We’re a nation teetering on social burn-out. The multitude of devices designed to bind us together like links in a chain has made it difficult to go to the bathroom and be alone. Articles on efficiency are prolific: how to cut a minute off some task, make your morning shower more efficient, and speed up this or that. And yet I know more discontented people than ever. When the pundits start messing with your morning shower, who wouldn’t be unhappy? It all begs the point, if being continually connected to a large group of people and having your life maximized for efficiency can’t deliver happiness, what’s missing? Some solo time, my friends.
Solo road trips (SRT) strike fear in the heart of many. Either the brain conjures up “solitary confinement” and goes downhill from there or the thought of a road trip disgorges memories of the family sedan and their Dad’s mission to see America at 55 mph. But it’s not about getting away, it’s about going somewhere….with yourself. I read an article on solo travel that recommended spending some time on a psychological sofa before heading out on a solo road trip. I beg to differ. The trip IS the psychological sofa. And there’s no astronomical hourly billing attached. It’s liberating, empowering, rejuvenating. Yet as good as that sounds, most people have NEVER taken one. Friends can face down a room of professionals in a board room, or the crush of orders coming in for burgers and fries at high noon, but they can’t face the prospect of being alone.
Let’s debunk a myth right off the bat about solo travel.
Continue reading on soloroadtrip.com
Comments by other travellers
Excellent blog.I totally agree with you.
Keith, thank you! I agree that a SRT is indeed some of the best medicine on the planet and more people need to swallow some of it!
Brilliantly written and it couldn't be closer to the truth. Solo travel IS "the psychological sofa" (love the phrase!). Well done!
About this author
Tammie Dooley
I’m an explorer who happens to write and maintain a camera on my person at all times. Foreign travel is exotic but doesn't happ…
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Awesome post...I am planning a solo road trip to Malaysia in December...came across a new platform to connect with co-travelers and make friends on the go it's called Mingle Trips.
1 Reply
Thanks Travelleray, Malaysia is a really friendly place to be on your own. Have a look at the thing I compiled on Borneo on this site to see what I did last time round.