Folium: How I Learned To Love Traveling Solo via Lifehacker
Folium: How I Learned To Love Traveling Solo via Lifehacker
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Solo travel can be stressful, but it’s worth it. Managing and reducing the things that you find stressful, and embracing it. Most of the travel I have done personally has always been with at least one other person. But the times I have traveled alone have been the most beneficial. In the article “How I Learned to Love Traveling Solo,” the author explains the travels they did while alone.
Enjoy “Me Time”
Now, I know what you could be thinking… traveling alone? That sounds super boring. Well, here are some points to change your mind. Ask yourself this; are you an introvert or an extrovert? The answer to this question will determine whether or not traveling alone will be exciting to you or not. Even if you are an introvert, there are more aspects to traveling alone than the social aspect.
I think anyone could agree that there can be many freedoms in traveling alone, and one of them is being able to schedule your time how you want, in that case you will never get bored.
“I’ve visited 40 states and a dozen countries as a solo traveler, and if I ever felt bored or lonely out in the world on my own, I don’t remember it.” – Josh Noel / Chicago Tribune
There is also no limit to what you can and can’t do. You know your abilities and limits, so you can plan around the hours that you feel will be best to visit places you’ve always wanted to see. There are absolutely no limits on time or availability when you are in charge of yourself. Let’s say you’ve just arrived to Prague, fresh off of the plane and you want to go relax, that’s fine, go do it. Or maybe you are craving gelato and just arrived to Italy that day a decide to go out on a walk to go find some, that’s fine as well. There are endless opportunities in traveling alone. You can be lonely, only if you want to. Or you could walk down the street to the local pub and get to know knew people. The more you don’t limit yourself, the better.
“You will daydream, you will read, you will have exciting adventures, you will encounter funny things to tell your friends about, you will sleep well, you will eat new things, you will discover new neighborhoods, you will want to learn new languages, you will think about your next trip, you will talk to strangers, you will take risks, you will buy new clothes, you will learn about history and culture, you will go to concerts, you will stroll through parks, you will explore cities by bike, you will think about moving, and so much more.” – Michael Alan Connelly via Fodors
Independence…
Cate Huston discusses the power of being free to be yourself on those trips. She states “When you’re traveling on your own, hardly anyone cares what you look like, and you’re probably never going to see the people you meet again anyway. So comfortable, easily packable clothes should be a priority.” It can be so liberating being able to just freely walk the streets of a new country and see all the wonders of the world, and being able to connect with people of other cultures, religions, etc. There are so many moments that you can savor and cherish for the rest of your life. And if you’re weird like me, you may just want to go find a rooftop and stare at the sky for hours. She exclaims that when traveling alone, you should do weird stuff like that!
Do something worthwhile, because you may never go back. Traveling is and should be a precious time for exploration. Don’t be afraid to embrace you and just do what you want to.
Julie Martin
LEAF Editor & Contributor
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(ed. Video is not from the MEDIUM/Lifehacker article, but related nonetheless…)
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