My Reasons to Travel Solo

Traveling solo is not always fun or relaxing, but it is almost ALWAYS worth it.

“Don’t you ever get lonely?”

“Why do you want to travel by yourself?”

These are two of the most common comments people blurt out when they know that I am a solo traveler. My answer – “No, because almost everywhere I go, there are other people.”

This seems to shock them a little, then they inevitably say, “I would rather travel with someone so I can share my memories with them.”

So true, you can. However, are you always going to have those people in your life? What if they stop being friends with you, pass on, or pass away? I have a lot of old holiday snaps, with people who I thought I would know forever, and now I don’t even remember their names.

For years I would only travel if I could go with someone else. This often meant that I acquiesced and did things they wanted, ate meals when they wanted, or didn’t do something I wanted to do because they didn’t want to do it. Not all the time, but quite a lot. Then one day, someone I was going to travel with decided not to go. I was in a bit of a dilemma, do I go by myself or not go at all? I decided to go by myself, and it was a light bulb moment. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the freedom to choose when I went to sleep and when I woke up, where and when I ate, and the exhilarating feeling that you get when you do everything YOU want to do.

The following is a list of reasons why it is awesome for me to travel by myself. Please feel free to use any or all of these to inspire you. Maybe print or write them out and stick them up on your walls, fridge, mirror, etc. Do whatever it takes to get you motivated and moving.

Traveling solo:

· Improves your happiness