Traveling Alone

I have a close friend who loves to make travel arrangements. We will discuss taking a trip and next thing I know she has chosen the destination and made all the plans. Now I normally love this, it is very easy for me and my friend picks great places to go. This year however I set out to take some trips by myself. Instead of saying I can't go somewhere because I don't want to go alone, I am going. On my first venture I went to a week end workshop in Kansas City. Not the most adventuresome or exotic but I like to start with small steps. At first I felt very alone and wishing I was at home, but I allowed myself to open to the experience. I stayed after the first evening lecture and talked to different people instead of going back to my room. The second day I made sure that I met new people, sharing meals with them and joining a group for a walk. I found the people I had met the evening before and continued to build new friendships. By the end of the week end I had met many interesting people and felt like I had new friends, some I hated to leave. When I was driving back to the airport, I felt so different from what I was feeling a few days earlier. I felt strong and whole instead of alone and afraid. Now I don't have to wait for my friend to make all the arrangements. My next solo trip will be next month. I am going to a convention in Salt Lake City. I will be meeting up with people that I have only met once or twice and spending five days with them. I feel like I am really opening up for a new experience and I know that my state of mind will make all the difference. I have learned that to make a successful solo journey you have to push beyond the boundaries normally set for yourself. Be open and willing to see things from a new perspective and talk to as many people as possible. You will find yourself having a lot of fun and experience situations in a whole new way.

Written by Marilyn Joy

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Photo {Flickr-Brooklyn Museum}