DITCH YOUR FRIENDS AND TRAVEL SOLO

Annecy, France. The chair of self discovery.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..” 

Wise words from a wise man. I could sit here and tell you countless reasons solo travel triumphs over group travel (in most cases). There's nothing greater than discovering yourself while discovering the world. Here's the top ten reasons I believe everyone should go it alone - at least once in your life.

1. MEET MORE PEOPLE
‘Solo travel means countless hours of being alone’. This is a myth. In fact it’s quite the opposite of true. Yes, sometimes you will be alone though typically most of that time is spent in transit or because you never made the effort to leave your room. When you’re flying solo you are just that – solo. Because of this you won’t be meeting anyone unless you get out there and find them! When you realize this and start playing an active part in creating a social life abroad you’ll find there’s a huge amount of likeminded and interesting people in the same boat who are willing to wander, explore or party with you. I’ve met far more people on solo trips than I ever have when traveling with friends or family. This is generally because when you’re traveling in a group you tend to stick within your bubble. If you are apart of one of these bubbles and hoping to meet other international travelers (By meet I don’t mean dance with and exchange small talk, I mean end up sitting with and discussing the philosophy of the world all night while learning about their fears, dreams and plans) I’d suggest bursting that bubble by spending less time reminiscing with your friends and more time interacting with others and steering conversation away from the 'us' and into the 'you, where, why'.

2. SEE MORE THINGS

       Ever miss out on something on your list because you were deep in conversation and passed it by? This is another reason traveling solo is wonderful. Since you’re not going to be distracted by the person walking alongside you you’ll end up seeing more, taking more in and noticing the little things you otherwise wouldn’t have.

3. GO WHERE YOU WANT & WHEN YOU WANT

The number one perk of solo travel? You're the boss! When traveling in a group chances are what you want to see, how to get there, what’s important and how you should spend your time and or money will greatly differ. When you’re alone, not only do you create the must see list but you also direct yourself around 100% of the time. This means no more time wasted on discussing what to see rather than seeing it, no more 'give and take' thus missing out on the shops you wanted to visit or skipping breakfast because your friend took too long to get ready. If you want to sit for hours on end on a chair in awe of the Alps- do it and enjoy it, you’re on your time!

4. BE WHOEVER YOU WANT TO BE

       It’s a pretty cool feeling to be somewhere in the world where no one knows your name much less who you are, where you’ve come from or where you’re going. Relish in that. Explore new places, meet new people and let them see the real you. This I believe is one of the reasons why friends met in transit are some of the most genuine and honest people you’ll ever meet- all they have to go on is what you show them.

5.   LEARN MORE ABOUT YOURSELF

I’m not going to summarize this one. It’s an experience one can only understand after time spent on the road alone. A discovery well worth making.

6. TAKE MORE PHOTOS. TAKE BETTER PHOTOS

I’m the first to admit I can be incredibly anal when it comes to photography. Due to this I’ve missed out on a number of potentially awesome snaps because my fed up friend has hurried me along or I chose not to go back and reshoot the otherwise crooked photo I snapped in a hurry while running for the train. Going back to being the boss of your journeys you have all the time in the world to wander, notice, line up, prepare, snap and shoot away! All without getting on anyone’s nerves.

7. GO WITH YOUR INSTINCT

Basic travel advice 101. Go with your gut. Sometimes though what your gut is telling you differs from what your travel companion believes. When traveling solo you should and can follow your instincts.

8. FACE YOUR FEARS
Traveling alone will force you to experience or do things you otherwise wouldn’t choose to. Without the safety in numbers and having the option to ask someone else to do it for you, you’ll learn of strengths you never knew you had and find yourself coming home with a new found independence and an 'I can handle anything' attitude.

9.   FIND INNER PEACE
This was a big one for me. I never realised just how unsettled I was within myself. Always in need to be constantly entertained, talked to, inspired, distracted or just noticed. I spent very little time if any, on my own. I can actually pinpoint the exact moment in my travels that this inner peace first touched me. I was sitting on a chair in Annecy, France. (That chair I mentioned in number three & the top picture of this post) Just sitting there, waiting. To be fair, waiting isn’t the right word because I wasn’t actually waiting for anything. I had nowhere to be, no one to see and essentially nothing really to do. So why did it feel like I was waiting? I believe in the age of social media we rely far too heavily on outer things to bring us inner fulfillness when really it should come from the inside and spill out onto our outside world. I thought a lot about that as I reflected on my life, my past, my future, where I’d been, who I’d met, the amazing things I was currently seeing and then even deeper into the who am and I am where am I going. I ended up sitting on that chair with myself, for roughly five and a half hours. It was on that chair at that moment I made the decision to start getting to know myself, learning to like myself and becoming my own best friend.

10.  PROVE THEM WRONG AND DO SO IN STYLE
To finish off the list, I add these words. To all the people that ever said I couldn’t do it, to all the ums and ahs about whether or not I’d actually go much less pull it off and to all the bets on how many days before I was on a plane coming home. Fast forward a few years later & I’m still exploring, inspiring, being inspired, discovering, learning, meeting and enjoying the incredible people and places this world has on offer. Prove them wrong. You CAN travel solo, you CAN have a completely awe inspiring and amazing time, you WILL enjoy it and it WILL change you in ways you never dreamed of.