Saturday, December 27, 2014

Never Say Never to Traveling Alone

After 116 days of traveling, 9 countries and 18 cities, I’m home and have had time to regroup and really think about the incredible experiences I had.  One thing that really struck me is the number of people along the way who told me how courageous it was for me to travel on my own for four months.  Many said that it was a brave thing to do and that they could never travel alone.  While the sentiment was incredibly sweet and flattering, I was always a bit shocked by the last part.  "I could never do what you are doing.”  Today I want to tell you why traveling alone should NEVER be out of the question, and in fact, should some day be a priority for you if at all possible.

  1.  You will gain an enormous amount of strength and confidence.  From the frustrating moments of having to figure out subways systems, currency, and accents to getting horribly lost, and finding your way again, you will feel almost invincible as you quickly learn to navigate the world.  There will be moments that you want to give up, perhaps because you are sick or lonely, but then you will overcome that moment, and with each victory your strength and confidence will sky rocket.  In a world that isn’t always easy on the self confidence and self esteem, this gain will be invaluable in your every day life.  You will return a changed person, a better version of you.  
    This was a day I wanted to give up.  102 fever and feeling like death.  But I took a pic to tell my family I was ok, and kept going.

  2. You will meet amazing people.  Sometimes when you have a travel partner, you are less likely to meet other people because you are in the comfort zone of your friendship and just trying to figure out the city or country in which you are traveling.  However, when you are traveling alone, unless you want to be utterly lonely, you MUST reach out to make new friends.  This may be done in a variety of ways, and most definitely takes effort.  But the rewards are incredible.  When you meet new people while traveling, you often meet similar people who are as adventurous and thirsty for life as you are.  And THAT is just so exciting.  You swap stories, share travel tales, and make plans to meet up again someday, perhaps in Thailand or Berlin.  You are exposed to new ways of thinking, new cultures, just NEWNESS..which is so incredibly valuable to your thought processes and approach to life in general.  Suddenly you have a bevy of friends around the globe.  And the people you meet while traveling will never, ever be forgotten.


  3. You have time to think and reflect.  In every day life, we don’t get a lot of quiet time to just be still.  To be present and think about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going.  Traveling alone gives you time to think, perhaps on a train or plane ride, perhaps on a quiet walk around a local park, or maybe even while sitting on a bench in one of the most famous squares in the city.  You have a moment to reflect, which becomes increasingly important as life continues to wiz by us.
  4. You set your own schedule.  I know this one sounds a bit selfish, but it’s pretty amazing to wake up and do exactly what YOU want to do.  You are not dictated by a travel partner or a tour group.  If the only thing you want to do is walk aimlessly around the city, then so be it.  If you want to book a cheesy vespa tour, go for it.  If you want to party at a nightclub until 5 in the morning, and then sleep all day the next day, DO IT!  You set your schedule.  
  5. The experiences you have and the memories you make will ALWAYS be with you.  When you are old and grey and can no longer travel the globe, you can take a trip in your mind back to wine tasting in the South of France, you can smile at the memory of that bus tour in the countryside of Dublin, or you can relive the night you and your new friends attended a Real Madrid game.  Possessions fade, memories last a life time.

Perhaps it was brave and courageous to travel alone for four months.  Yes, there were times that were scary.  But the scariest thing I can think of is NEVER taking that risk and never having had the incredible experiences I had while traveling alone.