Traveling in general can be an anxiety-filled, scary endeavor. But traveling alone...now that's another story.
This past weekend, I traveled to Barcelona for a couple days as a solo traveler. I had never traveled alone to a foreign city before, so I was of course nervous.
People told me that solo traveling is nice because you don't need to rely on others and can go your own way. They made it seem glamorous. So I set out on an adventure to see what was really "up" with solo travel.
What did I find? It's not all it's cracked up to be, but it is remarkable.
Confusing, right? Let me walk you through it.
Glamorous is not the word I would use to describe solo travel. Courageous. That is the word I would use.
Friends and folks on social media paint this picture of solo travel as being a care-free, worry-free experience. Like other travelers just weigh you down and you'll NEVER EVER be able to do what you want if you travel with other people.
Ok, relax. That's pretty dramatic. I think those with that attitude are traveling with the wrong people. But I get that on the smaller scale. Yes, traveling alone allows you to go to every restaurant or site-seeing place you wanted without other opinions weighing you down. That's the great part! But then comes the eating alone and site-seeing alone...and I don't know about any of you, but sharing experiences with others/friends is what makes them special to me, not the things themselves.
No, these weren't the pros I found to be the greatest when I solo traveled, but I did find one big one!
Courage.
I felt like I took a few steps forward into the mystical land of Courage during my trip to Barcelona.
I once heard that courage isn't the absence of fear, but that it is being bold enough to look fear in the face and walk right past it. Almost every thought I had and action I took on this trip forced me to be courageous and walk right past the fear.
I could have meandered around with my headphones in, clinging to the security of not talking to anyone, holding my purse close, and going about my own business. That would have been okay. But did I want "okay"? No, I wanted awesome.
So instead, I chose to branch out. I did this in a couple ways:
I downloaded group meetup apps. I used an app to meet Barcelona Expats who made my nights so much more fun. Yes, using an app to meet people may seem strange and inorganic, but I compare it to The Force in Star Wars - if you use it for good, it ain't no thang! In particular, I used the Meetup App. I read about it on another guy's blog who also solo traveled in Barcelona, and I am so glad I did. Like him, I'm not one to enjoy going out to dinner or drinks alone for every meal for the whole trip. So this helped. There are tons of different groups offering yoga classes, happy hours, dance lessons - you name it! Basically whatever you are interested in, they have a group for. I joined the International Meeting Group 2.0 and they have an event almost every night. On Thursday, they hosted an event at Polaroid Bar in Barcelona. I ended up meeting two guys from California, an aspiring chef from Costa Rica, another guy from Peru, and two native Barcelonians who just happened to be at the same bar. We all ended up going to a fun club after and connected on social media for whenever we might see each other again!
Talk to people. Yes, I actually opened my mouth and spoke to people. They didn't think I was a freak, creepy, or weird (well, to be fair...probably not). From the moment I arrived in my hostel, I choose to introduce myself to others if I saw them around a few times, rather than keep to myself. This actually sparked some interesting conversation: I met up with one of the solo travelers I met and we explored the city a bit together; I also got good food recommendations from another who was waiting for her boyfriend to arrive the next day. This may seem small, but forming these connections changed the course of my day and made me feel more welcome in the city.
But each of these actions were not a piece of cake. They required effort. Action and consciousness. I had to be intentional. Good times weren't going to just fall at my feet!
It took several conversations in my head to convince myself to speak up and say hi.
It took a conscious effort to accept being happy when walking around alone.
When I spoke up and said hi? Amazing things happened. I connected with people. I was challenged. The course of my life was changed. It's not as grandiose as it sounds, and it's a lot less noticeable in real life, but reflecting on it in hindsight makes you realize how magical it was.
When I decided to be happy alone? I grew up a little. It's not easy to make your own happiness, especially if you usually (unknowingly) rely on people all day long to make you laugh, smile, or cry. But happiness with who you are in the new place you explore takes guts. I felt like I gained some guts those days.
Not all moments in solo travel are fireworks. They're not all peaches and cream. I wanted to make sure everyone knew that truth.
But the far greater truth is that when you do travel alone, you take a step forward in your life to a different you. A greater you.
Now isn't that worth a shot?