Stage 3: Alone
ALONE
Out of all the states that we will travel to, traveling alone usually brings up the most trepidation in people. To many, that idea seems as foreign as the places they want to travel to. Why would you do anything alone? Why not just wait for someone? But that underlying fear might be because solitude is often misinterpreted as loneliness. Both mental states are present but we only have to entertain one. When we travel alone, we have conversations with ourselves that we can’t have when others are around.
It offers a clear connection between our inner monologue and the solitude teaches us how to talk back. We could drown in a pool of our own loneliness or feel emboldened by the solitude.
We will discuss:
Why we fear traveling alone.
Why traveling alone is scary.
How to overcome traveling alone.
Why traveling alone isn’t lonely.
What is the difference between loneliness and being alone?
Loneliness is a mental state.
How to have fun while traveling alone.
Why traveling alone is more fun than traveling with others.
How to make friends while traveling.
How to make friends while abroad.
How to be a solo female traveler.
Why solo female travel is important.
Why traveling alone is good for you.
How traveling alone fixes loneliness.
Why traveling alone is empowering.
Why being a solo female traveler is empowering.
How to love traveling alone.
Featured Guests
Andrew McGill
We often travel to escape our own loneliness. That is what Andrew McGill, an NYC comic and storytelling, did. As a twenty-four year old, Andrew kept testing out what he wanted his life to be like. Be a lawyer? A teacher? He’s always wanted to do comedy so....
But the frustration around picking a path that felt right was too much. He needed space from his existential dilemma. Maybe if he got on a plane, he would be a different person. One with more direction, more confidence.
But like anyone trying to run away from their problems, Andrew found that his issues didn’t stay in Brooklyn when he got on the plane to Japan.
Julia Bainbridge
Loneliness is part of the human condition. But it sometimes plagues others so much they don’t get defeated by it, they get curious. That is how journalist and writer Julia Bainbridge started her podcast on loneliness. The Lonely Hour explores the branches of being alone. From finding purpose in loneliness to joy in solitude, Julia aims to defang the idea that being alone is somehow a scary state.
In this episode, I have her explain the range of experiences that orbit the loneliness phenomenon and how she has learned to sit happily in her solitude while traveling.
Check out the Lonely Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Although it is a heavy topic, you never feel lighter after listening.
My Normal Gay Life
Jose loves his husband, he will tell you flat out. But he finds that there is a particular freedom to traveling alone. No need to wait for someone else to get ready. Or compromise on what to do. Or even argue on where to go for coffee. The writer of My Normal Gay Life has found that when he travels alone, he has more agency to do what he pleases.
And when you are on your own, the universe tends to reward your boldness. Jose discovered that he has had the most spontaneous adventure, made more unexpected friendships when he has had to leave his hubby at home.
Jose finds that travel is the quickest way to adventure, and that we tend to be more brazen without someone else holding us back.
Adventurous Kate
Kate McCulley has always wanted to have an adventurous life. And little did she know that one backpacking trip to Southeast Asia would upend everything she believed about what life should look like. 10 years later and 83 countries under her belt, Kate has lived up to her blog's name. Nevertheless, as a woman who travels solo, Kate has come up against the unwarranted microaggressions and misperceptions when it comes to being a woman on the road. Together, we dissect what it is like to be a solo female traveler and how gender shouldn’t inhibit living life to the fullest.
Resources:
Hidden Brain: Male Loneliness
New York Times: Understanding Different Kinds of Loneliness
New York Times: Is Loneliness a Health Epidemic?
Strangers Abroad is a travel podcast hosted by solo female traveler and storyteller, Adrien Behn.