Here’s Why You Should Take A Trip Alone At Least Once In Your Lifetime

The level of anxiety that I felt during my first trip to the airport alone was almost too much.

Where is my boarding pass? Am I going the right way? Where was my gate again?

A constant checklist ran through my mind while I desperately tried to look like I had it all together. The only solace I had was knowing that when I landed, my friends would be waiting there for me.

But what happens when I don’t have friends waiting for me?

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This week, at 30 years old, I took a solo trip for the first time, and while I was admittedly nervous, here is why I recommend it if you haven’t done it already.

On Tuesday morning, I headed to Logan Airport to take a flight to Atlanta, where I would be spending the next five days alone. I decided to take this trip for a few reasons.

For starters, it was a very cool opportunity to cover an MMA show as a journalist, and I couldn’t pass it up. But the other reason was because I wanted to see if I could actually enjoy my own company. I knew that I would make acquaintances with the other reporters and meet some new people, but the majority of the time was going to be spent with me, myself and I, and that is something I don’t do very often.

Taking this trip on my own was a nice little test to see how comfortable I am with myself. In the midst of the violence that mixed martial arts can typically bring, I was finding peace in my own company and that was like a breath of fresh air.

I have spent my life craving the company of other people. I’m an extrovert in that sense, and this solo trip was a nice little reminder that alone time can be healthy.

I did things on my own time and on my own terms. I slept late, ate what I wanted when I wanted and binge-watched trashy television, all the while shocked at the fact that I wasn’t completely and totally bored.

So, if you are considering taking a trip by yourself, I say go for it. You might just find that it's what you need to ground yourself in an otherwise busy-body world.

Happy traveling!