Tryst with Miles: Why do I travel alone?

I have been doing a lot of solo trips over the years and I have mostly received a very clichéd reaction from others

"Seriously? Its so much fun when you travel with friends"

"How can you travel alone, I cant even my meal alone alone"

"What will you do going alone, don't you get bored?".

Here are some of my reasons I take solo trips:

Plan my own itinerary

I can choose the destination, travel dates and duration without having to be dependent on others.Once at the destination, I get to take all the calls about what to see and what not to.

Relaxed mornings

The most important reason for my travel is to break free from the timed routine and this is the freedom I enjoy when I am travelling solo. I could get up at my up in the morning and sit in the balcony with a cup of tea in my hand without having to worry to adhering to someone else's schedule.

Not having to pose for zillion group pics.

Though I do like to take pictures of the places I visit and being in some of them, I am not really a poser and i like to enjoy the place and absorb its beauty before i take my camera out Whereas with a group, there is a constant nagging for taking and posing for pics..I in fact do not understand the craze for the pictures amongst some tourists while they miss to notice the beauty of the place. [ A dedicated blog for this in pipeline].

Quality time with myself

Over the years I have learnt quite a lot about myself while travelling alone. I have surprised myself with my ability to deal with certain situations,I didn't know I could. It also gives a lot of time to reflect, retrospect and plan. Although sometimes it starts to feel lonely but then you find a way to cope with it and before you know you start enjoying it.

Meet new people

I have always met more people while travelling alone than while travelling in group. I guess that because when I am travelling solo, I seem more approachable and less intimidating. This way i get to talk to a lot of fellow ttravelersand locals , which is always a refreshing experience

Having said that I also come across people sometimes who said they understand and then I realize i am talking to a fellow "Solo Traveler".

5 comments:

Anonymous21 September 2014 at 08:21
:) Kudos!
Good think piece!
Very few people have quality to travel solo and enjoy!
Anonymous12 October 2014 at 09:44
It's in my bucket list to go on a solo trip. For all the reasons tht u hv mentioned in post..
Unknown12 October 2014 at 09:55
Then you should, trust me its absolutely worth it!
Anonymous21 October 2014 at 04:17
I cannot agree more with you on this. I was thinking to write on the same topic myself, but now I will just share this link whenever I need to show someone the good points about solo travel. The point about meeting new people: it is a gem!

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