Do You Have What It Takes To Travel Solo?

“The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.” – Henry David Thoreau

I found a travel blog entitled Do you have what it takes to travel solo? It went on to ask the following questions.

“• Is watching a movie by yourself pathetic?

• Are you the kind of person who needs a buddy to go grocery shopping or jogging?

• Do you get uncomfortable while walking or driving through an unknown neighborhood?

• If your plans don’t fall into place, does it ruin your mood or your entire day?

• Did you fail basic arithmetic?

• Are you painfully shy?

• Do you always need to seek advice before making decisions?

• When it comes to self-defense and survival skills, are you at a total loss?

• Are you often aloof, and dependent on others for directions?

If you said yes to any of these above questions, you might want to think twice about heading out on an adventure by yourself.”

I said yes to most of them and here I am traveling alone and liking it. The reason I am able to travel alone is because I asked myself different questions. Here are my questions.

Are you able to face your fears to have an incredible adventure?

Can you get out of your comfort zone and be uncomfortable?

Are you willing to be lonely sometimes?

Are you able to accept that  you might feel scared or anxious traveling to places you have never been before?

Having a bad sense of direction, can you get lost and know that you will somehow find your way back and nothing terrible will happen?

Are you willing to take that first step to go where you want to go instead of sitting home thinking about it?

Are you waiting till something comes along that you are not afraid to do alone?

Are you waiting for that perfect travel partner?

Is your passion for travel bigger than your fear of the unknown?

What that other blog said to me was, if you are scared, don’t do it. I now say if you are scared, that is the thing you have to do. I am scared every time I go somewhere alone. What I’ve learned is that it is always amazing.  Things happen that are  both good and not so good.  But when I’m traveling, the unknown always works out. I’ve learned to leave spaces in my plans for the unexpected which always turns into a travel memory.  If you really want to travel solo, start doing it, the rest will come.

Fly safe,

JAZ