Recently, I took a trip to Naples, Italy, but this particular trip was different from any other trip I have ever taken in the past. I made the decision to go completely alone. After a relaxing trip, I can now give 5 reasons why traveling alone may be one of the greatest experiences of your life.
1. You get to do what you want to do when you want to do it
Having a traveling companion is great, but when traveling alone, you have the ability to do anything and everything you want to do. If you wanna stop to take a few extra pictures or stop to just breathe in the fresh air of the sea, no compromise is needed. This idea is especially appealing when you only have a weekend's time at a destination because you're able to fit in everything without fear of missing out.
2. You'll meet incredibly interesting people
I met quite the crew of people during my time in Naples just by going about my day as I normally would. I signed up for a tour of Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii, not expecting to make friendships along the way. Interestingly enough, I actually happened to meet a girl my age who is also studying abroad and traveling alone. We hiked and talked and learned so much about other European countries from each other. Along with her, I met an entire bus full of people who were from countries all around the world. The bus ranged from a 1 year old from Ireland (celebrating her first birthday on the top of Vesuvius!) to an older retired couple from England. Throw in a few Australian men, Japanese women, and Indian university students, and you have a pretty good concept of the diversity of our bus. The best part is that everyone had something wonderful to offer. Although I was clearly very young, everyone on the bus treated me as an equal, and I was able to laugh and learn along with them. The bus may have been late and the baby may have cried all the way home, but somehow, everyone managed to keep smiles on their faces and simply enjoy their time- so refreshing.
3. You can get a full night's rest
When traveling with friends, I usually go out at night and come back late because we'll want to eat a late night meal or listen to some live music which is wonderful, but when alone, I found myself going back to my room relatively early in the night to avoid walking around an unknown city by myself in the dark. However, I planned a day so jam-packed with excursions that I had no time to even miss the nightlife. I would have dinner (when in Naples...pizza and gelato!) and be so exhausted that when my head hit the pillow, I would be out for the night. With such a hectic semester filled with constant travel, it was phenomenal to get some quality shut-eye.
4. You learn how to enjoy your own company
I have to admit, during the first dinner of my trip, I felt a little out of place watching all of the couples and families and friends at the tables surrounding me. A twinge of pain hit me as I realized that everyone else was laughing and enjoying the company of others while I sat alone. I thought to myself I wanna go home. As the meal progressed, I started to take in the atmosphere and really concentrate on enjoying my food. Soon, an hour had passed and my thought about wanting to leave had left my head as soon as it had come. I realized that while having company around is wonderful, it is equally as wonderful to enjoy your own company. I think that as a college student, there is a stigma around eating or doing anything alone, but I realized no one is going to point and laugh or judge you for doing your own thing. My entire mood shifted 180 degrees during that one meal, and from that point on, I made it an effort to enjoy being with myself.
5. You get out of your comfort zone
It's hard enough trying to travel to a foreign country where you don't speak the language when you have an entire friend group supporting you, but going alone is even more intense. My nerves were pretty much out of control at the airport on the way to Naples. Several times, I found myself thinking about turning back and just going back to my home stay. Somehow (and I'm really not sure how), I managed to put myself on that plane, and I think if I would've backed out, I never would have traveled alone in my life. I'm so thankful that I could gather up enough courage to go to Naples because a solo trip is beyond empowering. I feel as if nothing can stop me from doing what I truly want to do. My confidence levels soared during this trip, as well as my map reading ability and comfort with foreign public transportation. Traveling alone made me wonder what else the world has to offer- and now I know that there's nothing that can stop me!
