Often, traveling alone doesn’t get a lot of love. After all, you aren’t with your friends and you’ll be lonely and crying yourself to sleep the whole time… right? Think again! Traveling alone can be one of the most fun, rewarding, and life-changing experiences you’ll ever go through! Here’s 11 reasons why you should:
1. Adventure
It’s you and the world. No better sense of pure freedom and adventure!
2. That Great Feeling of Relief When You Make Your First Friend
Sometimes it can take a day, or even two… but once you make one friend, they just keep coming! It’s usually really easy to make friends as you’ll find yourself more willing to strike up conversation with others when you’re alone.. and more likely to have someone start a conversation with you! You may even end up traveling with them!
3. You Learn to Figure People Out and Better Observe
You have to be street smart when traveling on your own. You don’t have a group of friends to protect you and Mom and Dad (who told you not to go) won’t be able to help you out! So, you learn to determine who might be trying to take advantage of you, and who’s trying to help you. From my experiences, 99% of the time people offer their help or hospitality. The world is a good place. Just be smart. The more you travel, the more you’ll figure out how to sense others’ intentions and the better your observational skills will get.
4. Your intuition is your compass, not the group.
Sometimes when you’re with a group… you get that urge to go off to that futuristic building you saw, that intriguing-looking shop, or that unique looking road that could lead to a magical palace! But often, the group can override your desires.. leaving you to always wonder what your intuition would have led you to. Traveling solo, your intuition is your compass!
5. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want.
I think this is self explanatory.
6. There’s no greater feeling when it’s just you and the world.
Pure bliss.
7. Then, you have to document that feeling with a Selfie.
8. You come back with more friends than you started with.
Some people think that you must like being alone if you travel solo, but really it’s the opposite. It forces you to engage more with your surroundings and the people around you. At the end of the trip, thanks to the many friends you’ll have made, you then realize that you never traveled alone in the first place!
9. You Learn a Lot About Yourself
Often times, this is the most rewarding part of the journey. Reflecting in a different country, while meeting people from all over the world, trying new things, and seeing sights which stir your heart and imagination is priceless.
10. You grow up.
Starting off as a Rugrat dependent on your stuffed animals…
11. Becoming Clint Eastwood
You come back a bad a… changed person – with more friends, stories, experiences, and wisdom than ever before!
In the beginning of the journey, you may have been anxious, unsure, or even scared.. but through it all you became a more confident, stronger, independent, and better version of yourself with plenty of amazing and life-changing stories to share with friends and families who are bound to inquire about all your adventures!
If it’s something you’ve been contemplating.. make it happen! Do your research before leaving, ensure your safety by studying the do’s and don’ts (don’t look like a lost puppy) when traveling solo, and go!
Ultimately, the reward is unparalleled.