In the present day, more and more millennials are gathering the courage to step out of the comfort zone in order to walk on the adventurous trails and explore the world, all by themselves. Setting out for a solo journey doesn’t essentially mean that you have none to accompany you. In fact, it is a sign that you are bold enough to navigate the world at your own pace, to face the challenges on the road and to embrace or shun the ever-changing call of the wild.
Being a wanderlustful soul myself, I understand the fact that any form of wandering around this beautiful planet will bring changes and improvement in the lives of those with restless feet. No matter where you go and what you choose to do – your journey will change you forever, making you a stronger and better person.
1. You’ll become more creative.
Once you’ve traveled solo and soaked in the world, you’ll eventually end up being a more creative person. Your ideas will amplify and you’ll have interesting stories to tell others. Your creative spark will reflect in your personality and you’ll have quick DIY ideas that might even surprise you at times!
2. You’ll be more flexible in life.
Living a routined life often takes away the flexibility to do things as per one’s own wishes. But when we travel alone, we are the king of our own rules. While traveling solo, you’ve to take all the decisions by yourself, understanding what would suit you the best. It’ll always be necessary to have a Plan B ready, as you never know when one thing might go wrong. Eventually, this will make you more flexible in life, in general.
3. You’ll become an avid problem solver.
It has been seen that solo travelers are always better in dealing with problems than others. While your family and friends might tend to freak out at situations, you’ll know that rather than making a chaos, it’d be more sensible to find out how to get rid of the problem. During your journeys, you surely have dealt with a lot of unforeseen circumstances that weren’t pleasant enough and you’ve solved your problems by yourself. And now, you would be able to do that in life as well.
4. It’ll make you more employable.
There was once a time when you needed enough degrees to secure a job but in today’s date, employers are more keen to know about the skills you’ve acquired, your eagerness to learn, how willing you are to adapt situations and your efficiency in dealing with challenges. Your high school grades and curriculum won’t be of much importance, rather your experiences will matter. And that’s exactly where your solo journeys will help in boosting your career and make you more employable. Your employer would know that you have the zeal and potential to effectively handle the work you’ll be assigned.
5. You’ll get a chance to meet the world.
When we travel with friends or family, we are mostly engrossed with them and spend lesser time in knowing the place where we’ve traveled to. The best thing about a solo journey is that it’ll give you ample scope to explore the place and connect with the natives. You can ditch the touristic locations and walk down the hidden trails which only the locals know about. It’ll be a chance for you to indulge in knowing more about the culture and traditions of the land, binge on the local food and also befriend other solo travelers who, just like you, have come to that place. Coming into contact with different kinds of people will enrich your journey & help you all along the way. Well, can there be any better way to broaden your social network other than this? Guess not!
6. It will increase your compassion.
During your solo traveling, you’ll be encountering stray and mistreated animals to less fortunate, overworked local people and much more. As you’ll be spending quality time in one place, you’ll see that not everyone is as lucky as you are – and there are hundreds of people, especially in the developing countries, you have regular struggles in life. To speak of my own experiences during my journey as a volunteer in Nepal, I have learned a lot about compassion. I was spending my days with the little kids at an orphanage and realized that one doesn’t need much to be happy. You can also opt to be a volunteer for a meaningful cause while traveling solo. Trust me when I say this, being a responsible and ethical traveler will raise your level of compassion and make you more humble.
7. You can experience the serenity of Sunsets, all by yourself.
If you’ve traveled alone to different parts of the world, you know the fact that sunsets are not the same everywhere. Whether it’s a secluded beach in some isolated island of Indonesia or a quaint Himalayan town tucked between the snow-capped slopes in Nepal – you would know how to enjoy the serenity of the setting Sun, soaking yourself at the moment as the myriad colors fill the sky till the horizon. You’ll know how to enjoy solitude and live in the moment, to enjoy the beauty that unfolds around you.
8. You can learn a foreign language (or maybe more!).
Learning by immersion and through experiences is the best way to learn. You can surely opt for a language course in your hometown and learn the basics, but it won’t be as fun-filled as it would be while learning it from the locals of the land. When you travel solo abroad, you’ll have no other option but to pick up the commonly used words and phrases. Imagine how interesting your journey in Peru will be if you get to learn Spanish apart from exploring the Inca Trails!
9. You’ll find out that getting lost is amazing.
When you lose your way, you’ll discover a new path! From my personal experience, I can say that the more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve come to realize that, sometimes, getting lost is absolutely okay. Getting lost is the most fantastic adventure ever and it’ll make you fearless. You’ll know that there’s nothing to be worried about in life and when one road is blocked, there would be another that’s open for you.
10. Traveling solo will teach you to be independent and confident.
When you are all alone during a trip, you’ll have no option but to rely on yourself. It’ll force you to be more independent as you’ll make all of the decisions – decide where to stay and what to eat, what adventures to embark on and which activities to participate in. Being the master of your plans, you will get to decide where and how to spend your money. This will not only make you more independent and a better decision-maker, but it’ll also help in increasing your organization skills, making you a more confident person.
While others around you are mostly stuck in their daily chores, doing something brilliantly different will make you stand out from the crowd. When you travel on your own, you’ll realize that placing an order for coffee in the local language without stumbling even for once will definitely feel like a major achievement.
So, dear friend, pack your bags and set out for that solo trip that you’ve been postponing since long!