Traveling as a couple, with family or friends is something you’ve probably experienced before. But in a world that often deems it abnormal not to be in a relationship, not to have at least 100 friends, not to be on social networks, always connected so as not to miss anything from a news feed that runs at 100 per hour, 24 hours a day, it is interesting to come back to yourself. A few hours, a day or even more, the time to travel with yourself.
Femme d’Influence gives you some reasons why it might be time for you to travel alone.
Traveling solo. This idea is not crazy, nor impossible. In fact, it’s gaining traction around the world as evidenced by the #ITravelAlone movement, which stands for “I’m traveling alone,” launched by a traveler networking service Worldpackers.com. According to the site, this community has over 250,000 women from 93 countries.
Traveling alone is an incredibly rewarding experience on many levels:
First, it is an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. That famous virtual space that is cozy and familiar, but in which you have become accustomed to taking few or no risks. According to American TV host Steve Harvey, “your comfort zone will become your failure zone. You have to be in an uncomfortable situation to achieve success.” He also explains that it is fear that is responsible for this natural desire to stay on familiar ground. Traveling alone is also a way for you to break with old habits and overcome your prejudices and fears. In your comfort zone, you know how to act and react to events. Going out of this comfort zone will allow you to discover other aspects of your personality.
Going on a trip alone is also a way to really have time to get to know yourself. You know how you would react as a couple in this or that situation, or at work if a conflict broke out, or as a family, when a birth or a wedding is announced, but do you know how you would react when you go alone to discover an unknown or familiar place? For those who have experienced it, they know that there is no way to predict the reactions or ideas one might have when going solo. That’s why it’s good for you: to get to know one or more facets of yourself. During this process, you will gradually become aware of the extent of what you can accomplish.
By traveling alone, you will become aware of your value and your strengths, and you will gain confidence in yourself. You have probably already been complimented for your rigor and organization, for your friendly nature or for your great capacity to exchange, but are you really aware of it? Choosing a destination, booking tickets, being in contact with the accommodation that will receive you, talking to the people on site, etc. are all actions that you have to take in order to get the most out of your trip. These are all actions that you will have to accomplish alone and that will confirm what you already know: you are capable!
Another advantage of discovering the world without family and friends is to be able to decide alone and for yourself what to do during your stay. No more compromises between the beach team and the shopping team! We all have that one friend on vacation who doesn’t want to miss a thing of the cultural life of the city you’ve chosen to visit. The result? Up at 7:30am, breakfast at 8:00am with 5 museums to visit during the day! If you prefer to enjoy the sun and walk instead of taking the transport, there is nothing to stop you. And even better: if you change your mind 20 times during the day, it’s not a problem!
