Solo travel: You should try it
I travel often.
Particularly since I moved to Barcelona almost three years ago.
I’ve lost count of the flights I’ve been on in this year alone.
My flight tickets mark me as a “Frequent Flyer”, which, for someone who grew up in a standard, North American suburb, where “frequent flying” is not exactly common, I thought it was kind of cool.
Wouldn’t call it a hobby, though.
I’ve had numerous people speak to me about my travels.
It’s been a mix: work travel, leisure trips with friends, but also solo travel.
Solo travel is on another level.
I think it’s a true marker of how comfortable and secure you are with yourself.
Among other reasons.
In my somewhat short life I’ve had the chance to meet people from all corners of the world, from all walks of life.
Varying in their degree of personal security.
But that’s the beauty of it – that’s the key.
How comfortable are you when you are alone?
Nothing puts this to the test greater than solo travel.
It’s wild what thoughts will pop into your head while you’re by yourself, in an unfamiliar place.
We’re most mindful when we travel. We look around and take things in a different way when we’re plucked out of our routines.
But it’s amplified when we are on our own.
Sounds like a nightmare for a lot of people. For most people that I’ve spoken with, anyway.
Though it shouldn’t be.
It’s a nightmare if you’ve never faced your thoughts.
It’s a nightmare if you’re insecure.
Why rely on other people to enjoy a new place, especially if it’s a place you’ve wanted to see for a long time, a place with which you felt some sort of connection, ultimately leading you there?
You ought to take a good look in the mirror if you need other people to truly enjoy yourself.
When you solo travel, you control your own fate – where you go, what time you go. What you want to see, when you want to see it. What you want to spend, how you want to spend it.
You factor other people into that equation and inevitably, unless you operate on the exact same wavelength as those people – which is hard to come by – you’re sacrificing something from your own experience.
Solo travel challenges you.
You say you’re independent. But are you really?
Your experience is yours. You get the most out of whatever you make of it.
It’s true power in your hands.
And clichés aside, it’s a powerful experience.
You come to realize many things about yourself. Often, things you didn’t realize before.
Your perception of life, your life, is challenged.
Sometimes a little, but sometimes, a lot.
There’s no right or wrong on how to go about it. You can take a day trip alone, or weeks long.
Among all of the things that the experience can provide you, it’s a sense of security. Security in yourself.
At the end of the day, you are the one that has to put up with yourself forever. So you ought to enjoy your own presence – alone.
Embark on solo travel. Challenge yourself.
You won’t regret it.
🌎 🌍 🌏
