once you go back home, you
will feel more confident about yourself.
4. You will meet new people
When you travel alone, chances are you will get to meet new interesting
people. When you are traveling with a companion, you tend to focus on each
other and, generally, people do not approach. If you are interested to make new friends while you travel solo, one
way is to stay in youth hostels- they are super economical as well! However, if you are exploring a new place
alone it might turn out to be fun to tag along with a group. It is quite
different than traveling with someone you know because you can still opt out of
any activity you are not interested to pursue. Meeting new people also makes
you understand that there is no ‘them’ and ‘us’. You experience human behavior
like you have never before- in a positive way.
Meeting new people will introduce you to new cultures. You will experience so
many new things that you can never experience by just reading a book or
watching a video. When you go back home, you will have countless anecdotes to
share with your family and friends.
5. You will miss home
You must be wondering why that is a good thing? Well, when you are used to
the luxuries of life and have people around you to support you emotionally; you
tend to take all that for granted. You may not need to fly halfway across the
world to feel that. When you leave your familiar surroundings you take note of
minute details and only then you realize that you are doing better than so many.
After your travels, when you return home, you will start appreciating small and
simple things in life.
If you believe there are
more reasons to travel solo, please share them in the comments below. It’s
always good to hear about personal experiences of others on such matters. One
of your experiences may inspire someone else to just pack a bag and hit the
road.
About Author: Jenny Corteza