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Traveling Solo: You Are Not Alone
I just moved out of my parents' house and into a one-bedroom apartment about fifteen minutes away by car. While this does not sound like a daunting "trip," there is more to living alone than meets the eye. In fact, as I type this with no other sound but the whir of my bedroom fan, I am reminded of the pangs of loneliness that I occasionally feel when traveling solo on the far reaches of this planet. Loneliness is a very tricky matter. I feel loneliness now, despite being just ten miles from where I spent my adolescence. I feel loneliness all the time when I'm traveling, too. Yet there is a distinct difference between the two. The loneliness of travel is surprisingly easier.
Let me explain.
When you're out in the world by yourself, traveling with just a backpack and maybe not even knowing a lick of the native language, you are already out of your element. Your "survival of the fittest" instinct will inevitably kick in and you will (trust me, you will) make genuine efforts to get out and explore the place around you. Once you step your foot out of your hostel and into the unknown, you won't let yourself turn around and seek refuge in your room. Instead, you will want to see that world around you because it is so unfamiliar and because you have the cultural curiosity of what awaits you around the street corner (otherwise, you wouldn't have traveled so far away from home, right?).
On the flip side, when you are sitting in your apartment by yourself, in an environment that is familiar (my high school is just five blocks from here), there is less excitement about what's around the corner because you know what's there (in my case, there's a sushi shop, hairdresser, laundromat, market, and coffee shop). And you don't HAVE to leave the confines of your home. There's always tomorrow.
In the end, while it appears to be a difficult and scary thing, traveling solo is actually easier than living at home alone. I promise. If you've dealt with loneliness at home, then you can certainly get out there and explore the world on your own. Tell it Brenda sent you.
Filed under: Learning, Stories, Travel Health
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Markus Nov 15th 2008 5:04PM
I think I know what you are talking about. Its a difference between inner and outer motivation. Once abroad, you've committed to exploring your opportunities. At home, perhaps you have the same self to rely on, but there is no 'world' that needs to be discovered. Everything you know about traveling is stood on its head; you explore inside, not outside.
Irene Nov 15th 2008 6:35PM
It's very true. I see it during the times when my husband is off and I'm home versus when I'm off traveling and my husband is left at home. The person left at home is always more lonely than the one off traveling.
LadyExpat Nov 15th 2008 9:05PM
I love traveling with friends on short trips. My real traveling is when I go alone, which is almost always. I have traveled alone since I was a teen, and on long trips wouldn't have it any other way. I never think about being lonely.