Edited By – Akash Goel
“Don’t be scared to walk alone. Don’t be scared to like it.” -John Mayer
Sometimes, the best travel companion anyone can have is their own self. Certainly, it sounds like something that a person finds inside a fortune cookie, but it is true to its core. Solo travelling is quite a memorable and empowering experience that will have a long-lasting impact on your life which is not only positive but worth cherishing throughout your life. Solo traveling offers a plethora of benefits that make your trip even more gleeful, remarkable and pleasurable.
Just to begin with, self-discovery and having simpler logistics, there are surely a lot of good reasons to travel, and discover the world on your own.
Usually, I spend a lot of time travelling, often by myself, and I’ve felt that solo travel is way easier than you might think, completely liberating, and completely rewarding in a way only a few other life experiences can match. Like almost every other traveller, going anywhere alone isn’t an easy task; But after a few eye-opening and life changing experiences, I am hooked on solo travel, and I am not the only one!
In past years, affinity for travelling alone has skyrocketed and places all around the globe have come up with ways to cater to the needs and wants of the people that fall under this exponentially growing segment.
Why travel solo?
Well, everyone has a limited amount of time and money to satiate their love for travelling, so why not customize the travel experience to one’s individual preferences so that the satisfaction can be maximized?
Everyone, you or me, all have bucket lists of places we want to travel, cuisines we want to have, in our lifetime, but all too often we hold ourselves back from the experiences because we have no one to share them with. Schedules, budgets, and travelling interests differ from person to person. So waiting around for the right time or the right person to join you for a train trip to Niagara Falls, gourmet dining in Lyon, or backpacking around the Europe is a waste. It isn’t always necessary that your partner or friends share every interest that you have, and that is totally acceptable.
What is not OK is sacrificing your dreams, especially when all you have to do is just get there, nothing else. You’d like to go skydiving over the Grand Canyon, see ancient Mayan ruins, or have to just Maine lobster. When you travel alone, only your needs matter, and you can plan something at the last minute if you desire.
In our ever connected world, which is stacked up with digital transactions, it is very difficult to take out me time. If you rarely spend significant time alone you may be surprised how relishing gift it can be to you from yourself. Fortunately, solo travel offers the time and space that’s necessary for a valuable alone time. When you walk down a road, unknown, all by yourself, that will give you an opportunity to reflect on life and enjoy your own company. Regardless of the destination you choose, a solo trip is a powerful, introspective, life-changing experience. What you learn when on a solo trip, about yourself is simply impossible when you’re amidst your daily routine. You will often surprise yourself when you develop a new interest or by the difference in the way how you interact with a stranger from when you are home. You get a whole new and fresh set of eyes to look at the problems you are facing in life and you tend to find more meaningful solutions to the same. Everyone should have as many opportunities as they want to check in on themselves from time to time, and solo travel offers you with the perfect conditions.
Solo travel is a discovery in itself, of yourself, in one of the most inquisitive ways. You never return the same old way you left. Venturing out alone is the renewal of your spirit and your soul. It changes everything about you in a positive way. When you return back or even when you are travelling solo, you will find a boost in yourself. That spontaneous energy, the confidence and the morale boost, the independence, from this to that, you will find everything about yourself better. You get to know the new you, the better you, the never before you. When you travel solo, the first time you will learn is that anonymity is a blessing, and there is no such thing as loneliness.
Solo travel removes the cultural crutches like nothing else does. You will learn to accept the new things and the change so well in life. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and that is when you discover the true potential of yourself. The experience is more valuable than anything else. And the best part about the solo travel is you will have stories to tell back at your home, workplace, which no one has ever heard. Also, your managerial skills are well sharpened. Money managing, and making the most out of the less are some of the very basic things you will find yourself getting incorporated with even knowing.
So, what are waiting for? Pack your bag, even better if you don’t, get out. Enjoy!
Image Courtesy: <https://pixabay.com/en/adult-boardwalk-bridge-dock-1850221/?
