First of all, a very Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating , and a Happy Holiday season to all you readers out there! This year, I am solo for my first holiday.
From Manhattan to Monaco, Mumbai to Montreal, I traveled far and wide and did it all… Solo!… But my first holiday–alone?
It started slowly hitting home in France, but once I got to Paris where snow and glazzle and dazzle could be found galore– it hit– my first holiday alone. It’s not exactly the most fun without your family during the holidays, but I am grateful to have a room of my own for the next two weeks as I plan for the year ahead. Coincidentally, I am in the exact position I was over two months ago. I think they call that ‘coming full-circle.’
It’s a lot colder now and there’s been record snowfall in Holland so far this season. I don’t really mind as I stay inside all day hibernating. The sense of place I feel when coming here gives me an extreme amount of confidence as I look back on the obvious progress I’ve made in the past few months. Where, most of the time, I was also solo. I really think it made a difference.
See my list below to learn why you need to go solo.
There are moments where I find myself, most likely, with a friend I’ve had for years or perhaps a friend I’d traveled with before who feels like a life-long friend after having hitting the road together. These are people who tend to really “get me,” who can pick things up after years without noticing, and with whom I can be at my absolute craziest without even getting a flinch. These are people who have also occasionally driven me crazy from just spending too much time tethered together. Because, as we all know:
too much of a good thing is, well… not good anymore. That’s when I say… Adios, Amigo!…
… and then I strap on the bag and keep on keepin’ on! Here’s a pilgrim’s list to:
Traveling Solo: Really, you need to give it a try…*When traveling, I need my own personal space, both physically and mentally. Otherwise I can never completely focus on the “me” time I need on the road dedicated to self-reflection, growth, and just some time to ‘charge the batteries.’
*I need to make decisions for myself on my own terms. How can you really get to know yourself if you’re invited to that party by a cute local, but have brought a girlfriend/boyfriend along for the ride? Unless the trip is meant to test your tolerance of each other, ditch the weighty baggage at home.
*I need the absence of another dependable person in order to test and improve my independence, sense of personal accomplishment, and responsibility being on the road transforms in you.
*I don’t have anybody but myself to blame if something seemingly goes “wrong.” At least I can only be upset with myself, and avoid the fighting altogether.
The fact of the matter is that I almost never feel lonely on the road! And if I did ever decide to feel that way, it would actually be fairly difficult to find a place to go where I could be alone with my thoughts.
The good news is that I have been invited to spend today with my friend who works with addicted and homeless groups here in Rotterdam. We’ll have a simple meal at the apartment (he’s also my current flatmate) and then go spend some quality time with other people perhaps in need of an ear. I find it a fitting plan for celebrating the end of this year.
I’ve been thinking a lot about simple living lately. It was this year, in fact, that I spent the majority of my time living with only the shirt on my back. (and sometimes my backpack…) It was also this year I spent the most time alone with myself; whether on mountain-tops in wilderness to hotel rooms in metropolitan cities. Moving on planes, on trains, on automobiles, and even by foot and ‘fiets!’ (what the Dutch refer to as a bicycle)
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