No one to travel with? No problem.
Someone once asked me how I avoid getting lonely when travelling or hiking alone. I had to say, I am not sure this is something I have ever experienced on the road.
For an introvert, choosing to be alone and enjoying that solitude is a privilege.
And as a bonus, it makes planning so much easier. No one to worry about other than yourself.
Long flights are a gift.
My longest flight ever was 14 hours long.
No email, no phone calls, no Facebook. Just endless time to read, write, listen to music and think.
You can easily meet new people … when you want to.
Travelling alone (especially as a woman) is often an invitation for others to approach you.
This isn’t necessarily an unwelcome thing. Introverts are not shy or socially awkward. Social interactions just take a lot of energy so we choose carefully.
I’ve never had more heartful connections with strangers in my life than when I walked the Camino de Santiago alone. And one of the beautiful things about the Camino was that when I felt socially tired, it was easy to say “Buen Camino” and move on.
You make lasting friendships.
One of the completely unexpected joys of my two week trip to India earlier this year was getting to know one of the people on the tour very well.
This meant I spent a little more time having long conversations and less time running around seeing lots of sights and meetings lots of people.
But I’m heading back soon for India round two for a visit — and it’s not to check out the forts I missed.
You want to know places deeply.
Introverts seek depth over breadth.
We aren’t likely keep checklists of the places we’ve been. Just like with people, we want to build deep relationships with the ones that bring us the most joy.
This means we come back to our favourite places over and over again. Here is one example of three of my visits to the same remote wilderness trail in about 8 weeks. Each time was a little different and it only made me want to go back again.