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When most people think of taking a vacation, usually they plan of how to spend the time with others. There are, however, incredible benefits to setting out on your next journey alone. Whether the time you have to vacation is hard-earned or you are considering taking a gap year, here are three main reasons you should consider solo traveling.
1. You make the shots.
Have you ever been caught in a feud over what cuisine to pick for dinner while traveling with friends or family? Then in an attempt to satisfy multiple taste buds, you get stuck settling for a choice sub-par to your own liking? When you make the leap to traveling on your own, every decision you make is based on what you like and what you want to do. There's no compromising on the choice of food, type of excursions and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences (because no two trips are ever the same).
And for someone who has never traveled on their own before, making all the decisions might feel intimidating. Just remember that the most important things you can do are notify your bank of your travel plans, share your itinerary with loved ones and have a back up plan in case you need it. Something I always do is book travel through a travel credit card, which automatically gives me travel protections like trip interruption/cancellation insurance, roadside dispatch, travel and emergency assistance and accident insurance, just to name a few. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is my go-to travel rewards card, but just be sure you do your own research and find the card the works for you.
2. You can be yourself.
We as humans naturally work hard to impress other people, sometimes without even realizing that we're trying at all. But there's something so beautiful about curating experiences and setting out on a journey of your own. Instead of being the person that someone else would be proud of, you can invent yourself freely and without compromise.
Solo traveling gives you a stronger connection to yourself. You will learn so much about yourself by discovering what's out in the world around you. Maybe you might even discover traits in your own personality that you never knew existed, like a newly found confidence to communicate with others and navigate a land that's not your own.
3. It changes your perspective.
Traveling alone helps to immerse fully into another culture and meet people you would not have otherwise met if traveling with others. It is when we experience the ways in which other people live will we gain a new appreciation for the diversity in cultures in communities and across the world. Cultural immersion is also a great way to learn to the language of the place you're visiting.
When you set out on your own, you don't realize how much good there is to be found in the life-changing experience of traveling solo.