We travel more and more, but so few of us do it alone. No trip other than on your own can give you so much. Learn the benefits and instead of another course plan your journey.
I travel on my own not only because of nature of my work, but I also like doing it. Why? Because I know what benefits come with such journey. Tremendous majority of us have never been on a trip alone (so far?) or on a longer expedition. See what you are missing and learn how much you can gain. On your own!
You meet new people
When was the last time you have spoken to a complete stranger ? (before he or she was a stranger no more)
Who new have you recently met?
Apart from circle of people who are close to you in terms of work or age.
When travelling alone you have higher chances to meet new people.
The courage very often comes from the need.
When you are with your partner, family or friends you devote your time and attention to them.
When you are on your own you have more time for paying attention to other people, observing and making conversation.
I enter a restaurant to have a breakfast and see people tied to each other.
No one is alone at the table.
I leave my bag and go to get a coffee.
When I get back an older lady is just preparing her breakfast at my table:
– I’m sorry I didn’t know it was taken.
I tell her it isn’t and it will be a pleasure for me to eat breakfast with her.
My companion’s name is Aina. She lives in Stockholm and came to her holiday alone.
One day I was observing a silver-haired woman having a walk and looking at pebbles.
It was Aina, but I learnt it only the next day.
Surely I wouldn’t have met Aina and listened to the story of her life if I hadn’t been alone.
I wouldn’t have met three women, friends from Mercedes customer service department in Stuttgart. I wouldn’t have talked so much with Tsampikos – a restaurant manager, who greeted me with a warm Greek embrace already on the second day. I wouldn’t have met Piotr, who had been in Canada for many years, and when tourism on Rhodos picked up he came back. Thanks to our first conversation I was able to admire beautiful sunset from my room.
I wouldn’t have met any of these persons if I had been with someone else.
It is one of the sunsets I was given by Piotr.
The need gives us courage to make contacts so I will not describe situation in which I asked for directions, I talked to a random person while resting on a bench in a park.
When on your own, count on yourself.
You have to get the information by yourself and deal with the situation. This requires contact with strangers.
I believe that travelling on one’s own gives us many opportunities to practice communication. The opportunities we do not have in familiar environment and among people we are accustomed to.
Your eyesight is getting better.
Yes, you start to see more.
Sometimes you will even open your eyes!
Going to a different place on one’s own gives us possibility to distance ourselves from our life and look at it from a perspective. It isn’t like a rabbit pulled out of a hat, but it is clearer. It is clearer that we do not wonder what we do and what relations are valuable. In everyday work and the culture of rush we perceive as a success the fact that it works, our life works, it is mechanical and every day we get on our feet. When it is bad we press “like” under the statement: “You are amazing!”
While sitting on a beach and looking at the sea you do not only ask how this life works, but also focus on what is important. You see that you are wasting your energy on recognition and you are chasing something which does not enrich you at all. You are not only wasting time, but wasting life. What for? For toxic people, making a million, collecting people who tell you how great you are etc.
I love blue colour. It is as prophet’s eye which lets me see more.
Surrounded with different language, climate, lifestyle you notice what is worth celebrating in your life, what should be changed or get rid off.
You meet that person!
While travelling alone you spend more time on your own than usually. It gives amazing possibility of learning about yourself. It is a paradox that most often we deal with intracommunication (conversation with ourselves), but we use it the least frequently. We gather millions of useless information which consume our time and attention, but we also entirely ignore messages which we send to ourselves.
Egocentrism has taken the shape of acquiring various material things, but lost its the most beautiful trait - the awareness of oneself, one's value as an unique human being.
We regain communication with ourselves through this dialogue. What does it give? Knowledge of what is really important (to life) and what valuable I give and can give to others.
There are people whom you always feel good with. Always. If you find such person the additional bonus is a photo of yourself.
Every trip done alone goes with the option of travel inside your heart. It is free of charge, but for me it presents the highest value.
Why am I writing about this? Working in the field of personal PR I see how little people know about themselves. They do not know what values are important for them and what life is for them. They live day by day without even trying to figure out who is the person they spend most of the time with – themselves. Why? Because they have never gone on a trip alone!
The knowledge more valuable than many courses.
Travels will teach you more than any book or a training course. This knowledge gives us immediate feedback through experience. First of all, it is a priceless lesson of communication in practice. Thanks to that how well you can make contact with other people, how brave you are or interested in another person – you meet others. They share invaluable experience and precious business information.
You learn a lot about yourself. The last trip was a combination of being with myself and work duties. At first I had intended to plan these 7 days, but then I gave up and said:
– Do as you like. Just remember about the most important obligations resulting from work.
When was the last time you told yourself that for next few days you just let yourself live as you want. Thrown into new environment, free from daily tasks we begin to learn our needs afresh and we follow curiosity. We see and feel who is important in our life more clearly. I am also observing certain phenomenon in me. From a distance it is easier for me to break from the error of consequences. It is easier to admit to a mistake and cope wit it.
Symi, I love you. Do you know about it?
Is life possible in a place without fresh water?
It is! Even today drinking water is transported to Symi island with ships and property prices are going up. I have been fascinated by sponge divers, not to mention pearl divers. I have eaten prawns from Symi – another lesson through taste and new dishes. It is amazing how one such a small place, most of us don’t even know it exists, has so much to tell. Since the Ancient, through Byzantine times and Turkish occupation until today when I am sitting on a bench and looking at colourful little houses.
Every journey is a chance to study history and take inspiration from it.
Getting free from media bubble.
Living the way we live and always going with someone from our surrounding we remain in this media bubble which is perpetuated not only by the traditional media, but also by social media which have become a global newspaper. When you are somewhere else you burst that bubble and see how this all is artificial and not practical. You realize how all this aims at the situation in which you live even faster, desire and buy things others talk about, pay trainers and motivators for illusory feeling that they know how to bring happiness to your life and they will tell you. It isn’t worth much. Listen to Simonides:
“Since you are a human being, never mention
what happens tomorrow,
Nor, if you see a lucky man,
say how long he will be so.
For not even the flick
of a wide-winged fly
Is as swift as this.”
Is this a reason to despair?
No!
But to live your life and be free from patterns of happiness, success, good life created and reinforced in this media bubble where most of us live every day.