Traveling is fast becoming a fast favorite hobby for many as technology made it easier for everyone to travel to far-away places even on a budget or by themselves. With the help of the World Wide Web, you can have access to relevant travel information you never had in the past with the usual pen and paper communication. The Internet has solved most of your travel issues and all you need to do is book that flight and get on that plane for the adventure of a lifetime.
Nothing can be more exciting and exhilarating than going somewhere far by yourself and having the time of your life with complete strangers who may soon become friends. Whenever possible, travel to somewhere new every chance you get while you’re still young because it’ll be more difficult and financially challenging to bring your entire brood together to far away and exotic places once you have a family of your own.
While a solo trip is something I have wanted to do for a long time, the closest I had gotten, before this spring break, was traveling with friends to a new city and spending one day alone.
From the disapproving questions of Uber drivers to the silent but incredulous looks I received from some friends and family, I have come to the conclusion that I need to defend traveling alone as a mode of vacation. And maybe in the process, I will convince others to embark on their own solo trips.
The most obvious benefit of traveling alone is that you do exactly what you want to do whenever you want. Eating at atypical times, visiting bizarrely specific exhibitions for hours and walking to the point of exhaustion without hearing any complaints are all possible. Of course, you can travel with people who have similar interests, but setting the entire itinerary on what you want and how you feel is a new level of freedom.
(Via: http://nique.net/opinions/2017/03/31/in-defense-of-solo-travel-finding-new-perspectives/)
You are free to do whatever you want when traveling solo and you no longer have to think about the comfort and opinion of a travel buddy. You go with the flow and completely immerse yourself in the new experience. And more and more Americans do just that, totally changing the travel and tourism landscape.
Solo travelers know every journey encompasses a world of emotions, from exhilaration and liberation to fear and loneliness. Being out in the world without companionship allows us to connect more deeply to the type of traveler we want to be, on our own terms and timeline.
More of us than ever are venturing out alone, in the U.S. and internationally. A recent study conducted by accommodation powerhouse Booking.com finds one in five U.S. travelers plan to travel solo for the first time in 2017 and tour operators worldwide are reporting a solo surge. Global leader Intrepid Travel has seen a 40% increase over the past five years, with 50% of clients currently traveling alone.
While going solo may not suit everyone, experts agree every avid traveler should try once. “Undertaking a new travel experience for the first-time, whether that’s visiting a new place or traveling solo, can be a fruitful, life enhancing and even life changing experience,” says Booking.com’s chief marketing officer Pepijn Rijvers, citing findings illustrating while traveling solo can be perceived as daunting, two-thirds of those surveyed (66%) feel it is worth it and three in five (61%) believe initial anxiety was unnecessary.
(Via: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/03/traveling-alone.html)
You not only get to visit a new country, immerse in the culture and meet new people but learn more about yourself as well. You discover what you are truly capable of when you have nobody else to rely on to make decisions for you and you also realize what you can overcome by going out of your comfort zone. Traveling solo has its ups and downs but it is still something you need to experience at least once in your lifetime and find out for yourself just how cool and refreshing it is to see other places without anyone you know by your side.
There are quite a few perks to traveling alone that may surprise you. While many may shun the idea, there are actually a number of benefits. Solus sabbaticals are an excellent way to replenish, while providing the ability to do so at one’s own pace.
These solitary furloughs serve as a fantastic means to engage in meaningful connections with individuals in other cultures, as well as make for some amazing adventures. Additionally, they remove the hassle of having to select activities and/or divide time between requested group outings.
Here are four more advantages to traveling solo:
- Time to Replenish
For introverts in particular, the idea of solo time to refuel is most appealing. Even for extroverts, individual journeys can offer a wide range of refreshing advantages. Traveling alone is ideal for calming, reflective activities. It is perfect for prayer, meditation, or other tranquil, reflective intervals that help quiet the spirit and soothe the soul.
- Time Is in Your Hand
One of the best parts about one-person missions is that you get to enjoy your entire vacation on your own terms. There’s no deciding what to do or any long, drawn out discussions regarding being somewhere at a set time needed.
- Connect With the Local Culture
Delight in the opportunity to immerse yourself freely into the local culture. Hire a personal driver and visit local hangouts and hot spots. Connect with the natives by engaging in purposeful conversation over a meal. Food is one of the fundamental ways to consociate with area residents.
- Try Something New
Snorkel, dive, or take a hot air balloon ride. Schedule language, cooking, or dance lessons. Hike, surf, skydive, or even run with the bulls. Think of things you always desired to accomplish, but had no one to do them with. This is your chance to do exactly what you want to do.
It takes a lot of guts to travel solo. Not everyone is brave enough to take the risks associated with solo traveling. Fortunately, technology and the web made it easier for us to navigate new places with ease and assuage both our worries and that of our loved ones. You can easily book a place to stay from your smartphone or find a map of an attraction you want to see. You can keep in touch with family and friends back home through social media or messaging apps anytime you want. While the world is still a big and scary place for some, we have definitely become more familiar with it.
So, what are you waiting for? Save up on that dream vacation and go all by yourself. See a different part of the world at a fraction of the price and get to enjoy all its perks nonetheless. Just browse the web and you’d find many solo travelers (even females) who revel in the experience of solo travel and still go home in one piece and had the time of their lives.