For my good friend Thomas Leeper Myrtle Beach has been his entire life, he was born here, he was raised here and apart from the odd trip across to other regions in North Carolina, he has remained here for the majority of his adult life. As someone who loves to travel I just struggle to understand people who don’t want to go out and see what the world has in store for them, and so I began to try and convince Thomas to take a trip away. Thomas had concerns about traveling alone, but I gave him plenty of reasons as to exactly why he should. Thomas took the advice and spent what sounds like a wonderful week in Costa Rica last year. I wanted to extend what I said to Thomas about solo travel to anyone out there who isn’t sure whether or not they should do it.
The Trip is Your Own
When you go solo traveling every decision that is made is your own, you don’t have to listen to what others want, you won’t have to compromise, nor will you have to sacrifice any aspect of the trip. When you travel solo you can eat when you want, go to whichever attractions take your fancy, go to bed early or late, and you won’t have to hear anybody else complain if things aren’t working out well. This autonomy on the road is so valuable.
Time to Reflect
Traveling can often be a very sobering experience and one which causes you to look at your own life and reflect on where you are going and where you have been. Now when you travel with others you can talk about these things but there is far less time for a personal reflection. When you travel solo however this is exactly what you will get, the chance to hit the pause button on life and just take stock of everything that is going on.
Meet People
Whilst you can of course meet people when you travel with others, it is not the same as when you travel alone because you are more of a package deal. When you travel alone, however, this is not to say that you have to stay alone, and you should take the opportunity of meeting new people during your trip. People are much more inclined to approach you if you are on your own than with friends or family and this can open up the chance to meet a number of interesting people, you may even make a friend!
Drinking It In
In my personal experience, I find that I get much more from a destination when I go there on my own. Whilst it is nice to share your experience with others and to chat about what you are seeing, you really get to focus better when you are by yourself.
If you want to go away alone but you are unsure, take my word for it, you will love it!
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