Traveling Solo: Discover Yourself Instead of Someone Else.
It is the ultimate test of whether she is independent, fearless, complete. Many women claim to be whole, until they have to do something all by themselves. Faced with the daunting prospect of having to be alone, even for a weekend, they are immediately turned off.
But what exactly is the turn-off here? Having to face oneself? The realization, that she cannot bear the thought of seeing the sights, navigating a foreign city, or having lunch solo? Or is it the feeling of loneliness that overcomes everyone the very first time they wake up alone in unfamiliar surroundings?
Over the years, I have mentored many women through their single life, and can’t count the times a woman has looked me straight in the eye, and declared that she very much is capable, independent and complete. Yet, when I challenge her to check into a B&B for a weekend, she looks at me in horror when I tell her, that she cannot bring a girlfriend.
Yet, traveling solo is exactly the thing that liberates dependent women from fear. And it is that one test that determines whether she is who she claims to be. This test is very telling in who she is in a relationship or a friendship. If she needs people as a crutch, she needs a man for validation, tremendous amounts of attention, and someone to complete her.
Developing the skill of traveling alone is a process of self-discovery. It allows us to learn to appreciate ourselves, instead of someone else. It builds confidence, kills fear, and it is on the opposite spectrum of pathetic loneliness.
I have encountered so many women who believe that traveling alone makes them feel pitiful. What will people think if they see me having dinner alone? They will think you are capable, comfortable in you own skin, self assured. Does anyone ask a man this question?
It is the 21st century. The younger generation of women is fearless, confident, ballsy, and self-aware. Without a man at their side, and without a gaggle of girlfriends, they are learning to rock-climb, they are trekking on foot to Machu Pichu, teaching themselves how to surf, backpacking the country’s national parks. For them, life is an adventure, and who are you as a person, if you can’t face yourself?
S