Traveling Alone
11:20 PM
Greetings!
So I flew to East Coast two weeks ago... alone. Having company is good, but sometimes, you cannot wait until there are the right people and the right time to travel. I did have some business to do in New York, so I thought I would stay longer and explore. It was good bonding times with me, myself and I. Therefore, I thought I'd share my perspective of some pro & cons of solo traveling. Before I start, here's an overview of my trip. I was scheduled to go to New York, but my flight got cancelled so I stayed in Atlanta for a couple of days and then flew to New York. Hopefully that helps you better understand my journey!
Disclaimer: While I was in NY, I did stay with family friends. Housing was not a problem for me. They worked pretty much everyday, so I mostly ventured out into the city by myself! Anyways, this was my experience traveling alone-ish!
- The less you bring, the smoother your travels will be. I tend to overpack, thinking of all the possible outcomes where I need product A and product B. However, this will only weigh you down. It is cumbersome dragging your belongings with you. Be smart when you are packing!
- Do not be afraid of asking people to help you take pictures. I know, I know, you can always take a selfie with the Statue of Liberty in the background. But trust me, having a selfie of every landmark/attraction you have been to ain't cute. I have tried. Seriously the head takes up 50% of the photo and the landmark has to be far away into order to get it into view. Go ahead, ask that random stranger to take your photo! And if they are tourists too, offer to take their photos too!
- Sitting alone in restaurant can be awkward. It is a fear that you just got to face it. And I am sorry, that fear does not magically disappear. Don’t let this fear dictate whether or not you are going to taste that delicious Shack Shake burger! Also, people are often too busy to give you much thought in their head.
- Follow locals. They know how to navigate the city and can give you helpful advice. Don't be afraid to ask questions! A trick to avoid being bombarded with tour salespeople, just pretend you are a local! Just act like you belong and you will sneak on by.
- Take your time. Don’t rush yourself to check off all the places on your bucket list! Traveling alone does take a toll on you. So spend some time in that coffee shop to just be. You can people watch, eat a muffin while daydreaming your life away. Just rest and enjoy!
Now, a one-person adventure is awesome because I create my own agenda. If I want to go check
out the Grand Central Terminal because of my past obsession with “Gossip Girl,”
I can! If I don’t want to pay thirty-something bucks to go to the Georgia
Aquarium, I don’t! And I love that. I love going to where I want to go, when I
want to go. I can delegate which activities to partake in and which to opt of.
I decide where my time goes and where my money goes. Seriously, I paid good
money to fly out to the East Coast. Why waste time going to places that I don’t
give a crap about? The trip is honestly as much as you make it to be!
Traveling alone allows me to absorb the information
around me. I notice the little things I normally would not given a glance. And it is through these details that show me just how beautiful God's creation truly is. You learn a lot about the city, the people and the culture. For one, I learned the general map of lower Manhattan. And thanks to people watching, I can confirm that California's fashion sense is rather slack compared to New York.
As cliche as it sounds, you definitely learn a lot about yourself during these quiet times. I realize that I love visiting places that is abundant with history. These places give me a glimpse of those monumental eras. Oh and also film locations! Seeing them in real life allows me to experience another different world. In general, traveling gives you perspective. I, for some reason, thought NYC would be similar to San Francisco, just add more sparkles, hustlers and night-owls. Boy was I terribly mistaken. East Coast has its own aura, complexity and composition. Seriously, I don't know a lot of things until I experience them firsthand.
Now the negatives.
Traveling alone can be quite tiring. Carrying everything with me is heavy!
Having people with you allows you to delegate tasks. But when you are alone, you don’t have that option. I had to figure out everything by
myself. Because my flight to New York was cancelled, I was in Atlanta
for two nights. Looking back, it was truly a blessing being able to see
both cities for the price of one! But the stress that came with a travel mishap
drained me severely. I had to figure out when my next flight was, book a hotel
room, carry my luggage everywhere I go, contact the airline about
extending my stay, etc. I had never felt so much joy when I finally flopped onto the hotel bed after all that chaos. So yes, doing all this alone is not fun, but it taught me a lot.
What I miss about being
with people is the company. There is a bond that you create
when you travel with someone because of the shared experiences, whether it be
good or bad. They understand the struggles of whether to walk or pay $2.50 to
take the NY subway for two stops. I missed having company during
meals. To engage in conversation while waiting for food is a lovely thing that
I often overlook. Also when you go eat with others, you can share appetizers,
desserts and all the good things in life! As much as I wish that I had another stomach
dedicated for that enormous slice of cheesecake, I don’t.
I highly recommend everyone to travel alone at some point in their life. It can be challenging at first, but it is an awesome experience. Just start with some place
close by and eventually tackle on farther and bigger cities later. Babysteps. Now I had some
mishaps during my travels so I will end the post with some tips!
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