Why I love to travel solo and why you might too!

Photo of myself — Feeling amazing travelling solo in beautiful Bali

Curious about travelling solo, but not sure if it’s for you? Let me tempt you with you reasons why I think solo travel is great.

The travel bug bit me when I was very young, as did the need to go it alone but it wasn’t until my 40s that I’ve been able to create the opportunity to fulfil this need. I don’t always travel solo and I don’t always want to (which I think my partner, son and friends are grateful for) but the deep-rooted urge to go it alone regularly whispers at my heart.

The reasons and benefits of travelling solo are of course different for everyone, but for me, travelling solo fulfils three primary desires. Firstly, and obviously the desire to experience a new destination, secondly, the emotional desire to be completely and wholly with myself and thirdly the need to satiate the freedom seeker in me.

Discovering and experiencing a new location

“I wondered why it was that places are so much lovelier when one is alone” – Daphne Du Maurier

Experiencing a new destination on your own is very different to experiencing it with someone else, not necessarily better, but different. When I am alone, I am acutely more aware of my surroundings; it’s as though my senses sharpen and the world becomes richer in texture, smell, taste and sound – your eyes zoom in on the finer details, colours seem more vivid, people more animated, smells more intoxicating and sounds more invigorating. Being alone allows you to immerse yourself and feel the flow of life. In other words, I can spend hours if I wish sat in a café watching the world go by in all its glory without boring my travelling companion!

Being with my good self

After I entered my 40s and began brushing off the residues and anxieties of my younger self. I recognised that to be strong and confident mentally, to be a whole woman unashamedly and to feel good inside my own skin related directly to living in a way that resonated with the real me. We might use the words soul, spirit, authentic self – but whatever word or phrase you choose, it comes down to knowing yourself and shaking off anything that doesn’t work for you; shaking of the masks and pretences, that only perpetuate unnecessary anxiety. For me, this was understanding that as a natural introvert spending time alone is deeply nourishing and that travelling solo provides the wonderful opportunity to fully relax, reflect and nurture my soul. From this inner space of tranquillity, comes real confidence, emotional strength and self-reliance.

And because I do also love the company of other people, the alone time energises me! It gives me the confidence to chat and potentially make new friends whilst travelling, which is something I used to find far more challenging when I wasn’t living in a way that was in harmony with my true self!

Freedom!!!

I’ve always been a freedom seeker – the 9-5, routine, confined relationships…just do not work for me! I see them as the death of life, sure maybe that’s dramatic but what the hell it just sucks the living daylights out of me and it sure isn’t compatible with my roaming soul! Several years back, when I was feeling very much the clipped and caged bird, I wrote a poem that epitomised my yearning for freedom. Looking back on that poem, I’m so proud of myself for following my dreams and carving out a lifestyle that embraces freedom.

Crystalline rosebud scented love.  
Jasmine journeys 
into ocean dreams.  
 
Fire bright harbours 
as Aphrodite sings. 
Waterfall of desert ochre springs.  
 
Find me my gypsy blood!
Dervish in flight. 
Find me my life,  
oh dancing scarlet light.  
 
Antevasin girl 
in a Dante swirl, 
blessed in a carina hue.  
Find me my life,  
my eagle in flight. 
 
Find me.  
Find me. 
Let freedom be mine. 
Be still.

Not convinced? Here are some more exciting reasons to travel solo:

You get to travel when you want, where you want and do what you want.
Travel and self-discovery go hand in hand. As soon as you step out into the world alone, you step into the world of learning who you are.
You learn to navigate the world alone and however daunting this may seem at first, you will learn quickly to use your initiative and be self-reliant.
You will learn to be flexible and adapt. You will learn to go with the flow and rhythm of life.
You will improve your social skills and learn to get on with people from all walks of life.
You may learn about new cultures and how people live. You may learn that normal for one person, is not at all normal for another. This may lead you to question your own opinions, and make you are far more open, understanding and patient person.
You will miss loved ones and you will appreciate them more than ever before. You may write to them and connect in new deeper ways.
You can try a whole raft of new experiences and nobody will question you.
You can take time out to relax like never before and you can immerse yourself in the things you love.
You learn transferable skills and qualities – solo travel doesn’t just give you the skills to travel, it gives you skills and qualities for life! How many employers these days want people who are flexible, confident, good communicators and can use their initiative? Well I reckon a great way to develop them is being let loose in the world!