Why everyone should travel alone…at least once

Friends, co-workers and relatives often ask me, “Why do you travel alone, don’t you ever get scared or lonely?”  However the most brazen remark I’ve ever received was, “You shouldn’t travel alone, its weird, why don’t you travel with a boyfriend or something?!” Needless to say I was left feeling as if I needed to defend why I was doing something that truly makes me happy, which was a bit awkward. I believe it was St. Francis of Assisi or  St. Thomas Aquinas  (I’m not Catholic lol) that put it best: “The world is a book and those whom do not travel only read one page”. Wow. He really nailed it on the head with that I think. The reason being the personal worlds we live in are very small and limited. We are constantly being told where to go, what to do, what to wear, what to read, what time to show up and so on. Even your own thoughts become limited. When you travel you essentially break free from any type of schedule or script. That time is yours to spend it as you like. Your thoughts and perspectives start to expand as well. When you travel out of the country like I do as often as I can, you really begin to realize that the geographical world we live in is so vast. No human being can see its entirety in a lifetime. That being said, does that not motivate one to see it? Well, not for everyone but for me it certainly does. When that person asked me, “do I get lonely when I travel?” I almost wanted to chuckle but realized this person is still limited in their views and to them its seems absurd to travel without a partner (which I have done before by the way). Instead my reply was, “absolutely not, because wherever you go you make new friends along the way and you meet people whom you would never cross paths with ordinarily.” People are the best part of traveling, followed by the actual place itself. The land, food, weather, art and culture are all nothing without people to share it with. So the next time you feel the urge to travel somewhere alone, do it! Research, schedule and book. Consider the dangers and warnings of course and if all signals are clear go for it! Don’t be shy but be careful. Use common sense everywhere you visit. Save your money. Don’t procrastinate. Never travel to run away from something or someone. Stick to a deadline. Enjoy yourself. Once you are bitten by the travel bug there is no cure. You find the only thing that helps is to work, save and travel again. Really I can think of no other “addiction” that is good for you. Ask anyone that travels and they will confirm this. So those are my reasons why a person should travel alone at least once in their life. There is nothing “weird” about wanting to see the world you live in and if anyone tells you different then they’re probably the one who is weird. I digress. Whether I’m young, old, single, married, divorced or living with 8 kids my desire to travel more than likely will not stop. Until then traveling definitely has its advantages and I intend to keep doing it!  😉