> For example, weeks of overseas travel where nobody knows him and he doesn't talk much are great fun for him.
I've lived the solo traveler lifestyle for nearly 4 years and I think this fits the portrait of most other solo travelers that I've encountered. But there's a bit more to it.
The article talks of solitude vs loneliness. I think that the word solitude does not even do enough justice to that longing. I've had people ask me if I don't feel lonely by traveling the way I do and what I answer is that I feel free. Freedom is the term that describes this state with the most accuracy.
In my experience solo travelers are comfortable socializing as long as their freedom is not threatened. For instance, I've resided in guesthouses where other travelers would stay for extended periods, weeks, months, sometimes years even. Similarly I've worked in coworking spaces where I've met other solo travelers. In all such instances they connect with others, engage in and even organize events and gatherings, etc. The bonds are genuine and can even be quite profound, like meeting a kindred spirit. A little community can effectively form. A community of people, sometimes alone, together. There's an implicit understanding though that we're just sharing a moment, people don't impose their agenda onto you. If you don't feel like joining the hiking party to the lake, you can just stay home with little guilt other than what you might be missing out on. Else strap on your boots and off you go. but Everyone has their own path and is writing their own story. You're the only one to know when it's time for you to close a chapter and start a new one. And when the time comes and you announce to friends that you feel like moving on to new adventures, nobody wonders why. People just get you. It's your time to go. Come departure day, hugs and kisses are exchanged, contact information shared, tentative plans to reconnect in some tentative future and place are made, all with no guarantee or obligation. Then it's Godspeed and Happy Trails to you!
I've also witnessed the bitterness that can develop when such solo travelers find themselves paired up for extended periods with someone who does not share those independent inclinations. Which could be what "Alice" was labeling a weakness.
I've lived the solo traveler lifestyle for nearly 4 years and I think this fits the portrait of most other solo travelers that I've encountered. But there's a bit more to it.
The article talks of solitude vs loneliness. I think that the word solitude does not even do enough justice to that longing. I've had people ask me if I don't feel lonely by traveling the way I do and what I answer is that I feel free. Freedom is the term that describes this state with the most accuracy.
In my experience solo travelers are comfortable socializing as long as their freedom is not threatened. For instance, I've resided in guesthouses where other travelers would stay for extended periods, weeks, months, sometimes years even. Similarly I've worked in coworking spaces where I've met other solo travelers. In all such instances they connect with others, engage in and even organize events and gatherings, etc. The bonds are genuine and can even be quite profound, like meeting a kindred spirit. A little community can effectively form. A community of people, sometimes alone, together. There's an implicit understanding though that we're just sharing a moment, people don't impose their agenda onto you. If you don't feel like joining the hiking party to the lake, you can just stay home with little guilt other than what you might be missing out on. Else strap on your boots and off you go. but Everyone has their own path and is writing their own story. You're the only one to know when it's time for you to close a chapter and start a new one. And when the time comes and you announce to friends that you feel like moving on to new adventures, nobody wonders why. People just get you. It's your time to go. Come departure day, hugs and kisses are exchanged, contact information shared, tentative plans to reconnect in some tentative future and place are made, all with no guarantee or obligation. Then it's Godspeed and Happy Trails to you!
I've also witnessed the bitterness that can develop when such solo travelers find themselves paired up for extended periods with someone who does not share those independent inclinations. Which could be what "Alice" was labeling a weakness.