Should I travel ALONE? Yes

“Happiness is only real when shared” was found carved into the bus in Alaska where Christopher McCandless spent his final days.

After he graduated from college, he rid himself of his belongings, burned his money, and set off, alone, to discover the world.

Despite humans’ strong inclination to stick by their family and friends, more and more people are traveling alone nowadays. It has many benefits that bring a deeper meaning to travel, and to life itself. A good majority of travel bloggers and writers I know prefer to go it alone; it is no longer taboo. Why is this?

The first, and most obvious, reason to travel alone is that you can do whatever you want. Maybe this seems selfish, but sacrificing where you want to go and what you want to see while abroad is travel blasphemy. You are on your own schedule, can stay at certain locations for whatever time period you desire, and do whatever activities strike your fancy. Not going to a museum because two of the four people you are traveling with don’t want to go? You’ll have none of this while traveling alone. You are in control of your itinerary and have no one to report to.

Similarly, while you are traveling alone, you can be yourself. Or, you can be your alter-ego; it’s up to you. In the book The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz discusses how all of us are conditioned by society and culture to behave, think, and be a certain way. When we travel alone, there is no one there who knows you and therefore insists you be who you are “supposed” to be.

You can remove yourself from all expectations, live in the moment, discover new lands, and possibly find out more about yourself than you thought existed. Solo travel tests your limits, puts you in situations that you ordinarily wouldn’t encounter, and pushes you to realize your potential in many ways.

Solo travel is beautiful journey of conquering your fears, exploring a different country, learning to accept solitude, and quite possibly getting to know the truest version of yourself to date. While on the road on my own, I find that I gain a clarity of mind that is almost impossible to obtain while leading a mundane life of routine. You learn to appreciate your surroundings, adapt to differing elements, interact with others, and focus on what is important in that moment. You are allowed to meditate on life and remove yourself from pointless chatter. When traveling alone, the opportunity to really immerse yourself in most cultures is greater than when you travel with others. This is for two reasons: One, people are more likely to reach out to you when you are on your own. You are less intimidating when by yourself, and people quite possibly feel sorry for you, thereby opening up to you.

I firmly believe in the kindness of strangers — that people want to help, that no one wants to see another human struggling. This is not to say that you’ll immerse yourself in another culture by means of pity. It simply means that many locals will be eager to give you directions, practice their English with you, feed you, and even open their homes to you. More often than not, locals are just as curious about you as you are about them.

The second reason why you can more successfully immerse yourself in a culture while traveling alone is that you are able to put everything you consider normal aside. Reminders of your home and culture, which are inevitable when traveling with family or friends, vanish. You are able to dive into a new way of life with a completely open mind, allowing you to soak in the food, language, customs, and behavior on a profound level. There is nothing holding you back from learning about this new culture and beginning to understand it from a local’s point of view.

You are not alone, actually

Lastly, traveling alone will make you discover that, ultimately, you are never alone. You are not the only person in the world who is brave enough to hop on a plane to discover another country that your inner circle may not even have heard of. There are many people from all over the world who are expats, relentless travelers, and world citizens.

As Pico Iyer mentioned in his TED Talk, “Where is Home?” there is a “nomadic nation” growing within the world. People no longer feel compelled to be “from” just one place; many consider the road their home. And therefore, solo travel exposes you to a wealth of people coming from one place and heading to another. They are seemingly neither here nor there, and the conversations you will have these international people will certainly broaden your perspective. Some may be forgettable, but others you will immediately bond with, potentially creating lasting friendships.

These are the many reasons why so many people opt to travel solo nowadays. This is not to say that there are no dangers involved, but rewards don’t come without risk. Traveling alone has greatly changed the person I am, and it was one of the best uncertainties I’ve ever embraced. And so, while I greatly identified with Chris McCandless, and I do believe in the comfort of others, there is a different sort of happiness that you discover when you travel alone. It is a happiness filled with confidence, acceptance, and knowing that, no matter what and no matter where, you can rely on yourself.

Time Is Nothing

11 Japanese customs that are shocking to foreign travelers

There are specific ways to eat noodles, good practices for accepting gifts, and certain rules to follow to avoid insulting a host.

This complex web of social rules and traditions can be overwhelming for those traveling to Japan, so we compiled a list of some of the things foreigners find most shocking when visiting the country.

Here are 11 customs you should know before traveling to Japan.

1. No. 4 is avoided at all cost.
TetraphobiaWikimedia commons

In Japan, the number "four" is avoided because it sounds very similar to the word for death. In the same vein as No. 13 in Western culture, No. 4 is extremely unlucky and is used as little as possible. You must always avoid giving anyone something in fours because it can be seen as a very ominous gift.

Elevator labels will often be missing a fourth floor — and in extreme cases, they will not have floors 40 to 49. No. 49 is especially unlucky, as it sounds similar to the phrase that means "pain until death."

The practice of avoiding No. 4 is called "Tetraphobia," and it is common in many East Asian and Southeast Asian regions.

2. Blowing your nose in public is considered rude.
Blowing your nose in public is seen as not only rude, but simply disgusting. Instead people will generally sniffle until they find somewhere private. If you simply must blow your nose, it is recommended that you do so as discreetly as possible.

The Japanese are also repelled by the idea of a handkerchief.

3. Tipping can be seen as insulting.
Tipping is considered rude — and can even be seen as degrading. Tipping will often cause confusion, and many people will chase after you to give you back your money.

If someone has been particularly helpful and you feel absolutely compelled to leave a tip, Rough Guides suggests leaving a small present instead.

4. Walking and eating is seen as sloppy.
women eating ice cream in JapanReuters

Although walking and eating is often convenient and widely accepted in many Western cultures, the practice is looked down upon in Japan. Many also consider it rude to eat in public or on the trains.

There are just a few exceptions to this rule, including the fact that it is OK to eat an ice-cream cone on the street.

5. There are designated people who will push you into a crowded subway car.
Oshiya YouTube

Oshiya, or "pushers," wear uniforms, white gloves, and hats and literally push people into crowded subway cars during rush hour.

They are paid to make sure everybody gets in and doesn't get caught in the doors.

6. People will sleep on the trains with their head on your shoulder.
If someone in Japan falls asleep with his or her head on you shoulder, it is common practice to just tolerate it. People have very long commutes and work dreadfully long hours, so many will often fall asleep on the train.

"There is a tolerance that if the person next to you falls asleep and their head kind of lands on your shoulder, people just put up with it," Sandra Barron told CNN. "That happens a lot."

7. There are toilet slippers for the bathrooms.


It is customary to change into slippers when entering a Japanese home, a traditional restaurant, temples, and sometimes museums and art galleries, according to Rough Guides. Basically any time you come across of row of slippers in Japan, you should just put them on.

There are even special toilet slippers kept inside the bathroom, so you'll take off your house slippers and put on the toilet slippers.  

8. You must always bring a host a gift.
It is an honor in Japan to be invited to someone's home, and if this happens, you must always bring a gift. The gift should also be wrapped in the most elaborate way possible, and lots of fancy ribbons are suggested.

You should also never refuse a gift once offered — but it is good practice to strongly protest the gift at first.

9. Pouring you own glass is considered rude.
It is customary in the US (and many other countries in the world) to serve others before you serve yourself, but in Japan you are never supposed to pour yourself a drink. If you have poured for others, another guest will hopefully see that your drink is empty and pour for you.

You must also always wait for someone to say "Kanpai" (cheers) before drinking.

10. Slurping noodles is not only seen as polite — but it also means you have enjoyed your meal.
Slurping noodles in Osaka, JapanFlickr/mckln

Slurping is considered polite in Japan because it shows that you are enjoying your delicious noodles — in fact, if you don't eat loudly enough, it can be mistaken as you not enjoying your food.

Slurping noodles is not entirely for the sake of politeness, but also to avoid having a burnt tongue. Japanese soup and noodles are generally served steaming hot — hot enough to burn — and slurping helps to cool down the food.

But unlike in some other Asian nations, it is still considered rude to belch at the table.

11. Sleeping in capsule hotels in rooms barely bigger than a coffin is very common.


Capsule hotels are used as cheap accommodations for guests who purely want a place to sleep. They are used most often by businessmen working or by those who have partied too late and have missed the last train home.

The sleeping quarters are small capsules that are not much bigger than a coffin, and the beds are stacked side by side and on top of one another. The concept has been around in Japan since the 1970s, but it has begun to spread to a few other countries around the world.

The setup is a cheap alternative to a hotel, as a bed costs only $65 a night, but it should be avoided for anyone who suffers from even slight claustrophobia.

Finland

Malapascua Philippines

I got in Malapascua Island in the middle of September from Cebu city.
A long journey in a dirty and peculiar bus, streets where dirty and the bus was jumping in deep holes, people where jumping into with huge bags of rise and box of chicken alive and flapping.
I was the only turist and i was fighting with myself to look the people inside the bus and their laggages.
Of course was not a comfy journey.
I had to wait to get the ferry to cross a small part of an amazing and flat sea and when the ferry was full the small ferry slowly departed.
Malapascua was small and open, full of scuba resorts and, of course i was sleeping in a small but confy hotel. Philippines are smiley and open, they are really poor and looking for help, it was very intresting talk with them.

Argentina

On South America’s southern frontier, nature grows wild, barren and beautiful. Spaces are large, as are the silences that fill them. For the newly arrived, such emptiness can be as impressive as the sight of Patagonia’s jagged peaks, pristine rivers and dusty backwater oases. In its enormous scale, Patagonia offers an innumerable wealth of potential experiences and landscapes.

Though no longer a dirt road, lonely RN40 remains the iconic highway that stirred affection in personalities as disparate as Butch Cassidy and Bruce Chatwin. On the eastern seaboard, paved RN3 shoots south, connecting oil boomtowns with ancient petrified forests, Welsh settlements and the incredible Península Valdés. Then there is the other, trendy Patagonia where faux-fur hoodies outnumber the guanacos. Don’t miss the spectacular sights of El Calafate and El Chaltén, but remember that they’re a world apart from the solitude of the steppe.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/argentina/patagonia#ixzz3S0GcHCjq