Due to my friends' really unavoidable circumstances who are now fighting their own personal battles, today, I embark on a solo trip to the city of Boston and New England hoping to rediscover why I love to travel solo and do it all on my own as part of the Fourth of July Long weekend! It changes you - don't get me wrong - any form of wandering around this beautiful planet will bring changes and improvement to your lifestyle. Traveling by yourself means not being able to rely on anyone else to get the most out of your trips - it means that you are left to navigate your place in the world, to embrace/ shun the ever-changing call of the wild and no matter where you go or what you do, it'll change you.
I've had the chance to do a solo trip some time before and here's the wisdom I've gathered from the same - I think it has made me more creative and has helped me plan sooooo many future trips that now, I know that I really need only 10-15 minutes to pack for a trip, however long it may be. Your creative spark will have a far deeper well to draw from when seeking inspiration. It forces you to be a problem solver - you'll learn to step up and tackle problems head on, using creativity and experience gained while doing the same. It makes you more employable - employers nowadays don't care as much as they used to about the curriculum of what you studied and your list of work place assignments - nowadays, it's more about what you learned, how you've changed, skills you've gained and your ability to adapt to situations and conquer new challenges. For anybody out there reading this and struggling with mental health, I want you to know that it's worth pushing through the despair - fighting until you feel mentally strong enough to book that plane ticket on your own! Travel is without doubt the fastest way to grow as a human being and turn your life into an inspired one. Travel is also the healthiest addiction - it can help you detox from an unhealthy one at the same time. Traveling solo helps you leave behind the screens and experience the world with your senses rather than your clicks. Traveling has been known to improve your compassion and will help you become more comfortable in your own skin - from encountering stray and mistreated animals to less fortunate and over-worked local people, partaking in ethical tourism can become a large part of your travel ethos and when you're by yourself for the majority of the day and night, you learn to be comfortable in your own mind! You'll learn to push yourself in every situation, whatever they may be - meet people, try new things and see what you really love without the influence of others. You tend to become opinionated as you'll have seen and experienced so much without another's influence and views impacting your own. It teaches you to explore your own thoughts, ideas and dreams.
Even if you find out that solo travel is not for you, you'll have a new experience - and you'll catch the travel bug for life - once you step out, you will want to see it all. Before traveling alone, I had realized how I could have a complete OCD for things out of my control - luckily, solo travel forces you to put things into perspective and decide just how much of a weakness you have time for - now, my OCD tendencies work in my favor - planning trips thoroughly, adapting when things don't go to plan, and enjoying my time in a way that never feels out of control. Travel makes one modest - you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world and your self-awareness will skyrocket. It makes you brave and teaches you independence - to be happy in your own company and try things you'd have always relied on other people to do. Your selfie game will become your new best friend - however, remember that there's a time and place for it as well! You'll get to meet the world, develop an understanding and affinity for new cultures and people and you'll love to be alone - for some of your journey through life, you will be all alone and it's one of the most liberating experiences when you realize that you're totally comfortable with it. I've always said this - learning my immersion is the best way to learn - you'll get to learn a new language if you go to a remote part of the world and your gratitude will soar - encountering animals in their natural habitat alone and surrounded by nature and wild creatures will fill you with some sense of gratitude for your life and for the planet. You'll find that getting lost is an amazing experience by itself and it'll give you the strength to deal with life's messes - sometimes things don't work - you miss a flight, you get some poop all over your shoes, the guy sharing your bunk bed snores - you have no other choice but to laugh it off because you can't complain to anyone. In the end, it is a celebration of freedom and it'll force you to streamline your life - pack half the things you usually take - buy items in local markets if needed and helps you to travel light and be more mobile.
Discipline will become essential when you travel solo - I made a choice to my diet to avoid the consumption of pizza almost a year ago - and by experience, I can tell you that it's possible to find something suitable to eat as long as you keep believing that it's gonna be a great trip and keep that discipline too! It gives you the fear of the unknown without a person to support you or to be there if something happens - at the same time, you come back with a happy feeling that you made it all on your own and it gives you the courage to do it more often. In a way, it makes you more flexible, get a sense of direction and forces you to get mad - there are very few places in the world unaffected by politics, warfare, poverty, etc. - the anonymity of solo travel often gives you the opportunity to get a closer look and naturally get mad - to become an activist, to volunteer, to utilize newfound knowledge to affect change. It pushes you to your limits and you'll practice staying calm! You also learn to not take other people's opinions too seriously and you'll realize your inner strength! But at the end of it all, you'll find that you're never truly alone - unless you choose to be. Regardless of the country or the people, there is always someone willing to help or tag along on an adventure especially if you are staying at hostels. The most important thing you'll learn though is that you'll get to do things at your own pace - meet new people, work on your own timetable - do not worry worry if you're taking a chill day, you don't need to be doing something every day if you're tired or suddenly experience anxiety. 
Also, traveling solo makes you realize that you don't have to plan out every moment of your travel time and helps you make room for spontaneity. You'll never be satisfied back home when working a "normal" job and you'll start collecting memories instead of materialistic things. You'll be a risk-taker and good things come to those who dare and solo traveling forces you to find your own balance between playing it safe and seizing the day. You'll eventually become a logistics pro - from booking transport to Airbnb stays, from arranging health insurance (if needed) to exchanging currency. You will not settle for less than you deserve - you will realize that you'll never need to settle for friendships and relationships just for the sake of having people close to you - you become more discerning and choose your tribe through want and not need. And finally, you'll learn to say NO - if you are a people pleaser and a "YES" person, that'll change - you'll not agree with everyone you meet and it's up to you to voice your opinions to be brave and speak out. I hope that in this solo trip, I get to relive all of these amazing experiences once again and help me grow more as a person! I'll be out for the next few days and away from my blogging channel! Until then, stay safe everyone!
Comments
Post a Comment