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The Solo Traveler Blog

Going Solo: Are you Spiderman or Superman?

Superheroes have to be extroverts to take on the world. For Superman, this is natural. His superhero costume is always on. He covers it up to become Clark Kent and blend in with the world then changes in a phone booth with window on all sides! He is, without doubt, an extrovert.

Spiderman, on the other hand, has to put on a costume to gain power for his superhero duties. He layers extrovert strategies onto his quiet personality to head out into the world. That’s me. And, interestingly, when my boys were young and asked who my favourite superhero was, I’d always say Spidey.

Yup! More like Peter Parker (or Aunt May) than Superman

Yup! More like Peter Parker (or Aunt May) than Superman

Introvert turned extrovert
Yes, I’m an introvert. But, when I talk about going solo to people they assume the opposite. They figure I’m a party starter, able to walk into any situation and feel at home. In fact, it’s a challenge for me to go into new situations and meet new people all the time. But it’s also fun. And I’ve found a few skills to weave into my introverted personality to make going solo work.

This ‘extrovert’ assumption is so common that I began to wonder: am I the only introvert traveling solo. So, of course, I took a very unscientific approach to find out. I took a poll of the Solo Traveler bloggers and my Twitter friends and the results were exactly 50/50 – when you take my response out of the analysis. In fact, add me in and more introverts travel solo than extroverts. Interesting! But every one of those introverts described a Spidey-like layering of extrovert characteristics onto their personality.

Ultimately, the feedback I got from everyone was that solo travel is rewarding regardless of your disposition.

Keith of the Velvet Escape, summed it up well:

“If you’re introverted, solo travel teaches you to become extroverted because you’ll want to be in contact with others to beat loneliness in a foreign place. If you’re an extrovert, solo travel will teach you to be a bit of an introvert because there’ll be occasions when you’ll be alone and that’ll teach you to ‘communicate’ with yourself – ideal for self-reflection and getting to know yourself! :-) End result for both: you become a more balanced individual.”

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  • solotraveler

    I love it!!! Yes, I’m sure many of us are transformers.

  • Kevin Hawley

    I wrote this on the wall before seeing this blog, so I wanted to repost.

    Interesting…I was super shy all thru childhood & an Introvert as a young adult. Then one day I said,” I gotta move through life.” The drive was always there for the adventure, but I was to chicken to go it alone. When I did, I realized I could do anything, not to mention I had such an awesome time…I became addicted. So, I guess you can be a “Transformer” from Spiderman to Superman…

  • http://www.marecognitum.com Mary Day Long

    I’m an avid solo traveler, and a mix of extrovert and introvert. In part, I travel so that I can explore both tendencies. It’s good to step out of my daily social/familial obligations and be alone for a while–although at some point, being alone encourages me to reach out and connect with strangers in a way I normally wouldn’t.

    My guess would be that many solo travelers shared this mix of inclinations. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.

  • admin

    What a lovely contribution Amy. Thank you.

  • Amy MacLeod

    Hi Janice,

    I sit on the extroverted side of solo traveler-dom. Here’s my litmus test: A wise elder friend was/is an Anglican Priest and was a psychologist for the ordained in the Anglican Church. He and his wife traveled to many different countries and cultures. He would stress over the social demands that accompanied his position while his wife would thrive over them. He was an introvert. He could tolerate the social chit-chat for about a half hour, then could hardly wait to get home. Just at that time, his extroverted wife would become energized and didn’t want to leave! It was a great challenge for them to find their middle ground.

    Since I am definitely energized by the company of others and have no hesitation walking into a room full of strangers, the extroversion label would be mine. However, I love my time alone! Not for a long time…but enough time to reflect, regroup and rejuvenate. – Amy

    Amy

About Janice Waugh and Tracey Nesbitt

I'm an author, blogger, speaker and traveler. I became a widow and empty-nester at about the same time. And then, I became Solo Traveler... Here's the full story. >>

Tracey Nesbitt I’m a writer, editor, food and wine fanatic, and traveler. On my very first trip abroad I learned that solo travel was for me. Here's the full story. >>

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