Everyone has a dream. For me, it is to take a trip…completely by myself. I want to pack my bag, get on an airplane, and visit a city totally alone. To some people that sounds like a complete nightmare. Not to me, though. The idea of travelling solo has always intrigued me. It’s not that I don’t love travelling with my family or close friends. I do! However, the older I’ve gotten, the more that I find myself dreaming about travelling without them.
Why? Vacations are a great way to get away from it all. You can unwind, take in the sights, and experience something totally new and exciting. Unfortunately, when you travel with other people, you don’t always get the vacation that you want. Say you would love to spend the day visiting a castle or taking a tour of a museum. The rest of your group may want to lie around at the hotel and watch TV all day long. At some point, sacrifices and compromises will have to be made. It is just par for the course! Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I would love to take a trip by myself.
The last time I tried to seek a little independence during a trip was when I last visited New York City. I went there for a quick three-day stint with my entire family. We were there to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary. The entire trip, all I wanted to do was spend an afternoon wandering around Central Park by myself and writing. I wanted to people watch. I wanted to fill a notebook with every random thought and soak in the inspiration that the city gave me. I was absolutely desperate to have a little time to myself. There was nothing I wanted more than to finally experience the city the way that I wanted to.
So, instead of doing what everyone else wanted day after day, I put my foot down and went to Central Park. Unfortunately, my afternoon in the park ended up causing a giant fight…. and I wound up with a mere twenty minutes to myself. But here’s the thing about those twenty minutes: they were the highlight of my trip. I got be alone with my thoughts and write about everything I saw. That, to me, was the dream. Even though it caused a little friction between my siblings and I (who had no faith that I wouldn’t get mugged, shot, or killed), it was worth it. My time in Central Park renewed my desire to travel alone.
Truthfully, I’m not entirely sure what travelling alone would actually be like. Maybe I would get lonely being by myself for a week. I may even curse myself for having such a silly, foolish idea. On the other hand, I may just have an incredible experience to remember for years to come. More than anything, I just want the chance to find out! Good or bad, it doesn’t really matter. I have a dream of travelling alone…and I know that it won’t go away until I actually do it. Fingers crossed that one day I’ll get the chance – and the courage.