We are a generation of wanderlust. We all scroll through our Instagram feeds or Tumblr accounts and see breathtaking images of destinations around the world. We picture ourselves dropping what we are doing in our everyday boring lives and hopping on a plane to some exclusive destination, touring the most beautiful scenery our eyes have ever seen. Then we snap back into reality and realize we can't just drop what we are doing to travel... We have responsibilities and even more importantly, we have no one to travel with.
Traveling alone is a gateway to finding out who you truly are. A once lost person will return from his or her destination feeling as if they truly are a new being.
1. You don't have to argue over a destination.
When traveling with someone else, the argument of where you are going to travel to comes up. Your friend or significant other may just want to go to New York for the weekend but you were thinking of something more spontaneous and less cliche. A weekend in New York? Come on, that is so not thinking outside of the box. If you're going to take the plunge and travel, go somewhere that isn't on the list of most visited destinations in the world. If you are traveling alone, you can go anywhere you want without dragging along a not so excited companion with you because they don't get to go see the Statue of Liberty for the weekend.
2. You can go at your own pace.
You can take your time. If you are going to spontaneously travel alone, it is important to take your time and make sure you take everything in — the sights, the people and the food. You don't want to breeze by and not remember exactly what you witnessed or who you met while traveling. If you're traveling alone, it is easier to set your own pace and do as you please because you won't have someone rushing you, missing out on all the much needed sights to see.
3. You won't need an itinerary.
Since you are alone, you can march to the beat of your own drum and do whatever you want. Itineraries never work out as planned anyways, so why bother making one? Traveling is meant to be free and open to anything. Making an itinerary is giving you a strict schedule of certain times and dates, so not spontaneous if you ask me.
4. Time to reflect.
Traveling alone is best way to solve any problem. A breakup, losing a loved one, losing your job, etc. They say running away from your problems isn't the answer but sometimes it is. Traveling alone gives you time to reflect on what the underlying issue is. It gives you time to pay attention to your thoughts and heal without any interruptions.
When life has got you in the lowest of lows, hop on a plane, in a car and just go. Go until you feel like you can feel comfortable enough to let yourself go and become a new, improved person.
