People seem to fear loneliness. And I mean, fair enough. But when it comes to solo trips, I think it is only an excuse because personally, I feel much less lonely doing something than just wasting time by myself or in a bad company. Moreover, solo trips have so many advantages! I’ll try to explain using my very first real solo trip to Edinburgh.
Firstly, you get to manage your own time.
I love mornings (I didn’t use to). I’m the most productive, the most active, the most observant and perceptive, in short, ready to take on the day (after, indeed, an hour of waking up nice and slowly). But not everyone is like this. So when you go somewhere with other people, you need to compromise. However, if you decide to take a train at 6 to Edinburgh by yourself, there’s no one stopping you from doing that. And may I say, walking down the deserted streets in the morning fog has something to it.
You get to choose what to do.
Quite similar to my first point, but everyone is different and not everyone likes going from one museum to another or going to restaurants (team #PackedLunch all the way). In my case, after exploring the city a bit, I decided to visit the National Museum of Scotland and Scottish National Gallery. The museum has something for everyone, from history of fashion to East-Asian art, to nature, to technology and more. Truly a gem. But the best part is that there is a special area for freak like Yours Truly who bring packed lunch everywhere! To see everything, you could spend the whole day there, after all. The gallery was quite large, too, with some big names.
You can tailor it to your budget.
I am a student, after all, so I definitely want to save as much money as possible. Lucky me, both above-mentioned activities, a visit to the cathedral and walking tour were free and my return ticket from Newcastle was less than £20. So the whole trip was about 20 quid, but the experience was worth much more.
You focus on different things.
Spending time alone, you have no one else to entertain you, you get creative, you focus on your surroundings, on the strangers, on your thoughts, on your feelings, or maybe on the ever-changing Edinburgh weather (four seasons in one day, I’m telling you) or a random broken bike on the side of the road. The sky is the limit. And I found it so relaxing that I could even say it’s some kind of meditation.
Yes, going with friends is fun too, but if you haven’t done so yet, this is absolutely your sign to go on a trip, however far or close, short or long, by yourself.
