Travel Is The New Black: 6 Perks Of Traveling Alone In Your 20s

Every generation has "the new black," but finally, we came up with something worthy of the phrase: travel.

It is worth every fuss raised about it. I traveled quite a bit as a child, but it did not have the same effect on me as it does now, when I travel alone.

The following are only a few of the perks you will experience when you travel with friends or fly solo:

1. Big, Big World

We, as humans, are pretty egocentric and that’s normal. We are our own worlds; we only see it through our own eyes, and there is no changing that. However, how much we see is something we can influence. When we travel, we see just how big the world is and just how small we are.

Suddenly, a fight with a friend or a breakup seems so much smaller and we discover that there is a world of things to which we can look forward and a whole bunch of people we can meet.

2. Traveling Alone

One of the amazing things about traveling is the spontaneity! It's a bit more difficult to have that freedom of movement with someone. Sometimes, a friend wants to see different things than you do or prefers to sleep late while you want to wander off and catch the sunrise.

See what you want to see, catch a wave with the local surfers, get on the back of that scooter with the cute French man or challenge the bartender to a row of shots. Do what you want, when you want, with whom you want and where you want. That is the definition of freedom.

3. $$$

The cheapest way to travel is now, in our 20s. These are the years when we can couch surf, sleep in hostels and take cheap airlines without it being taxing on our bodies.

No need for grand accommodations or expensive flights. Why not stay in a hostels, take 10-hour bus rides, meet different people and get to know their life stories?

Doing so only makes your own story that much richer.

4. Time To Know Thy Self

Yes, we may think we’re all very grown up and know every inch of ourselves, but the truth is, we are barely scraping the surface. How could we possibly know everything about ourselves if we are constantly facing the same situations? Exploring yourself in the means of your surroundings is an action/reaction process.

Face new challenges; meet someone you never could have possibly met in your regular, everyday life. Learn how fast you can fall in love, and then, do it again.

5. Love

There is so much in this world with which we can fall in love! Countries, languages, people, food, landscapes, cultures… There is so much the world offers and no better time to experience it than now, when we have so much love to give.

Go stare at the Mona Lisa for hours, learn how to make your new favorite dish in India, fall in love with a cutie who has an even cuter accent, and fall in love with the view from Mount Kinabalu.

6. Quid Pro Quo

Think of all the things on which you spend money. How many of those things really make you feel richer? Travel is the one thing that pays you back — with memories, experiences, understanding and stories.

The world is turning, waiting for you to fall in love with it. Fall.

Photo via Tumblr