Seeing more of the world is admirable, and exciting, and usually something to be shared. But there are plenty of reasons to fly solo—literally. Here are a few of the standouts.
- Me Time
When you travel alone, you have more time to yourself. That can mean a lot of things. Maybe it means more time with your thoughts. Maybe it means you're not worried about taking care of someone else. Maybe all it means is that you do the things you want to, and nothing that you don't. Maybe it means spending the day gathering inspiration, and the night writing songs (or vice versa). Whatever it means, you're the master of your own fate. - Easier Planning and More Flexibility
Planning and packing for one person is inherently simpler, partially because the logistics are streamlined, and partially because you're only taking one person's priorities into account. You also have more flexibility. If you're supposed to check out, say, a graffiti district but then meet a group of cool people headed to a nude beach, you don't have to text anyone to cancel or change plans. - Make New Friends
Sure, maybe you have a travel buddy that's gregarious or outgoing or extroverted or whatever, but generally when you're on the road with a friend, it means insulating yourself from the people around you. You've got a conversation partner; why seek out others? Humans are social animals, and just about anyone will strike up a conversation after a few days of not knowing anyone. - Boost Confidence
Travel has a lot of moving parts. Before you even leave for a trip, packing up and making travel arrangements isn't the easiest thing in the world. Then once you leave, you're haggling with people in an open-air market in Turkey, trying to decipher Japanese train schedules, pitting yourself against nature, or simply trying to find a connecting flight before it takes off. But then you do it. Things work out, you have a great time, and you come home realizing that maybe you're a stronger person than you thought you were. You get to exercise the things you're good at and work on the things you aren't. In fact, you have to because there's nobody to fall back on. - Learn More Than You Would Have
When you're traveling with a friend, you're enjoying the camaraderie, but you're also, by necessity, paying a little less attention than you would have. By yourself, odds are you'll learn more—about the sites you're visiting, about the culture you're people-watching in, and even about how to be a good traveler. You may even find that you learn more about yourself. - Your Priorities Come Into Focus
When you're back, think about the parts of the trip that you really enjoyed—the parts that stuck with you. What were those things? Think about the things that you said you wanted to do, but didn't actually find interesting. What did you put on the itinerary because you wanted to "check off the box," but in the end it just didn't seem that important so you skipped out? Sure, the private reflection from all this quiet time can teach you about yourself, but actions speak louder than words, and your travelogue surely has a few things to tell you, if you'll listen.
