Don't get me wrong, I love to travel with my girls and I look forward to a girls trip every year. We have a wonderful time and we get an opportunity to reconnect with one another. I encourage everyone to take trips with their good friends, especially those you don't get to see so often. However, I also encourage everyone to take some trips alone, in order to reconnect with yourself.
When I travel alone, I notice that I pay much more attention to my surroundings, to myself and to my needs. The distractions are minimal and I only have to consider one person's needs - ME! As soon as I land, I think "What do I want to do? How am I feeling?" and it's not so often that we give ourselves an opportunity to ask ourselves those questions. In our daily lives, there is routine. We don't often pause to think about our needs during the daily grind; we simply keep moving forward. Traveling disrupts our routine and gives us that opportunity to answer those important questions. For this reason I think traveling alone is crucial for self-realization. To benefit even further from the experience, I try to limit who I communicate with while I travel, and I also limit the use of my phone as a means of entertainment. While traveling alone, and eating alone, I don't text others, or browse the internet and social media. I simply put my phone down, charge it if possible, and enjoy my food. I people-watch and I try to notice my surroundings. The thought of traveling alone and eating alone may seem lonely at first, and it can be if you are new to it. But after a few times I learned to appreciate this precious moment with myself. I check-in with myself, I think about what I want, what I need, and then I come up with a plan. It is highly satisfying to only have to worry about myself for just a few days. When I come back home I feel more in sync with needs and as a result more productive.
Another great effect of traveling alone is that when I do communicate with new people during my travels, my conversations are more meaningful. Because I haven't spend too much energy communicating with people I know back home, I am better able to engage with new people I meet during my journey. I become curious about their lives and their personal journey; I ask better questions and I am actually truly interested in what they have to say. Had I spent so much time texting friends from home, I wouldn't have the mental energy to carry a conversation with a stranger. I think we overestimate the amount of mental energy we are able to maintain during a day's time, we all need some quiet time. And if you are like me, half introverted and half extroverted, you definitely need some time alone to recharge. Traveling alone gives me plenty of time to recharge and refocus. So I encourage you to be brave and try it. Start by traveling somewhere close. Have a nice long meal by yourself during your trip, put your phone down and really enjoy it!
No comments:
Post a Comment