We are all just travelers in this convoluted journey we call life; a journey that has no destination yet largely driven by the anticipation of an ambiguous finish line. To travel to me is to become one with the present moment, not knowing which side dawn will rise and dusk will set and completely accepting this uncertainty. It is in travel that we see ourselves as counterparts to the world as a whole and how insignificantly significant we can be to the universe. Travel is the opportunity for true adventure and what is life without adventure?
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide
Traveling for pleasure to a foreign land can be one of the most difficult decisions to make. Your mind will do anything to ensure you choose the safest option to increase your life expectancy. Only by fueling the fire of your curiosity and optimism for a new and fruitful adventure can you look uncertainty in the eye and step right ahead of it. Great things await those who are courageous enough to believe in themselves and push the boundaries of our mental tenacity and challenge it by doing the unexpected. All that has ever been discovered required someone to question the ordinary and feed their inquisition above their innate fear of the unknown. And then there are some defiants who believe they should throw caution to the wind and go solo.
Imagine one day you are going about your life as you would, you wake up, make your morning coffee, share some pleasantries with your family and neighbors, go out for a jog, get ready for work, spend the whole day working on some projects that are seemingly important with people who you know but don’t really know. And with one sudden thought on the night of your ordinary day, you choose a day to pack your bags and travel a couple thousand miles away from your known people and places, to find yourself. It’s interesting how most travelers tend to find their authentic selves in places they don't inhabit. You get ready to take off knowing very well that everything from this point onwards is out of your hands and it could be the greatest adventure of your life or your biggest impulsive regret; a question scratches your mind, Is this really what you want? Is it worth leaving all your known people and surroundings behind? You shrug this thought off and take a deep breath reminding yourself that uncertainty comes with the possibility of the unexpected and that includes endless narratives that exist out of your imagination too. A true expedition.
Of the many wonderful things that you realize as you travel solo is your anxiety becomes your confidant. Your survival instincts mesh beautifully with the urge to explore and excitement in a way which makes you become more present and confident in your decisions. At first the desire to walk down a questionable path is quite unlikely, but each step towards a foreign place intensifies your critical thinking skills and lowers your self doubt. You become aware of how this journey ahead is at your pace, preference and potential and nothing but your wants matter in this moment. Everything you want to do in this short time is yours to conquer alone. As the strangely calming thought of solitude kicks in, you realize you are alone but not lonely. You are gracefully sharing space with the trees that stand tall, the dogs that run around and even the people that you’ve never seen before, breathing the same air as you. Each step on this path you take is a reminder of how life is merely just a collection of fleeting moments waiting to be witnessed. Each anxious thought of what needs importance is softly observed and disperses into the present moment and becomes weightless. You are your surroundings and your senses are brought to life. The funny thing about traveling solo is you imagine you need more things to be prepared or occupied but in fact in this unique experience, happiness and joy is often found just around the corner, whether it's that new flavor of bread you just tried from the shop nearby or catching the right bus to your destination after struggling to find the way for over 20 minutes. All happiness that exists, exists in the present moment and is abundant in nature.
3 reasons to travel solo
Befriending yourself
No matter what you accomplish in this world or how many people come into your life, you are the only certain thing you have for your whole life. Love your own company the most and the best way to do it is by traveling solo. You learn to trust your instincts, forgive your shortcomings, become compassionate towards yourself and learn to find what truly brings joy to you.
Perspective
When you travel, you will have moments where you realize that an extraordinary day for you exists within the ordinary day of the man sitting opposite you, probably heading home after a long day at work. You see the beauty in duality and that mundane days and adventurous days exist together. And often when you have a rough day, the chance to change it around is closeted in perspectives embrace.
Keeping adventure alive
Life can become mechanical very easily. You do the same things every day enough times you almost end up feeling like that is all you have ever done. Traveling solo breaks the monotony and reignites the spark of novel experiences and reinstates the importance of adventure in your life. It is this very adventure that makes life worth it and feeds the desires of your inner child and heals your wounds too.