Recently one of my friends had her very first experience traveling by herself. I remember when we  met up for lunch and we ended up chatting about the experience of being alone. She was telling me about all these signs that she was seeing about her life and how she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay where she was at with her career or if she needed to make a change. From there we talked about her experience of going to New Orleans by herself and how she went from being nervous to being excited. I told her about my experiences and how I really think that being by yourself is an important part of someone's life. 

When your by yourself you get to learn who you are. You get some time with your thoughts and you get to see what you would be like if to not only yourself but to complete strangers. For the past three years I have been traveling on and off by myself and because of that I have met some incredible people who have changed my life. I have friends in states all across the country and its because I took a chance and went somewhere completely on my own. 

I told her what to slightly expect and to just be open minded when you’re by yourself. Sometimes as women we let the stereotypes that traveling by your self is some type of taboo. Really it’s nothing different from a man traveling on his own. IT just means you have to be aware of your surroundings and be aware of where you are at all times. She agreed that the stereotype was part of her initial nervousness but as she got closer to her departure date she knew that she needed this trip. 

Fast forward to a few weeks later and I got a report that she absolutely loved it. She had such a blast and she got to experience so many things by being alone. She got to do what she wanted, when she wanted and she didn’t have to report to anybody. I remember her texting me and telling me how much she loved the experience and wanted to do it again. 

I think it’s important for some people to experience being by alone somewhere. I think it helps us develop and become better as not only a person but as a species. For me it helps me see things in a new way and I get to get away from everyone and everything I know and be put in a situation that will help me grow. 

It makes my heart sour that my friend got to experience the life that I want to live and that she loved the experience. Sometimes being an influence to others is so nice and rewarding. I hope that she will continue to take some trips by herself and continue to grow. After all growing is an essential part of being a human being.