The idea of traveling solo can sometimes be hard to grasp. Oftentimes friends or family might wonder why you would want to spend time alone in a new place, or put yourself in a vulnerable position, especially if you are a female traveler. However, as a female who has traveled solo, it can be empowering. Traveling alone can be enlightening and fun, giving you a new unique opportunity to push yourself in a new direction. Sometimes, a solo trip is necessary for your mental and physical health to give you the time and space to take for yourself. But how do you know when it’s time or if you’re ready for a solo trip? Here are a few signs that might help you out.
You Want to Learn How to Be More Independent
A solo trip is a great way to learn to be comfortable with yourself. Spending time alone can teach you a lot about who you are and what you are capable of. Listening to your body is great intuition about when you should be taking some time to yourself. It can sound silly, but by getting to know or re-learn things about yourself, you gain more confidence behind the decisions you make or skills you use. Solo travel teaches you traits like how to advocate for yourself, learn to set boundaries, improves healthy decision making, and opens you up to a world of opportunity.
As someone who loves their “me time,” traveling solo was a great way for me to get that in. I got to enjoy the activities that I wanted to partake in and rest when I felt like I truly needed it. Though eating alone can be daunting, it teaches us how to be comfortable spending time alone. Being alone like that can seem embarrassing, but the truth is, it’s good for us. When you travel on your own, you get to make all the decisions exactly the way you want and when things don’t go unplanned, you get to push your boundaries in an exciting and innovative way.
You Love Meeting New People or Trying New Things
If you are keen for adventure, taking a trip for yourself offers a chance to learn about a place and its people through a local perspective rather than a tourist one. One of our Globesisters was able to experience all the iconic attractions and food at the right time and place in Seattle with the help of her local hostess.
With safety in mind, traveling alone also can make you more approachable. This is a great opportunity to use that to your advantage and meet people you might not have met if you were traveling with a group. You do not have to be the most daring of people to explore new things, but traveling alone might open up new paths you might not have considered.
You Feel Like You're Stuck in a Never Ending Cycle
Routines can be a great thing when it provides you with structure throughout the day. However, with a busy work or school schedule, it can be easy to get stuck in a constant cycle that you feel like you can’t break even during your downtime. This can cause a loop of stress, burnout, and exhaustion. Taking a solo trip is a great way to break out of that and use your time to explore new interests or destinations you’ve always wanted to visit.
You Are Feeling Depleted
Along with busy schedules, it is easy to feel drained and too exhausted to want to do anything. Feeling burnt out can sometimes get the best of us and taking a break to relax is the perfect way to refresh yourself when you feel like you've hit a wall. Taking time to prioritize yourself is so important. Instead of waiting to hit a wall, schedule time to do things that you enjoy and take it easy on yourself.
You Want Something to Look Forward to
When it feels like not a lot is going on in our lives, it is sometimes hard to look forward to doing anything. Feeling unmotivated to do anything can easily drag us down into a state of gloom. By planning a solo trip, you can organize your time by making plans for things you love or finding ways to make your free time exciting. Giving yourself something to look forward to is a great motivator to get through a tough week.
You Feel Like You Need to Be Pushed Out of Your Comfort Zone
Feeling comfortable in a routine is a great thing. But sometimes we need a little challenge to push our boundaries and learn something new about ourselves. Solo travel has so many upsides to discovering skills like independence and quick thinking. But it can also seem like a risk. By starting off with something small, like a day or weekend trip away, you learn the ropes around what it is like to be on your own and the more you do it, the easier and more enjoyable it will feel.
You Want to Be a New You
As odd as it might sound, when you travel alone, no one knows or cares who you are. You can be as outgoing or quiet as you want and no one is there to judge. If you plan, push yourself to do something spontaneous. You can test your limits or reinvent yourself throughout your trip. There’s no better place to be a “new” you than when you’re by yourself.
All in all, traveling solo should never be thought of as something lonely or sad, but instead should be a celebration of getting to rediscover ourselves. The outcomes of traveling solo allow you to have unique experiences you might have missed out on. It presents us with so many exciting opportunities like learning a new language or skills or making new friendships. Plus, It can be the perfect remedy when we’re feeling a bit lost. If you are a female solo traveler worried about your personal safety, check out this GlobeSisters article on safety tips. Overall, there are really no downsides to traveling alone and when you feel like you’re ready, there’s no better time to go than now!
Comments