The Joys of Solo Travel
Last Sunday, I received a very important text from one of my close friends: “The Holiday is on TV.” Of course, I turned it on immediately. Who can resist some Nancy Meyers as the week comes to an end? Gorgeous actors, witty dialogue, perfect sweaters… The Holiday has it all. The movie started a debate in our group chat: Is it too idealistic? Do you prefer Cameron Diaz’s or Kate Winslet’s storyline? But we came to the same conclusion: it’s nice to think that taking some time off can be so healing.
Earlier that evening, I’d returned from a solo trip myself. Granted, it was quite different from the trips taken by Cameron and Kate. For starters, it was a work trip, and instead of immersing myself in someone else’s life, I spent the weekend in an empty hotel* (and I say that literally. The only other guests there were the owner and his girlfriend) with only myself as company. With nothing but miles of beach around me, the chances of running into the local version of Jude Law were quite slim… but that was actually perfect.
My very own swimming pool.
Traveling on my own has always been one of my favorite things to do. The first perk is obvious: you get to build a schedule entirely around your wishes –as ridiculous as they might be. If you want to visit every single record store in town; have pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; or –gasp!– skip that major museum everyone says you have to go to, who’s there to judge you?
But there’s something even better than being completely selfish, and that’s hanging out with yourself. Some people find this terrifying because, let’s face it, sometimes we want to go on vacation precisely because we want to escape those voices inside our heads, which is completely fine. But eventually, we have to talk to them, and doing it while lying on the beach or walking around some cool little town might be the best way to start that conversation.
Empty chairs, open bar.
During this particular trip, I had the chance to chat with myself about some stuff that had been bringing me down over the past couple of months. This was definitely easier to do while lounging by the pool with a drink in my hand than sitting on my desk at work, trying to concentrate on editing and answering emails and staying sane at the same time.
Of course, not all trips need to be individualistic or therapeutic. Sometimes you end up meeting new people and have the most randomly amazing experiences –but that’s a topic for another day. For now, I’ll just say this: it’s not like all of my doubts and concerns magically faded away over the weekend, but the load definitely felt a lot lighter when I got back home.
Better than a therapist’s office.
*The hotel is the lovely Lo Sereno in Troncones, Guerrero.
*all photos by the author.
Thanks for reading,
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