There is often a stigma attached to doing things alone. Our first
reaction to seeing someone eating alone at a restaurant or sitting by
him or herself at the movie theater is that he or she didn’t have anyone
to go with. We feel sympathy for them, pity, even. Lately, I have been
the subject of that sympathy.
I recently took a trip to Rome by myself. When I informed my friends I
was going alone, they were either appalled or felt bad for me. They
would ask, “Why would you ever travel alone?” I also received an
unprecedented amount of, “Good for you!”
I told them I didn’t want to miss out on a trip just because no one
was going to accompany me. Since then, I have realized that this stigma
associated with traveling alone (i.e. friendless, loner) just simply is
not true.
Not only did I find that traveling alone wasn’t sad or worthy of
someone’s sympathy, but it was also possibly the trip on which I learned
the most about myself and the world.
Here are nine reasons why traveling alone is the best way to travel:
1. You get to do what YOU want to do
This first reason might be the most obvious, but when you’re
traveling in a group or with another person, it is easy to get caught up
in what the group or that other person has planned for your trip.
Sometimes, it doesn’t even occur to you that you’d rather do
something else than visit every museum and tourist site your travel
companions are dying to see.
When you travel alone, you get to skip the awful, “What do you want
to do?” and just get up and do it! The itinerary is all yours; you don’t
have to worry about others not enjoying the activity.
Even if you are on a trip with a group with differing interests, take
a day or an afternoon and venture off on your own to take in whatever
it is you deem worthy of your time. I would have missed out on some
extremely special moments if I had not decided to go it alone on a trip.
2. You find out what interests you in the world
If you’re traveling in a group, you’re less likely to stop when
something catches your eye. You might fear you’d be holding up your
group by making a pit stop. But, when you travel alone, you have the
freedom to investigate your intrigue.
You can learn so much more about yourself and what you enjoy by
taking the time to just stop and soak in a place. More importantly, you
find out what does not interest you.
You don’t have to do things you’ve been doing solely because everyone
else said, “We HAVE to go here,” or “This place is a MUST-see.”
On my solo trip, I learned I simply despise museums. I walked around
exhibits full of historical tidbits I would normally never think twice
about in my everyday life and wondered, “Why the hell did I want to come
here?”
And, then, I realized it was because everyone had said it was
something you HAD to see. I learned I would rather be doing something
interactive than spending my time staring blankly at art pieces I don’t
understand.
You only have so much time on these trips to explore; spend it
searching for something that makes you want to stop in your tracks,
something that makes you think.
3. You become more comfortable with yourself
I know many people who will not do anything by themselves. These are
the people who will not be caught dead at a sit-down restaurant by
themselves; they even want someone to accompany them to the restroom.
They are so fearful of being seen as a loner, or that people may think they don’t have any friends.
I used to have similar fears, but once you take a trip by yourself,
the “caring about what everyone else thinks of you,” will pretty much
fly out the window. You start to realize there is nothing embarrassing
or scary about traveling alone.
On a trip, I walked into a very nice restaurant and told the maƮtre d that I would like a table for one.
He looked puzzled, gave me a look of sympathy and asked, “Just one?” I
repeated myself and made sure my tone expressed how much I did not care
that I was alone and he was kind of being an assh*le.
Once you start traveling on your own, you learn to be comfortable in
your skin and confident in who you are. You might be surprised when you
start craving this alone time.
It is so refreshing to just go somewhere and explore a new place without feeling like you need to entertain another person.
4. You can go at your own pace
People often have different mindsets when it comes to traveling and sightseeing.
Some people want to go, go, go and try to fit as many activities as
they can into however much time they have. Others like to soak things
in, even if it means they don’t see everything. These differing
mentalities can often clash when traveling together.
The former gets frustrated and thinks there won’t be enough time to
see whatever is on the itinerary, while the latter feels rushed and
wants to spend more time at each activity.
The great thing about being by yourself on a trip is that you get to
set your own pace. If you want to have a jam-packed trip, go out and do
it. But, if you’d rather just meander about and get lost in this new
place, you can do that, too! You’re on your time — no one else’s.
Read More :
http://elitedaily.com/life/9-reasons-traveling-alone-best/854921/
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13 Tips on Travelling Alone