Wanderlust is taking over many. I support it. I encourage it. See the world! Explore your home country! Knock yourselves out. Before I dig into why solo travel is not for me, let me explain my travel background. I’m an Army Brat. I grew up outside of the USA and in 4 different states. Due to my dad’s MOS we did not move as frequently as other Army families. However, we were still away from family and road trips were always on the schedule. College, I didn’t take trips other than the 2 mandatory Teaching Fellows’ trips and a visit to my family in Puerto Rico. I preferred to go home to Virginia to my Granny and Pop-Pop on Spring Break. The years following college, I had a few road trips to Charlotte and NY with my BFF, theater tour (cast total 4), cruise with 4 friends, and 1 road trip to NY with another friend. The rest of my travel has been alone and some of the travel happening in between what I listed was alone. My Navy career has lead me overseas twice. Traveling to Central Asia alone is long and extra long. You read that correctly.
Alrighty now that I have all that out of the way, listen, solo travel is not for me. Don’t get me wrong, group travel is not either. I don’t need 7 people with me. What bothers me about solo travel is the loneliness. There’s nothing exciting to me about exploring a foreign country alone. Heck, I don’t want to explore the USA alone. I know some people who adore solo travel, but when they talk about their previous travel, they did a lot of group trips. Or they’re the type of people who simply love to do things by themselves. Welp, I’m kinda tired of hanging out with myself. It’s been me, myself, and I for years and I’m getting on my own nerves.
I have seen travel bloggers that hype up solo travel. They market it as some spiritual epiphany having type venture. Listen, I meditate daily, I’m good on the epiphanies. They say you can find yourself. Listen, I’m not lost. I know where I am physically and mentally 24-7 365/66. I never lost my groove so I don’t need to go find it. Nobody dumped me so I don’t need a cut my hair and cry in the ocean type trip. Nobody fired me so I don’t need any eat, pray, love adventures. Mid-life crisis? Nah, not having that either. Tired and annoyed by years of group travel? Never experienced that. Yeah, solo travel, that shit is for the birds.
The long flights and drives don’t make solo travel any easier. I’m not a huge fan of talking to strangers domestic or international travel. Navigating unknown territory alone is not fun for me. Sure, I feel accomplished when I get to use my gift of being a polyglot in training, but it’s a wee overwhelming. And nothing more nerve wracking than hearing an announcement in French or Arabic, translating what bit I can understand, and waiting anxiously for the English announcement. It would be nice to have a travel buddy sharing the anxiety with me.
I did get invited on another cruise with a group of military women I know. It’s a family and friends trip, but I can’t justify paying the price and there’s no casino on the ship and no special amenities that I can’t get on another cruiseline for a lower price. And I damn sure can’t justify inviting a friend who would have to pay airfare to get to Florida on top of the cost of the cruise. But I want to go on another cruise! See why I don’t do groups? LOL!
As of right now the next trip I’m working on is Christmas 2019 with my best friend. Both of us have had our fill of family Christmases. I have NEVER missed a Christmas with my family, but other people in the family have missed Christmas. It’s my turn to say, “Merry Christmas” from a distance. I love to travel and perhaps in my former life I was a nomad of some sorts. I don’t know. All I know is that this world is massive and experiences, like food, are meant to be shared. I don’t foresee myself taking leisure trips alone. This is not an open casting call for a travel buddy cuz I am picky and remember what I said about strangers? Yeah, a lot of you reading this are strangers. You get in line for a group networking event, I’ll see you there. If we have mutual friends or have met before then we can chat about it.
What are you thoughts on solo travel?