👀 A case for going solo

#238 | Why I travel alone

On a pleasant day last month, I was roaming the streets of McLeod Ganj. Taking in the sights, eating laphing from stalls on the street, finding myself making conversation with people I didn't know. Spending untracked time in cafés, browsing through shops, walking as far as my feet would comfortably carry me, and further. 

I stepped into a shop to purchase a typically hippie Himachali hemp bag. (With no witness to my travels, did I need evidence that I had, indeed, been here?)

Striking up a conversation with the storekeeper forced me to confront my solitude more deeply. This man just could not fathom why I would want to travel across the country to be alone in an unfamiliar place. No company for my walk through the market. Lacking the comfort of familiar faces around me.

So what exactly is so appealing about travelling solo? 

If you're nodding your head in agreement with the perplexed shopkeeper I met, hear me out. Hear Einzelgänger out, rather.

Hanging out with yourself is not so bad. The freedom can be scary. All the unpleasant places your thoughts may take you can be scary. But those scary places are also where the magic happens.

I go on lots of trips with myself. What can I say? I’m just very good company.

R

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Do you travel solo? Tell me more.