Recently, I had the guts to travel completely by myself for a week for a holiday without the intent to meet with a friend, nor without a cultural and educational structure or volunteering association. Just me myself and I. I am always thought to be independent but for some reason, the idea of it paralysed me. Why would someone go on the other side of the world without anyone to share? Why would someone choose on purpose to be alone especially abroad when you are supposed to enjoy yourself the most?
I guess I quickly realised that if you decide to wait for people to do what you aspire to do, what your heart is beating for. Well, you may grow old bitter and unfulfilled. I guess I learned that there is a lot of hidden peace and bliss in being by yourself especially abroad. It was a spontaneous decision and I do plan to make it a yearly tradition. This is how great and beneficial this experience was!
It is the best self-care practice
Travelling by yourself builds confidence, it is empowering and it makes you appreciate yourself even more. It gets sometimes difficult to practice self-care when you are consumed by your daily life, your work, your relationships, societal expectations, your doubts, anything that is weighing you down daily. Travelling solo enables you to pause fully and recharge your batteries completely. It allows you to discover something new and to be inspired by the atmosphere you are emerging yourself into.
It forces you to be more open-minded
When you are by yourself you are also more approachable. You are not evolving in this comfortable bubble of people you already know. This bubble prevents you from interacting with local people. When you are alone in a foreign country you naturally pay more attention to the things you see, hear and feel and consequently become more aware of the local culture and traditions.
You can plan your day as you wish
Your days are entirely up to you. If you are an early bird (like me) and you wish to get out of the house at 7, enjoy the sunset by the sea, have a marvellous breakfast, then start out your day, you can. You can do anything you like; you can be entirely free. You get to be selfish and take care of yourself. It is a great way to get to know yourself a bit more.
Overcoming your fears
Of course, at some point you’ll be willing to share an experience, you will feel the need to text or call a friend. Please do so. The idea is that the fear of being alone should never prevent you from taking a trip by yourself and more generally to experience things you genuinely like and aspire to do.
Because guess what? You were born alone, so befriending yourself is one of the best journeys you could undertake. Don’t let yourself or people hold you back from doing what you want to be doing. If no one wants to come with you then do you, be you and be on your way. You will never regret the experience. Do not wait for others to truly start to live your life.