Travel Solo To Grow !
Antoine De St. Exupery once said “He who would travel happily must travel light”. My take on ‘travelling light’ is to travel solo and not with a large group of tourists if you really want to experience the thrill and the sheer bliss of travel. Solo travel tends to amplify human existence and gives a new vigour to the brain which our otherwise our daily autopilot existence doesn’t seem to offer. It makes me realise what a half life we otherwise live and that we owe these extreme highs and lows to grow as a human being. Sure, it can be intimidating, but solo travel is a great way to get out of your comfort zone and get comfortable with being around unfamiliar places, people and things.
If you chose growth over fear, travel solo.
Here’s how a period of solitude in a strange land will make you grow in a short span of time:
1. Makes you responsible: From drawing on the itinerary to making sure you have everything you need in the backpack, you tend to plan out every little detail before taking off. The solo traveller has only herself to depend upon. And if things go awry, you only have yourself to blame and figure a solution!
2. Makes you adaptable and confident: Having seen the ups and downs of travel I became more easy going and flexible. The highs of the journey were so rewarding that I didn’t mind the bumps. Handling situations and figuring your way out in foreign lands gives the immense confidence to manage things on one’s own. What more, I learnt howto stop myself from panicking and be calm under stressful situations.
3. Changes your world view : It makes you less cynical as you come across acts of kindness from strangers. When I lost all my money in Athens I saw enough kindness from people around me to reaffirm my faith in humanity. When you travel in a group, you are in cushy cocoon, talking to your travel companions about stuff back home and thus miss out on fully noticing the new people, places and things, depriving the soul of the travel joys.
4. You make new friends from different parts of the world : All your senses immerse in the new surroundings and you are fully present in the immediate surroundings. In the happy state of being you tend to open up to people and let them into your life. I always get very chatty exchanging travel stories with others and listening to their’s in return. I’ve become ambitious about having friends in every country who could be local guardians for my son when he backpacks around the world!
4. You introspect and explore parts of yourself: Travelling alone gives you time and space to reflect upon your life and go deeper inside yourself. With no daily chores consuming mind, this period of solitude is very fertile and does one whole lot of good.
With so much of travel treasure lying out there, wonder why people don’t venture into it? Perhaps the thought of being alone in a strange land is scary and uncomfortable. Perhaps having the comfort of a local host is a neat arrangement that takes away the anxiety of loneliness without taking away the joys of solo travel.
At StayOnSkill, a solo traveller can find hosts in destinations of his choice, willing to host her for a skill exchange program. The traveller enjoys the company of her local-host teaching him a skill she is good at for a couple of hours a day and has the rest of her day to herself. With the comfort of a home and a local host, travelling solo no longer seems intimidating! I think it’s worth a shot.
If you are travelling to India or currently based out of India, then this summer is the best opportunity for you to explore new places and share your skills. Register yourself for India Tour 2017 here.
