Traveling alone...

Traveling is one of my great loves. You get to see new places, meet new people, smell new scents, indulge in new delicacies… Basically experience all kinds of amazing new things. I'm lucky enough to have traveled in tons of different ways: cruises and backpacking, road trips and long flights, staying in hostels and in 18th century villas, with friends and family and by myself. I've shared a single hotel room in Vegas with 8 other people, spent a month in the woods of Idaho with only 15 other people and bears for company, and flown from Alaska to Colorado in a Cessna with a bush pilot. There's no wrong way to travel. 

I've already discussed the many benefits and methods of traveling in previous posts. I wanted to touch on traveling alone specifically. Going out on your own is terrifying. In one way, planning the logistics becomes more difficult. You don't have someone to bounce ideas off of, to make sure you're awake in the morning in time to catch your flight, to watch your bag while you run to the bathroom in the airport, to split expenses. But in another sense it can get easier. You go only where you want to go when you want to go there. There's no need to compromise when it comes to planning the daily schedule. If you wanted to sleep in, run around the city, and then wander the Louvre aimlessly with a cafe au lait all day, you can. No one to drag you up the Eiffel Tower if you don't want to. It does help being solo on a road trip, too, to be able to stop and pee as many times as you need. 

One of the greatest ways you can grow as a result of traveling alone is what you learn about yourself, how you learn to be alone. Because all the decisions are yours, you have to figure everything out on your own. Be your own navigator and driver. Be your own photographer, which means a ton of selfies or having to get creative with setting the camera up. I've learned that I really don't like driving in a city when I don't know where I'm going, and that I actually like listening to NPR sometimes on long car trips. I've learned that I don't like to walk around with maps and tour books in front of my nose, but that I don't fear asking for "what to see" tips from locals. I've learned I'll do a lot of things for the experience of it, but that I will always put my safety first. I've learned that I love starting up conversations with people sitting next to me at a restaurant bar, but that I love reading on my own over morning coffee.

Traveling solo gives you a lot of time alone with your thoughts. So you not only learn about yourself on a practical level, but you have time to actually sift through your thoughts. I spent most of my month last spring in Costa Rica alone. I had hours upon hours to run, meditate, do yoga, observe my surroundings, read, nap… I didn't actively seek clarity from my scattered and conflicted thoughts. (I'd tried that already, believe me.) At the end of my third week there, I realized clarity had just sort of come to me. My taxing and stressful schedule (hah!) enabled me to finally relax and decompress. To let things settle a little on their own without me obsessing. I discovered I needed change. That I wasn't truly happy with how my life was progressing. I had happiness, absolutely, but that I had become a little complacent. It spurred me to make some serious changes over the 8 months after I returned Stateside. (I'm still working on those changes!)

Yes, traveling alone can get a little lonely. It's wonderful to share all the great new stuff you're experiencing with someone. But I've also met some incredible people out on my own that I wouldn't have made had I had a companion with me. By yourself you're more likely to start chatting with people everywhere and accept invitations from new people. I've also taken part in group trips not knowing anyone before I went. Apparently this is how I first went to camp at age 6 too. When my mom asked me if I was worried about going to camp by myself, I responded, "No, Mom. I'll make friends." Apparently it's a sentiment I've adopted and adapted to my travels throughout my life. From camp to NOLS and my yoga/tango retreat to Buenos Aires, I didn't initially know anyone but I made wonderful friends! 

When it comes down to it… I'll repeat myself: There's no wrong way to travel! There are wonderful benefits to traveling with family, friends, lovers, just as there are benefits to jumping out there on your own. If you want to go somewhere and can't find anyone who wants to go too, just go on your own! There are so many things to do and people to see… Get after it!

Pura vida!