‘Are you the inquisitive, adventurous kind?’ ‘Have you ever looked at solo backpackers and wondered what it takes to be one?’ ‘Or have you simply wondered that how can a person travel alone?’

If the answer to any one of these questions is ’Yes’, here is a complete insight to a backpacker’s world. It’s crazy, it’s fun and it’s an experience of a lifetime. Here is why you should travel as a lone backpacker:

1. ABSOLUTE Freedom: Imagine you are taken into a state of meditation by the beauty of the Alps, there are crystal clear waterfalls and beautiful Chalets all around; you don’t want this state to end.  Suddenly you hear the ugly voice of your tour guide shouting, ‘c’mon guys, time is up’. Suppose there are no such annoying tour guides, there are no friends pulling you to a place you do not want to visit. You are the creator of your own journey. You can alter it or completely change it at any time. You are your own king

2. Matching Mind-sets: Life becomes hell for everyone if the fellow travellers are not of the same mind-set and taste. Even if they do not say it, someone is always left upset

3. No ‘Past’ to chase you: A human being’s past is the toughest thing to get rid of. When travelling in groups, either someone is your ex who constantly pricks your memories or a backstabbing friend. Let these people not ruin your trip. Leave your past behind and just launch yourself into ecstasy

4. Spend time with yourself, Love yourself: How many times, in your daily rat race, do you get to invest time in yourself, listen to you inner voice, nurture yourself and live only for yourself? Most of the times, either there is someone to please or someone to answer to. Leave all of it behind and just love yourself. Your mind, your body and your heart want to say lots to you, only if you listen to them. A lot of your questions will be answered

5. Discover the ‘You’, previously unknown to yourself: We live in a mechanical world. We know ourselves to be a certain way and we are clear about it. Travel alone, and discover the sides of your own self that were unknown not only to others but to yourself. Surprise yourself at every step

Image Souce: www.hostels.st

6. Travelling alone matures you as a human being: We live in our own cocoons, our own safe havens, our own dream worlds. When you travel alone, you get to experience the world, the kind of lives people are living out there, their culture, their needs, their relationships, their hardships. Since you are travelling alone, your mind does not need to focus on fellow travellers, rather it can experience things otherwise invisible. After your journey, you may want to thank God for all that he has given you, that which is not available to others out there

7. It makes you Independent: While backpacking in Interlaken, Switzerland, at 7 in the morning I had to find a shop selling socket convertors because my phone was down and out. In a city usually dead asleep at this hour, I managed to find a shop keeper (who spoke only German), dusting his shop to open for the day and convinced him to find a convertor from the store room. I asked for directions from people who didn’t know a word of English and derived meanings out of sign boards in French and German. At the end of it, the feeling was that of ultimate pride

8. Boast a little bit: You can always take pride in reciting your travel stories to your friends back home. You may also want to charm your favourite girls with your tales of how tough a traveller you are

9. Write your own stories/ books: If you haven’t written about your own travel experiences till now, chances are that either you have only visited and not experienced the place or you haven’t read my articles on travelling. Once you are back, start up your own blog, write your experiences, attach photographs and make them lifetime memories. After 40 years, when you will read it with your grand-children you have no idea how that would feel

10. Feel accomplished: There is nothing like planning a trip on your own, travelling as an explorer and unwinding the puzzles that life offers at each step. Relish the charm of facing life every moment. Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment