Is travelling alone something that you have been dreaming to do for a long time, but are held back by your inhibitions? Just give it a try; it will be a life changing experience. So listed below are some of the advantages of travelling alone over travelling in a group.
1. Getting away from reality
One of the best parts about travelling alone is that you get some personal space. In today’s day and age that is a rare occurrence, our personal space is being constantly intruded by some phone call or message. Even the quiet hours of the night are at time disturbed by some “urgent” work. Travelling alone gives you an opportunity to give time to yourself, have some personal time to take care of yourself and, to get away from your carefully curated reality. While travelling in a group is equivalent to bringing all those nagging phone calls along with you on the trip. All the same conversations about the problems back home somehow crop up
2. You have absolute freedom
Travelling alone means that you have absolute autonomy over your itinerary. You decide which places to visit and for how long you want to stay there. In a group every person has different preferences. While you would like to stay and see the sunset another person in your group would want to go and see the exhibition. Alone you are the master of your own free will, with no one imposing any limitations on you. At first the task may seem a bit daunting, but a few bumps down the lane and you become veteran at it.
3. You discover yourself and boost your self-confidence
Travelling can teach you so many things, especially if you are travelling alone. On your first solo trip, not only you but the people who love you also take a leap of faith and let you go. You learn how to manage everything on your own with no one to help. Reading this might be scary but when you solve every problem using your own wit and resources, it lends you immense confidence in yourself. When one has some time alone, one always ends up retrospecting. You get a chance to look at things from a distance and with a perspective. You discover so many aspects about yourself that you would not have believed.
4. New friends in the natives
If you are alone, you will have more interaction with the natives. Travelling and exploring a place is incomplete unless you get to know more about the culture and food. Being alone would mean that you would need more help from the natives and hence more interaction, you never know but you might just find wonderful relationships and memories to cherish forever. It is natural if you are hesitant in talking to the locals, but if you find them to be very helpful it would be a memory to cherish forever.
5. Less hassling, more travelling
Travelling alone means less opinions and hence less arguments. While travelling in a group there are bound to be some disagreements between different members of the group. It is impossible that everyone in the group sees eye to eye. Travelling is one of the most peaceful experiences and because of all these arguments it may lose its charm. It often happens that close friends who plan to go on a trip together drift apart after the trip, because of the bitter conversations that took place.
6. No time constraint
You do not have to take into account anyone else’s schedule while planning a trip. Moreover you can also be spontaneous like deciding to go to a nearby place on a long weekend. In a group half of the plans get cancelled because the schedule of every person is not matching. You may want to extend your trip but because of someone else’s engagements that would not be possible.
All things said and done, travelling is a liberating experience. Whether you go in a group or alone, you never return the same from a trip, travelling always teaches you something new and leaves you wanting for more.
