Why do we travel? There are hundreds of reasons to travel, it serves to know other realities, to marvel at nature, meet the great creations of mankind, or simply to disconnect us from our everyday reality. We mostly travel with our friends, family or lovers; but what about traveling alone?
The writer from HuffingtonPost Sahaj Kohli suggests that there is something much more exciting to travel and that is: traveling alone.
She says that her first trip alone helped her to learn a lot about personal relationships and to realize that you actually never really alone.
That first trip has accumulated a number of “lone” trips, which led her to write a post called “travel alone to meet people”, in which she describes her reasons and her experience as a lone female traveler: “Traveling alone is liberator, has helped me to find me and love me as I am and helped me out of my comfort zone. ”
These are the eight reasons of Sahaj Kohli to travel alone and meet the best people who are out there turning:
1. You feel more comfortable with vulnerability
Now that I traveled alone I’m more comfortable in approaching strangers in order to make friends and to join with security (and respect) to conversations of other travelers. I’m now very good when it comes to asking questions, listening to others, and learning from the stories of new people.
2. It teaches you to be flexible and make changes in plans
To some people, the idea of visiting a foreign country without any plan to follow is very stressful. For me, it is an adventure!
Other travelers, or even people who live there, can give ideas or lead you into adventures that do not appear on the Internet or guidebooks. Unintended, I learned to surf in Lima with an Israeli and a German with whom I had left a party the night before. None of this would have happened if I had stuck to a plan.
3. Teaches that you have to be your number one priority.
Traveling alone has helped me to identify myself as my first priority. First I go and I can do whatever I want and change my mind at any time. Finding the balance between taking care of myself and be a generous person that can be trusted (instead of being someone I always say yes to), it has proved to be very liberating.
4. It helps you to confirm that you are important.
Now I choose my conversations with people, prospects, my opinions, my thoughts and control my feelings according to the way I want. I change if I want. Traveling alone taught me to choose and decide everything for myself. And whatever I do will always be important.
5. Traveling alone will help you remember the importance of transient relationships
Transient relationships do not enjoy a very good reputation, but I really believe that through these relationships, we learn a lot about ourselves – our problems, our strengths, and our way of being – and how we relate to others. Thus we can prepare for better and bring good things to our permanent relationships.
Many of these relationships are temporary, but even started in a very short space of time, remain important.
6. You remember you have to believe and trust in the kindness of strangers.
Strangers have made my traveling alone easier and more memorable.
There is always someone that surprisingly wants to help many people including you. From people you kindly indicate to where you go when you are lost, to even strangers so cool that take you free from one place to another, you are in their homes or simply tell you that you can count on them for what you want or need.
7. You will become a better-educated world citizen
Talking to people about how they have been living their lives, their cultures, their city or about the only things in each area is something that has no comparison to read it in a newspaper or a book. You become much more aware of cultural diversity and all forms that exist to live life and therefore you become more tolerant and respectful of the rest.
8. It shows you that there are great men out there.
When I travel alone, as I am a woman, I have to be careful and think hard about the situations I’m going to spend to make sure a safe staying and protection.
Fortunately, with all the adventures that I have lived so far, I could meet very nice men from all over the world. I’ve known men with all kinds of mentalities and ways of being, very shy but interesting, some very extroverted and entertaining, one who treated me with great care and others who incited me to live the adventure on par with them. All amazing. Traveling alone made me realize that there are all kinds of men out there and you just have to be willing to know more in-depth.
