Over spring break, I was given an amazing opportunity to travel to London and Paris through a travel company that sets up trips for college students. At first, I was really nervous about the idea. I had never been out of the country before, so going all by myself seemed a little scary.
However, once I got there, I realized that I would have been crazy to stay home and missed out on this opportunity. Traveling alone (even if it's through a tour company) can be a life changing experience and I'm here to tell you why.
1. You get to do what you want, when you want.
The biggest issue with travelling in a group is having to compromise on what you want to do. When you travel alone. you have the freedom to decided to break away from other people you're with and just do what you've always wanted to do. If you want to go see a play one night, you can. If you want to go to a museum that no one else is interested in, you can. There are endless possibilities.
2. You don't have to worry about anyone but yourself.
We've all had that one vacation where we felt we had to watch out for someone we were with the entire time. It always sucks to feel like you need to be watching out for your friend or family member the entire time. When you're alone, you only have to worry about yourself. There's no need to constantly check in with anyone. You just go and take care of yourself.
3. You get to meet new people.
Traveling solo can be terrifying at first, but it ends up being more rewarding than you could ever imagine. When you land in a foreign country and find out that you're in a group of 40 people, you tend to start to meet the other people around you. I got to know so many new people from so many different places. It's amazing to see how many beautiful friendships can develop when you're on your own.
4. You get to know the locals and the culture.
When you're all on your own, you have to find someone who knows what's going on. Usually when I would be lost, there would always be someone from the area that could point me in the right direction. On top of that, you can really get to learn about the cultural norms of a country just by eating at random, authentic restaurants while walking through the city. Nothing's better than enjoying a warm crepe while walking through the windy streets of Paris.
5. Your options are endless.
When you plan to travel alone, you get to go where you want in the world. If you plan on going to London and last minute change you mind and want to go to Turkey instead, you can. Travel plans are all up to you, so you can change your mind as much as you want and don't have to worry about keeping other people updated.
So basically, travel alone. Just pick a destination and go. It might sound scary now, but I promise you won't regret it. Carpe diem.
