Have you ever traveled alone? If not – do it. I highly recommend it.
A couple of weeks ago I went on a solo trip to Miami to celebrate my birthday. I expected to spend my time alone, being a tourist – wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, going to the beach etc. – which I did. I also met new people, partied and didn’t make it back to my hotel room until 6:30am one night.
Life is a series of experiences, some good, some bad – but an experience nonetheless. You’ll regret the trips you don’t take. There’s a whole world out there just waiting on you to explore it. I will say, however, that traveling alone, in particular, is a unique experience but certainly one that is worth while.
What will you gain from traveling alone?
- Peace. Unless you bring yourself chaos, you will have a peaceful and relaxing trip.
- New connections. I’d advise traveling to a popular place for your first solo trip, places like Miami, Los Angeles, New York etc. because you will make new friends – if you’re willing to be a bit extroverted.
- The ability to move on your own time. You don’t have to wait for friends to get ready or wait on your hungover homegirl to wake up so you guys can go to brunch. You make moves when and if you want to and when you are ready. Sometimes a trip can be ruined by who you decide to bring along but you’ll never go wrong when you travel alone, unless you don’t enjoy your own company.
- Discovery. You never know what you might learn about yourself on your solo-trip. You may just discover that you need more alone time or you might discover that this isn’t your jam; either way, you tried and that’s what matters.
When I told my family I was traveling alone, they were nervous and their apprehension almost made me second guess my decision. Key word – almost – clearly I still went and I enjoyed every minute of it. That said, be careful who you inform about your plans as they just might try to deter you and if you are easily swayed you will succumb to the pressure of their negative commentary and human trafficking tales. That said, let’s be clear, you should be alert, human trafficking is real and you should be on guard the entire time.
Here are a list of some things you shouldn’t do when traveling alone:
- Excessive drinking. This one seems rather obvious but some people don’t realize that their drunk until they are already fully inebriated and at that point it’s too late. You need to be cognizant of your surroundings. This goes for women and men.
- Avoid boats. I wouldn’t advise attending a Yacht party or boat tour etc. It’s risky and the cell reception on the water can be spotty at best.
- Uber/Lyft/ etc. Make sure the driver picking you up looks like their profile picture and that the license plate numbers match. If they are on the phone or speaking in another language, ask them to speak your language. You need to know what’s being discussed.
- Self-protection. It doesn’t hurt to buy mace or a knife when you get off the plane to potentially protect yourself. Yes, you will need to throw it out before you get on your returning flight but its better to be caught with it than without it, they say.
Okay, so are you ready? Set a date! Get your flight booked! Go!
If you found this article helpful, insightful or just plain old necessary, please share and repost – it’s free and I’d gladly appreciate it. Thank you in advance.
THE IKON. 