"I felt overwhelmed by the desire to change, yet stuck by daily circumstances. The monotony of everyday life felt too small to hold the person I wanted to grow into. Then, I asked myself, 'What would I do right now, if I could do anything?' The answer was simple: Travel the world. With a little solitude in new surroundings, I thought, all my problems would be solved."
"Three months into my trip, I found myself hiking a long route in the Austrian Alps that led across lush pastures and through misty forests. Tired and sweaty after hours of walking uphill, I finally reached the summit. Green meadows and mist-covered peaks stretched out before me, the landscape dotted with mountain huts. Yet in all that space, there wasn't a person in sight. Then it hit me: I was really alone, in a way I'd never been before."
"I'd be at a destination I'd always dreamed of visiting, like the Colosseum, and my amazement would suddenly be replaced by a confusing sense of remorse. I missed my family and friends, who'd inevitably grown more distant with each time zone I put between us. On social media, I saw their photos of ordinary American life and longed for the birthday parties and game nights I'd been so ready to leave behind."
At 25, after quitting alcohol and withdrawing from friendships, the author sought transformation through therapy and meditation but felt constrained by daily life. Believing travel would solve internal struggles, they purchased a one-way ticket to Paris and began freelance work abroad. However, three months into the journey, profound loneliness emerged unexpectedly. Despite visiting dream destinations like the Austrian Alps and the Colosseum, the author experienced remorse and disconnection rather than fulfillment. Missing family and friends who had grown distant across time zones, the author realized that geographic distance cannot heal unresolved trauma or replace meaningful human relationships.
#solo-travel #mental-health-and-healing #loneliness-and-isolation #personal-transformation #relationships-and-connection
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]