Hey everyone!
Do you like to travel? Who is accompanying you? Your friends? Siblings? Parents? Your partner?
Have you ever thought about traveling alone? Just you and yourself. This seems like a scary thought... having no one around, going everywhere alone. Maybe it could be a bit awkward?
But is that really true?
Is traveling alone a bad thing?
I don't think so, because I actually really enjoy it!
Here's why:
1. No compromising!
There's no one you have to agree with. No one to plan with. No one who will dislike your plans. So when you're traveling alone, there won't be any arguments and you can simply do what you want to do.
2. You're traveling at your own pace!
When there's no one with you, you can decide on your own to which places you want to go while planning your trip as well as when you're already there. Wanna stay a week in a specific town? Go for it! You don't really like the oh so pretty beach and you want to go back hiking? Do it! No one will be like "Naaah, let's stay here, I like it!"
3. You get to know yourself a little bit more!
While planning and traveling on your own, you will find out more about your likes and dislikes and even about stuff you didn't know before. How do you handle losing your way? Can you read metro maps? Are you a paper map or google maps type? Is it easy for you to approach strangers for you?
These are all things you only find out when you're alone.
4. You spend some quality time with yourself!
Usually we're all super busy, have to think about this and that, need to do something for our friends and try to finish a project at work until a certain deadline. Even at home we think about work, our studies or what we have to do. Being alone in an unknown place gives you time to breath. Just go hiking in that forest and rest on a nice bench while breathing in the fresh air. Without talking to anyone. Sit down on that bench in the crowded shopping center and people-watch. Without talking to anyone. Really relaxing!
5. You can change your plan spontaneously!
Even if you planned everything carefully and found the perfect tour for yourself, things can be the total opposite when you're there. You finished visiting the museum after half an hour so you decide to go somewhere else as well. Or you like a certain district of a town so much that you stay there the whole day and cancel your plans. No one will get annoyed of spontaneous changes!
6. You get to know the destination more!
Since there's no one with you, you have to interact more with the locals (more or less) and the place you're staying. There's no one with you who might know a good restaurant, so you have to look for one yourself. There's no one who will help you with the metro map so you need to read it yourself.
7. You can decide how to spend your money!
Okay, so that waterfront villa is super expensive, but you want to experience it at least once a life? Book it! The oh so famous Skytree is fucking expensive so you decide not to buy a ticket? Fine! No one will be angry with you.
8. You become more self-confident!
During your trip, you make tons of decisions on your own, you plan everything and you learn how to spend money. And you also interact with strangers and a new place. So I'm pretty sure you'll come back as a confident person!
9. Some things will be easier when you're alone!
Have you ever thought "No one wants to go there with me, so I might just never go"? Stop worrying about this and go there! On your own. Who cares if your best friend doesn't want to go to Thailand because she likes her own garden more than anything? No one! So go there on your own!
10. You find out what's the most important thing in life!
Being independent, able to decide things on your own, you're a free person.
You're a valuable person. You're important.
What I learned especially on my trip to Bangladesh is to be grateful for the small things in life. Material things are nothing compared to the memories you make, the places you go, the photos you take and the friendly people you meet!
Do you have any other ideas? Do you agree?
Where would you like to travel to now?
Thank you for reading!
Yours,
//Kanon.
(All pictures are from my trip to Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain in Mai/June 2017)
