A Few Health Benefits of Traveling Alone

xo, kirsteen

What are some of the health benefits of traveling alone you may be asking? Have you ever been on an incredible vacation and come back to compliments of wow you’re looking fabulous, and fresh-faced? Have you ever had people say you look a happy chappy when you’ve just come back from some much-needed me-time in a spa? Do you ever look at your eyes and suddenly see them sparkle after a weekend in nature?

We all know the power of a vacation to make us feel great and re-energize the body. People love to switch off and reboot in incredible places without a care in the world. We can easily wake up at 6 am all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to go see the sunrise at the beach. And we seem to have miraculously gained enough energy that would make even a Duracell Pink Bunny feel jealous. Yet back home, we seem to be glued to the duvet, want to sleep all day, and we walk around with as much oomph as a wet lettuce.

And yet, why do people spend so much time exhausting themselves when they can easily, just with some focus, have a life where they gift themselves a lot more vacation and rebooting.

New environments are such energy boosters and provide such a high dose of happy chemicals and well-being. At times, we don’t realize just how much we actually benefit from it until we are almost running on empty.

As a solo travel expert, and travel addict, what is most surprising and fascinating to me is seeing the health benefits of traveling alone and especially on my skin. Solo travel takes rebooting and re-invigorating to a whole new level that you just cannot get any other way. It’s on a much bigger and deeper scale and has to be experienced to be felt.

healthy looking woman smiling at home in the bathroom

I begun solo traveling around the age of 30, when I visited Borneo to realize a life-long dream of seeing the orangutans in the wild. Back then, I found out then just how incredible it felt to be heading off into the unknown. That feeling of adventure which kids often have is so addictive.

The health benefits of traveling alone are too many to note here in one blog post. When you travel alone, you live most of the time in the present moment. What I mean by that is that you are not worrying about things, you are just in the now in awe of the sights and sounds around you. With everything being new, unfamiliar, and jaw-dropping at times, this creates very little negative thinking which can be so easily done back home.

I’ve always loved being on vacation. Not only in the journey itself, but the packing, and planning. The cab journey to the airport too makes me feel the vacation has already begun. The anticipation of what adventure lays ahead is thrilling and gives such a boost of happiness.

The feeling of the unknown gives me adrenalin because I know it will all be ok. Even on the flight, I look out of the window in awe of the skies and dream of my destination and what I’m going to do. If I’m on a long-haul flight, I always stock up on those mini bottles of wine, put on a movie, and just chill. Even as I write this, it makes me feel happy.

Some health benefits of traveling alone

Well, you only have to look at people on a flight on their way to a destination who are bursting with excitement and counting down the hours until touchdown. They can’t contain their excitement as they unleash their seatbelts and jump up from their seats itching to get off the plane.

With traveling alone, you don’t have the luxury of chatting to your loved ones all day but that doesn’t mean a sad vacation, quite the opposite. We all know what it’s like to travel with people and each person wants to do different things and you find yourself compromising, even if it’s a little.

Don’t get me wrong, I love sitting having a glass of wine with friends on vacation too. And yes, I’ll happily be doing that in the future too. If you solo travel, it’s just the pure pleasure to please you the entire time that gives you so much joy and energy. You don’t have to think of responses, or maybe behave a certain way. If we are being honest, we do things differently when we are by ourselves.

When traveling alone, you’re having too much fun to think as much as usual. You move into mindfulness and presence. It’s like moving into a brand new sparkly clean house. Nothing to annoy you or get to you or generate negative thoughts. It’s 100 percent positive thinking, and the secret elixir to youth and vitality. This alone makes it one of the most powerful health benefits of traveling alone.

I travel because I become uncomfortable being too comfortable
Carew PAPRITZ

One of the biggest revelations personally is when I look back at old photos when I used to be in an office and wanted to be free to do what I wanted. I accepted office life when I was in the UK only because I thought there was no other option. I yearned to be on vacation. It was no surprise looking back now that destiny took me to where I wanted to go.

I could always see too, just how much better I felt and looked. My skin today, I say with absolute truth is better and younger than 20 years ago. And trust me, my skin wasn’t that bad back then. With each day comes gratitude and satisfaction that I am on vacation 365 days a year and feel incredibly blessed to feel that way.

A youthful face and body also come from how you see life. I’ve always been an unapologetic Peter Pan full of energy and eagerness for life. I’ve never been someone who wishes time flies to retirement so I can then have fun. We ONLY have now. Now, now, now. If you don’t enjoy life along the path, you will find it tough at 60+ because your mind will be so conditioned by then to not having fun.

Doesn’t it make sense to condition the mind now? It’s a wise investment for the future. eg I do sport for 16 minutes each day, some dancing. I love the feeling it creates and how it sets me up for the day. That dose of happy chemicals is the best medicine!

Falling in love with traveling alone

So given the nature of solo travel and the excitement, doesn’t it makes sense, the more you do it, the more it becomes an investment into a satisfied mind for the future? I like to say it’s like stepping stones. I’m stepping on one happy stone and moving to the next and the next, and so on, one gentle happy foot at a time.

Mindset is extremely powerful when you understand how to use it. It’s something not only have I practiced but see the benefits and how anti-aging it is. I’ve even the photos to see just how much my crow line wrinkles have all but gone away. PS NO JOKE!

If you think of someone who has just fallen in love, you see their skin glow and their eyes are shiny. Just from the effects of being in love. So why not fall in love with solo travel life too? Besides relationships can come and go but a life that YOU love putting you first is always here if you choose it. Surely a few solo travel adventures are going to give you some butterflies along the way too?! And if you fall in love on the way, you’ll be going home doubly glowy! lol.

Ps, I fell in love with Argentina. I’m still benefitting from those precious times and wouldn’t trade for the world. lol.

Conclusion

The health benefits of traveling alone are way beyond any words, you just have to give it a go. And take note, when you come home, you’ll never be the same again. And that my friend is living wanderfully.

If you’re asking how do I start traveling alone and experience the benefits myself, and want to know how to plan your very first solo travel adventure, please click here on my new Solo Travel Masterclass to find out more. This solo travel course is one-of-a-kind and a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom in one easy-to-follow course.