The Monday Motivator | On Traveling Alone

* The Monday Motivator is a series meant to motivate, encourage, inspire and provide advice on real life stuff.*

Happy Monday! It's my final week before vacation, and with all the anticipation, I'm sure the workweek will go by slooooow.  But I'm keeping my head up because there is so much to look forward to!

Because of my upcoming trip (I'm going back to Disneyland!),  I've decided to write this week's Monday Motivator on traveling solo. I wrote an entire post last year about the advice I have for traveling alone; find it here! But instead of advice, this post serves as a motivational tool for the reasons why you should travel alone in your lifetime, even if it's only once!

I do a lot of stuff by myself; I just prefer it that way! So traveling solo didn't seem so scary to me. But for a lot of people, the thought of traveling alone makes them uneasy. And for good reasons!

Whether you head across the country to a place you've never been, or if you just plan a little staycation to treat yo'self, I encourage experiencing a trip with you and you alone. Of course it's always fun to go somewhere with your friends, family or significant other. But trust me when I tell you there is nothing like a little adventure with yourself.

Here are three reasons why you should experience traveling alone:

You know yourself best.

No one knows you better than you know yourself. And that's why it's so great to travel with yourself. You know your own likes and dislikes. Your personal preferences. The things that irritate you. The routine you have everyday. The way you like to travel. Your individuality doesn't have to compromise with anyone when you travel alone. You don't have to deal with anyone's quirks, and they don't have to deal with yours. You can do exactly what you want to do on your own terms, whether that's lying on the beach and doing nothing or planning a long hike. Maybe it's binging a new Netflix show at your Airbnb. Whatever you want to do on your trip, you get to decide.

You can completely relax.

Not that you can't relax when you travel with others, but there is definitely something about being alone that makes it easier to relax. There's no pressure of sharing living space, following an itinerary, making sure you always look 100 percent or having to do something you have no interest in. When you're solo, you can go at your own pace, so you're allowed to take it as fast or as slow as you prefer while traveling. I prefer when my adventures have only a little bit of structure and I can go with the flow. This is because I am so structured in my daily life, and I find that not having every minute of my trip planned is much more relaxing.

You can learn about yourself.

Traveling solo is absolutely a process of self-discovery. First off, it allows you to overcome fears you may have about doing things by yourself. (But NOTE: If doing things alone REALLY scares you, I recommend starting small by going out to eat or to the movies by yourself.)  Traveling alone also helps you get more comfortable with yourself; I find a lot of peace when I can do my own thinking and discovering. I have also found that it has helped improve the way I interact with others. I don't exactly go around talking to strangers, but I do enjoy striking up conversations with staff members of the places I'm visiting. I've learned through traveling solo that I have a lot more qualities within me that I didn't even know about.

Traveling alone can seem scary and exciting all at once. But all emotions aside, I personally think it is something everyone should try at least once.  What's stopping you?

Buy the ticket,