Traveling alone can be really scary. At first, you choke at the idea that you will be in a foreign country, alone. Then, you will tremble at the thought that you won’t have anyone to help you in case of an emergency. But if you stop a bit and think about the wonderful things that could happen to you, you won’t have time to be scared. You will spend too much time having fun.
Let me tell you some of the most important reasons why a person should travel alone at least once in their life.
1. Spending money – yes it’s first on the list because without money you wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. So this article wouldn’t even exist. Have you noticed how when you travel with family or friends you always end up spending a lot of money? When it’s with your family you don’t really care because they pay for most of the things and when you are with friends, well, the peer pressure is bigger than your desire to save. But when you’re alone you can spend your money on whatever you want. Or pass on the fridge magnets in order to buy yourself a ticket to a fancy show.
2. Everything you want – when you travel inside a group you have to adjust to the desires of the majority. This means going to places that you might not want to go or missing out on cool stuff that you waited a long time to see. Guess what? When you travel alone you don’t have to wait for anyone. You can plan a trip the way you want it and enjoy it without interruptions.
3. It gives you power – you might not turn into Superman, but you will manage to feel empowered. Traveling alone will have you face all kinds of situations. From having to protect yourself from possible predators to not having a clue what the guy next to you is saying. But after you’ve done all this and you’ve risen from the ashes like a Phoenix (or like Conchita; we don’t discriminate), then you will be able to say that you are stronger than you were before taking that trip alone.
4. Meet new people – you can be sure of the fact that you will meet lots of new people. If you are more extrovert, then meeting new people is going to be easy-peasy. But if you don’t, the challenge is going to make you come out of your shell and force you to talk to people you don’t know, in a foreign language. Doesn’t that sound fun.
5. No comfort zone – although this sounds more as a threat, abandoning your comfort zone can be a very good thing for you. Remember, it might feel comfortable, but nothing grows out of a comfort zone. So ask yourself this: do you want to grow or do you want to be comfortable?
6. Get to know yourself – I didn’t believe the Eat, Pray, Love stuff until I traveled alone for the first time. You might not experience the same revelations as the woman traveling the globe to forget about her husband, but you will learn more about your limits and your power to overcome difficult situations.
7. You learn what’s important – when you are taken over by stress, your job, your kids or your daily drama, you forget what is really important in life. Traveling alone and taking a break from the fast-paced rhythm you are forced to deal with every day. You can start to smell the roses, observe the homeless and immerse yourself into the beauty that is all over the place.
Have I convinced you to travel alone? Start by doing it in a country that offers you a sort of security (a near country or a country whose language you know)
Dana