As you know I love to travel and have always been traveling to different countries. For the most part with family or friends, until I decided to do an exchange year and study abroad in the U.S. You could consider being away from your home for a year, „traveling alone“, but it certainly didn’t feel like it, because I found a second home, family and friends that year, which I’m forever grateful for.  What I mean by „traveling alone“ is without a host family, without a school and friends, just you, your luggage and a new country.  

For a few days now, for the first time I am experiencing how it is to travel alone and there are a couple of things I have noticed, and summarized some of the pros and cons of traveling by yourself

PRO (+)

Personal Growth 

One huge upside is that you not only get to know yourself better, but you grow as a person. There is a saying „Nobody can make you happy, until you’re happy with yourself first“ and LOVE yourself. Learning to love yourself and being able to spend time on your own is something most of us would need to try first and practice, because we are constantly surrounded by people from morning to night. When you are the only person to spend time with, you are automatically your most authentic self. I think traveling alone has huge benefits and can be really healing, especially when you need time off from people, disconnect from the world and re-connect with yourself.  This is important because as I mentioned we are in our most authentic and raw form when we’re alone and having to constantly adjust is exhausting, even if you don’t feel it. I recommend it to anyone who’s looking to find purpose, fulfillment and in general get to know themselves, their dreams and desires better, or make an important life decision, traveling by yourself can be a huge eye opener and gives your mind time to rejuvenate and relax from constantly being on demand. 

Independence

When you are your travel-buddy you don’t have to compromise and can do whatever you feel like doing. Also, you are forced to make all the decisions and subsequently you are responsible for any and everything. In other words, you learn „adulting“. At some point we all have to grow up, not in a sense that we loose our childlike excitement, but we simply learn to make responsible decisions and take care of everything. I think every teenager should either do an exchange year or travel alone for some time learn what becoming an adult means. This is a huge step in life I think a lot of people and parents have dismissed, that I think plays a crucial role in „bad parenting“. There are many parents in the world who are responsible for children, even though they have never learned responsibility. I truly believe that you must learn to not only love yourself first, but also be responsible for yourself. If all your life you’ve turned to other people when it came to making decisions and taking action, traveling by yourself is a great step in the direction of becoming independent and responsible.

Meeting People 

When you travel with a group of friends or even just two people, often that is a barrier to a lot of people to start a conversation and meet new people. When you are by yourself, especially as a woman there are a lot more people approaching you. While I have to admit this can be a downside, constantly being approached by people with different intentions it can also be nice, because sometimes you meet people and without expectations you learn something, find a friend in a stranger and you connect with people you otherwise would have never met.

I think the human experience of meeting people, communicating and connecting is something beautiful. There are so many people in this world and we know only so few. While I love to keep my circle tight and am forever grateful for the people in my life and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way, I find it really refreshing and love to meet people from around the world, people with different perspectives and energies. Meeting new people is not just fun, but can be just like reading a book from an author, educating.  Never before have so many strangers come up to me when least expect it, just going for a walk on the beach and told me that I’m beautiful, and wished me a nice day or life, without any further questions. All of sudden I felt more approachable, because I have discovered love for myself, loving to spend time with myself, exploring places without feeling the need to share it with anyone.  

CON (-)

Whether you like traveling alone or not, I think all would a free that it’s certainly not easy.  

Responsibility

You are responsible. I know I listed that under positive, but I’m sure you can guess the downside part of being responsible, well you have to think about and take care of everything. From catching your flight, to finding your way around, everything you are in charge of, which means you have to maintain a clear head. I personally think that when something does go wrong or you find yourself in a „bad“ situation, it’s particularly interesting to see how you react when you’re by yourself and you have to find a solution.  In some places in this world it could even get quite dangerous, traveling by yourself and I personally would not go that far, but when you do you have to be even more awake, clear headed and aware at all times. That can quickly result in the opposite of serenity, which is why I like to stay in places I feel rather safe and know that I don’t have to be over the top alert. For example I would not travel through India by myself (I’ve been there before), because I would have to be extra careful all the time and that would diminish my purpose of traveling by yourself, which mainly is relaxation of mind.  

No Photographer  

The other downside I’ve noticed the last few days.. Taking pictures is definitely harder when you are by yourself. Yes you can ask strangers to take a picture and they will take exactly one picture (never enough)…but it’s a whole lot better when you have people with you, capturing moments .. for what? Obviously to post on Steemit AND for memories!

 Speaking of memories, my last „con“ of traveling by yourself: 

Fun With Friends

Even though in general I think it’s less stress-free with friends, the fun I have with my friends is often worth it. Especially when you share the same interests and you cooperate well together, I think traveling with a real friend is priceless. I have traveled before with one of my girlfriends for about a month along the East Coast and the experiences we had, and memories were among the best of my teenage years. 

Why am I saying „my teenager years“? Well because in a few days, I’m a officially not a teen anymore! More about that upcoming day and where I’m headed next, you will find out in my next post!  

In conclusion I would say that traveling by yourself is an experience that everyone should have tried at least once. If you are afraid, you should definitely do it because that is an indication of you needing to get to know yourself better. Also traveling doesn’t have to be far away, as long as you go somewhere by yourself and spend time alone, you approach the purpose I mentioned in this post of traveling by yourself

There is a lot more to come and a lot more to explore, with friends and on my own. My journey has just begun and I'm excited for it! I hope you are too, as I will be documenting as much as possible right here on my blog.

Question of the day: Have you traveled solo before? If not, what is holding you back?

Much love,

- Mrs.Steemit