Traveling Alone

I love to travel. It doesn't have to be extravagant at all. I just like to go somewhere and get to know the place a little better than I did before. Traveling with family is wonderful for strengthening bonds. Few things cause me to laugh quite like a trip with a small set of good friends. Despite the positive aspects of traveling with a group, I'm discovering that there are benefits to traveling alone.

• No itinerary is required. When I travel with family, it is certain that the responsibility of scheduling our activities will fall to me. Partially this is because I'm pretty good at it. The other reason is that no one else really wants to deal with the headache of trying to please everyone. While traveling alone, there is no agenda because spontaneity is the rule of the trip.
• I don't have to worry about upsetting someone. For some reason, whenever I travel with friends, someone gets upset. Somehow I didn't make my plans for the trip clear from the outset and now you're upset because you didn't listen. (Hmmm.....I'm specifically thinking about trips to NYC and Hawaii here.) When traveling alone, I get to be as selfish as I want -- without condemnation -- because the only person impacted by my plans (or lack of them) is me!
• The trip can be exactly what I need. Most recently, I returned to Pigeon Forge by myself. In one of my past visits, my main concern was fun. I was in the amusement park and acting like a kid. Another visit was simply a chance to hibernate. I spent the majority of my time in the hotel reading, watching television, and sleeping. This visit was all about relaxed exploration. I checked out shops I had avoided in the past, visited new restaurants, and took a long, winding drive through the mountains.
• Messiness is perfectly acceptable. Laundry covers the floor. My books, papers, and tablet are strewn about the hotel room. It looks as though my suitcase exploded. Here's the great news . . . it doesn't matter because no one will see it except me (and housekeeping)!