Travelling Solo: Make It The Most Rewarding Experience

Gone are the days when you had to plan months in advance before travelling. The age of the information allows for making well-researched decisions in a matter of days. The real quest of this article is to help you understand how solo backpacking benefits people. Do we get something more than the momentary pleasure of escapism or does it change us while we visit new places, face challenges, make friendships and learn lifelong lessons?

When you look at travel beyond all the superficial charms of tourist places, you discover a very lively classroom in session. The world around us is a university, everyone in the scene is a teacher and a student. You are here to learn important and sometimes, unnecessary things that life has to offer. Be it Steve Jobs, Pankaj Tripathi, or the great Beatles, everyone came out a bit changed after their long backpacking experiences. Rudyard Kipling wrote Kim, a great adventure novel that lights up the creative corners of your brain with awe and imagination, while travelling in Bundi, Rajasthan.

Schools and universities understand the importance of travel and that is one of the reasons they promote picnics and other outdoor activities/events. Our childhood is a treasure trove of numerous travel experiences with our parents, friends and families. But, travelling solo is one of the most powerful and life-altering experiences.

Let us explore the benefits of backpacking trips.

Also Read: Budget-Friendly Travel To Eastern States of India

A Journey To Know Yourself

Long backpacking trips are different from organised tours and family trips. Backpacking literally means living out of a backpack. It could go on for several months and in some cases, years. All your essential belongings like clothes, toiletries, slippers, first aid kit, and warm and waterproof equipment need to be packed. All that you need from outside is food and shelter.

Backpacking is all about budget travel. The focus is on spending money wisely, staying at budget-friendly places and eating at hygienic joints. These limitations help you stay on the road for as long as you can.

As you come face to face with a mix of cultures, languages, landscapes, architecture, festivals, and cuisines, the diversity of life is bound to leave a deep impact on your senses. These memories you will carry with you for a long time.

You will get a deep insight into human nature. All the conversations, negotiations and dealing with so many people on a regular basis, will bring out the best negotiation skills and people skills in you. This learning comes handy when even at work, when you have to negotiate ideas, salaries and even persuade your teammates and bosses. You realise what your strengths and weaknesses are, helping you forge a wiser perspective of looking at situations and issues.

Travellers Can Be Good Leaders

Confidence

Travellers have a lot in common with great leaders. Apart from being in charge of your well-being, after taking so many decisions on your journey, the good and the bad ones, you are able to weigh the pros and cons of your choices and arrive at the best choice. You are also better equipped to deal with wrong decisions. This confidence is what makes great leaders. It is what you learn when you expose yourself to situations and come out victorious is an essential ingredient of great leadership.

Humility and Empathy

Real India lies beyond the city boundaries. The small towns and villages touch your heart with their hospitality. Whether it’s the Spiti Valley or the coastline of Kerala, locals are generally kind to travellers. Those who bear harsh conditions everyday strive to make travellers comfortable with whatever they have to offer.

There could be some unfortunate incidents of cheating, but there the balance usually tilts to instances of them helping you. You learn that a majority of people are very much like you, facing life’s challenges everyday. You learn to be more humble and more empathetic. A trait leaders often say matters the most while working with their staff.

Facing Challenges

While backpacking, remember to accept change of plans. There will be days when everything will challenge you - the weather, your health, or some scamster. Remember that the only way out of a challenge is to overcome it. You will eventually know the art of dealing with things and facing almost anything that comes your way. Great leaders face challenges, overcome them and help others through their experiences.

Also Read: Affordable West India Destinations For Student Travellers

What Backpacking Teaches You

Treasure Trove Of Soft Skills

There is no other activity as a solo trip that helps you learn so many skills. On your journey with all the efforts required to begin with the whole planning, dealing with people, conversing, sometimes negotiating or even persuading, on your backpacking trip you are sure to inculcate a variety of soft skills. Compare it to the work environment; you get better at management, adaptability, teamwork and acceptance. This has far-reaching effects on your personality and how to progress in life.

Change For The Better

You also become better at learning things when you travel. When you experiment with new cultures and cuisines, you learn to accept change. Your brain is constantly developing new neural networks and getting better at doing it. This helps you get a better understanding of people, learn their language, and understand their customs. Professionally you become an asset to your team as you are open to varied experiences and are a pro at accepting change.

Assimilate Experience

Experiences have a way of changing you and becoming a part of your memories. As we grow, memories become a reservoir from which we often draw inspiration and lessons. On the other hand, things or materials simply mean convenience and nothing more. Backpacking solo helps you understand the value of experiences over the value of things.

Champions Of Sustainability

Backpackers understand the importance of minimalism. If you ever come across pro travellers, you will always see them carrying a metal water bottle and a steel cup that helps them generate less waste. Food is a personal matter but we have seen a lot of backpackers going vegan for the sake of overall wellness of mind and body, and healthier planet earth.

Backpackers are the champions of sustainability because they experience first hand how cities and habits of the majority affect nature. They are more likely to practise an eco-friendly approach while travelling and for the rest of their lives as well.

Sensitivity and Acceptance

You realise that wherever you travel, we are all one. Irrespective of religion, caste and colour of the skin, you see how open-minded travellers are. It is the training ground for the conscious to become open and accepting. Travelling instils the value of sensitivity towards people and nature and acceptance of things that are different from yourself.

Learn To Choose For Yourself

Travelling helps you know what ideals you wish to stick to and what kind of life you wish to design after meeting many people and visiting places. Self-awareness leads to making better choices when it comes to choosing things, careers, friends or anything else for yourself.

Backpacking India or any other country does you immense good. There are challenges beyond the comfort of our homes but things are beautiful. People seldom remain their old self after any long backpacking solo trip because they are faced with the realities of life. It helps you learn numerous soft skills and offers you a wider and more enriching perspective to look at the world. It helps you become a leader who can help others and live life to its fullest.

Also Read: Five Beautiful, Budget-Friendly Travel Destination In South India