flying solo

LOL you guys. The idea of going to foreign places by myself literally used to scare the living bejesus out of me..  It confused me. I see a ton of performers on vacation by themselves or college kids on break from school going to foreign countires by themselves. Why would someone want to go somewhere so beautiful by yourself!? That's terrifying! I was literally talking to my mom about this like a week ago, and now I’m blogging about the opposite of what I was telling her lol. Life changes quickly. Well… now I’m learning how BEAUTIFUL travel can be when you’re flying solo. Also… I have no choice so like… it’s that or nothing.
Reasons why travelling alone can be dandy:

1. You can literally do whatever crap you want. Like you don’t have to feel bad for dragging someone to see theatre or to the spot where the Beatles played their first gig. The only person you have to please is YOU.
2. It forces you to actually talk to people you normally would be too scared to. OR just listen to people. I’ve grown these past few weeks to love language. It’s a beautifully mysterious thing to hear someone having an entire conversation, and you have NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. It makes them seem so special and interesting. And I’ve decided that’s how I want to feel about everyone. I want a keen interest in people everywhere, because everyone is just as beautifully mysterious. It just took a country full of people that I can’t understand to teach me that.
3. You take more chances alone. When I’m with someone, I realize that I feel like there are certain expectations that person has in their head about who I am. Alone, you have no one that has a preconceived idea of what you want to/ don’t want to do. I’ve already taken a lot more chances this trip, and I’m quite proud of myself. I mean they’ve been very little things, but baby steps, right? Like, I just bought myself a ticket to see ROBERT PLANT in concert in DUBLIN, IRELAND (I’ve never been there and I’m going for the first time by myself lol) (Led Zeppelin is my favorite band literally of all time). A few months ago, I NEVER would have bought that ticket. And I’m sure there are still people reading that are shocked that I would be brave enough to do that by myself (I’m typically a very scared person lol). Baby steps.
4. It’s important to take time for yourself. Stop walking around. Just sit where you are and bask in where you are right now. I’ve done that a lot this trip. There are places to walk by the rivers all over Paris, and they’re always quite peaceful. I find myself there a lot. Reading, thinking, listening. It soothes the soul, man.
5. You realize how small you are and how small the world is. Being in a foreign city makes you feel tiny. Any ounce of ego you feel will go away. I think that’s a beautiful thing. And looking at a map, figuring out where to travel next, makes the world seem so small and accessible. I’ve never wanted to travel so much until I felt that sense of smallness.
6. You HAVE to deal with yourself. You can’t be self-hating if you’re alone. I mean you can, but it’s not healthy OR fun. You learn how to love yourself, because you’re the only person there to love. You deal with your faults, your messes, awesome traits, bad traits, awkwardness… I’ve learned more about myself in these past few weeks than I have in a while…    and that’s incredible to me.

 
Those are just a few things out of SO many. I’m sure I’ll talk about it more in a later post. But, I highly recommend taking a small trip by yourself and having some time with yourself. It can do crazy things.
Do any of you have experiences travelling alone? Thoughts?