How Solo Travel Can Transform Your Life
Traveling on your own can sound a little intimidating, and I’m here to tell you how it could be one of the most incredible experiences of your life.
I went from avoiding alone time all together to traveling to 3 different countries on my own in a matter of a year. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE traveling with friends and family, but there is something uniquely special about taking the leap of faith in going to a destination without the comfort of someone you know walking along side of you.
In this blog post, I’m going to share the 5 most valuable and life changing lessons I learned through my experience as a solo traveler.
· Finding a deeper connection with yourself
· The feeling of being ever present in the moment
· Trusting your emotional guidance system (aka your intuition)
· Letting go of self-limiting beliefs
· The value of taking time to do exactly what feels right for YOU
So, if you’ve been asking yourself what it would be like taking a solo vacation, you are in the right place!
Even just one year ago taking a solo vacation was no where near my thought process. Through a journey of self-discovery and personal development I realized I was uncomfortable with being alone because I had never pushed myself to try it. I decided I needed to move past my limits, and with little to no planning I booked a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!
It wasn’t until I stepped off the airplane in Mexico that the reality of my decision set in. I had just traveled to a different country (while worrying my entire family) 100% ON MY OWN! After a moment of “oh sh*t, what did I do” the adrenaline kicked in and my confidence lit on fire.
The walk through customs and to the shuttle was sort of like a movie for me, almost like an out of body experience. I hadn’t even left the airport and the experience had already been exhilarating.
When I got to my hotel, I threw my suitcase on the bed, turned my music up as loud as it would go, took a deep breath and had of one of the deepest moments of love and compassion for myself I had ever had in my life. I felt proud for doing something daring, something that most people will never experience in a lifetime. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my time but I knew that every second was going to be spent with love.
Traveling alone gives you so much clarity. It’s a different kind of clarity than just spending an evening at home alone. Your endorphins are raging, you’re in a new unfamiliar place and unless you talk to a complete stranger, the only person that is there for you is yourself. Trust me, you will learn things about yourself that you didn’t know existed.
Over my time there I did whatever I felt like doing in each and every moment. I ate whatever food sounded good, went to the beach, stayed as long as I wanted to, made new friends, walked around aimlessly, took myself on a sunset cruise, and explored different areas. I did things I wouldn’t normally do, like jumping into a water aerobics class. And while I knew I looked like a complete dork I had the simplest but most powerful breakthrough into realizing that there is no reason to worry about what other people think of you or what you look like as long as you’re having fun.
When you don’t have another person around to rely on, you have no choice but to trust yourself. I felt more in tune with my intuition than ever before. I knew that any decision I made was solely on me and that it would be a day or so before anyone knew if something went wrong and because of that I took care of myself in a way that I had never done before.
I was kind to myself, I felt free, I was able to disconnect from the rest of the world and connect with myself. It was quiet at times, peaceful but I never felt alone.
It taught me that you are your friend first, that you don’t always need someone else around. In fact, spending time alone is extremely important for a healthy mindset. And while everyone’s breakthroughs will be different, I promise you will have them and you will come home having a deeper connection with who you are on a soul level.
Most of us love our family and friends more than anything in the entire world and if we truly love and accept ourselves for everything that we are, we will be able to give them everything they deserve. So, it is okay to put yourself first sometimes.
I hope this inspires you to get to know yourself on a deeper level and if you take that solo trip make sure to tag me on Instagram @cosmic.alchemy.corae so we can celebrate taking the leap of faith into the unknown!
With love and light,
CC
