I do enjoy taking my daughter to new places and seeing her experience things for the first time, and seeing her enjoy herself and her life. I wouldn't want to miss out on a single instance of that.

But there are also many times where I would prefer to travel alone. In the last several years, I've had to travel alone for work and while I didn't expect to enjoy it at first, I ended up realizing that it suits me very well.

Some of the reasons why I prefer to travel alone...

  1. Saves money! This is definitely the case when you are part of a couple or a family (which is my scenario) and usually have to cover expenses for more than just yourself. The only exception to this is when you're travelling with friends who will split costs with you - especially the lodging costs which are often very expensive.
  2. Maximize time! You don't have to wait on anyone else. You don't have to wait on others to get ready for the day or deal with their personal matters. If others are slower than you and pokey, it won't affect you at all.
  3. Maximize activities! You don't have to begrudgingly participate in activities you are not interested in because others want to. Your itinerary is 100% up to you and no compromises are necessary except for scheduling and timing.
  4. Make new friends! When you're travelling with your own family or clique, it's very easy to silo yourself within your current group. When travelling alone however, you're more likely to strike up conversations with others that share your same interests, and meet new people who could possibly evolve into friendships!
  5. Great for self-confidence! You're solving your own problems, planning your own schedule and activities, figuring out a new place all on your own, and you learn to LOVE your own company!
  6. Indulge in selfishness! Imagine doing what you want, when you want, EATING what you want, and being as lazy or as active as you'd like. This is the ultimate "Me Time".

So that's my current list of reasons to travel alone. Perhaps I'll come up with more reasons to add later. But what do you all think about travelling alone? Have you tried it yet? Do you want to try it?