Solitude is frequently depicted as a solo traveler’s necessary evil or a hollow that can be stuffed with playlists and Facebook likes. But really solitude is one of the most important instruments on the solo traveler’s tool belt. With the absence of the opinions of others, it is easier to listen to your own. Your thoughts have no interruptions, your feelings are stripped of their disguise, and your habits are laid out in full view. You may feel uneasy with this at first, but the uneasiness is precisely what allows you to orient.
When in new environments, solitude heightens your sensitivity. You are more aware of noise, body language, and shifts in mood. Without having your attention held by conversation, you are more sensitive to your surroundings. This sensitivity will aid in your discernment, particularly in situations where discernment is necessary. Solitude sensitizes you without leaving you sensitive. It shows you how to remain open without leaving you a puddle of mush. This balance is critical to navigating the unfamiliar without panic.
In an effort to ameliorate the uneasiness of solitude, travelers will fill the space with anything. They will watch endless amounts of Netflix, keep up with all the gossip from back home, and take as many tours as they can. While this will mitigate the immediate symptoms of uneasiness, it lessens the traveler’s ability to develop a center. It is difficult to feel present when you are constantly distracting yourself. One of the greatest benefits of solo travel is that it offers the perfect environment in which to practice presence. By letting the space of solitude exist, you will learn to manage your emotional state.
As you become more comfortable with solitude, it will begin to shift from something you endure to something you actually enjoy. It will become a point of stability in an otherwise chaotic existence. When you experience a flight delay or unfamiliar customs or any instance of vulnerability, you will not feel quite so thrown as you would if you were terrified of being alone with your thoughts and feelings. Enjoying your solitude does not mean you are antisocial. In fact, it will allow you to be far more social when you do decide to engage with other people. You will no longer seek out validation or affirmation when you engage in conversation.
The benefits of learning how to orient with solitude do not stop with solo travel. They will permeate into every area of your life. You will make better decisions. You will be more emotionally resilient. You will become far less dependent on structure. Solo travel is a powerful means of cultivating this skill as it offers daily opportunities to practice. As you learn, the road will teach you that solitude is not a void, but an opening. Once you have cultivated it as such, you will carry your own north star wherever you may go.
