Solo Travelling

Travel transforms us beautifully, whether we journey with others or alone.

Traveling with a partner adds joy through shared stories and meaningful connections.

Solo travel, on the other hand, offers a deeper opportunity for self-discovery. It’s a chance to connect with ourselves in the truest, most profound way, creating experiences that shape and inspire us.

"Travel far enough, you meet yourself." - David Mitchell

Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Muhammad, Guru Nanak Dev, Gautam Buddha, Gandhi, Vivekananda, Ibn Battuta, Saint Francis of Assisi, and many other great figures journeyed alone in search of something greater.

The solitude and introspection that solo travel offers enable individuals to connect with their higher purpose, transforming their journeys into profound crucibles of self-discovery and transformation.

However, an ordinary solo traveler is often met with questions like: 'Why are you traveling alone? Why not with your partner or family?' These are natural questions, rooted in the norms most people know. Traveling with others is seen as the standard—familiar, shared, and purposeful. Many wonder, 'How can you enjoy being alone?'

But the real question is: Why are you traveling? What do you hope to gain from the experience?

If the goal is to escape a busy routine or collect memories for the sake of saying, 'been there, done that,' traveling with others makes perfect sense. Shared journeys create lasting bonds and joyful stories.

However, if travel is a sacred journey—one of self-discovery, devotion to nature, or a pilgrimage into the depths of your heart—then traveling solo offers a unique path. It allows for reflection, transformation, and the pursuit of existential truths. It connects you with like-minded individuals and opens doors to exchanging ideas that can shape your perspective.

As Napoleon Bonaparte said, 'Solitude is the price of greatness.'

A solo traveler almost always emerges transformed. The experience invites introspection, uncovering qualities and insights that often lie dormant. It fosters wisdom, compassion, and clarity. From the chaos of urban life to the serenity of solitude, solo travel provides a profound journey into mental wellness and self-awareness.

In a previous post, 'How to Think Clearly,' I mentioned that our best ideas often emerge in the early morning, during walks, in the shower, or while immersed in nature. Solo travel is like an extended version of this—a fertile ground for ORIGINAL THINKING and a tonic for the mind.

Solo traveling is not just an adventure; it’s a transformative journey that reshapes character, broadens perspectives, and deepens our understanding of ourselves and the world. ¹

"The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready." - Henry David Thoreau

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1. PS: I am compiling a list of some interesting trails that one may hike on. I’d appreciate your inputs in making this list more comprehensive. Here is my initial list:

USA

1. Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California

2. Angel's Landing, Zion National Park, Utah

3. The Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah

4. Mount Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine

Canada

1. Plain of Six Glaciers, Banff National Park, Alberta

2. Skyline Trail, Jasper National Park, Alberta

3. West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

4. Fundy Footpath, New Brunswick

South America

1. Salkantay Trek, Peru

2. Patagonia - Torres del Paine Circuit, Chile. You can do the longer - O Circuit, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

3. The Lost City Trek, Colombia

India

1. Roopkund Trek, Uttarakhand

2. Chadar Trek, Ladakh

3. Goechala Trek, Sikkim

4. Treks in the Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

5. Great lakes of Kashmir Trek

Europe

1. Tour du Mont Blanc, France/Italy/Switzerland

2. Laugavegur Trail, Iceland

3. West Highland Way, Scotland

Bhutan

1. Druk Path Trek

2. Snowman Trek - This is one of the toughest treks in the world and goes through high-altitude passes and remote Himalayan landscapes