Solo Travel with the Shore In Sight

On Thursday I posted some tips for the shy solo traveler. I said that the confidence required to travel solo is not the exclusive domain of the gregarious; shy people can be confident and enjoy solo travel too.

I’ve been doing some reading lately about confidence, where it comes from and attachment theory. To describe it simply, the more attached or connected we are (usually speaking about a parent/child relationship) the more likely we are to confidently take on the world. Or, bottom line, the more connected we are the more likely we are to stand on our own.

The metaphor this theory suggests in my mind includes an enticing, cool lake on a hot summer day. It’s easy to dive in and go swimming, even to the center, when one knows that the shore will remain stable. But what if we believed that the shore might disappear. It’s pretty hard to think about swimming for the rest of one’s life.

As a solo traveler, I know that my shore will always be there. My family, my children and my friends are the shore that gives me the confidence to take off and enjoy the freedom that solo travel affords.

I hope that you have such a shore filled with people and love. If not, I encourage you to cultivate it as it is never too late to grow connections and enrich life.

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