The Lonely Traveler
Living in France is about figuring out who I am--or at least who I'm not--while taking chances and trying new things. So far this has included trying new foods (oysters on the half-shell, escargot, fois gras, etc.), visiting new cities (Le Touquet, Nice, Bordeaux, etc.), exploring new museums (like the Musée des Beaux Arts in pretty much every city I visit, etc.), and meeting new people (the au pairs, the assistants, and everyone in-between). Well, I have one more new experience to add to my list.
I spent two weeks traveling by myself.
I have traveled extensively in the States with my family and a bit with my friends. I have traveled a bit in Europe with my friends. I have traveled extensively in France with fellow Furman students and with my friends. I have traveled by myself in both the States and in Europe to stay with or meet up with people.
But this time I traveled completely alone to Toulouse, to Marseille (and Aix-en-Provence), and to Nice (and St. Paul de Vence).
Granted, I met up with Kate in Marseille and Emma in Aix-en-Provence, but I didn't spend the whole weekend with them. I mostly did my own thing.
What did I learn?
That traveling alone is one of the most kickass things I've ever done, and I can't wait to try it again. I think I'll be one of those mothers who takes a week off from her job and her husband and her kids each year to go off and do her own thing. Because it's basically the most amazing experience ever.
That trip was mine. I picked the cities I liked, I booked the hostels of my choice, I chose the trains that were best for me, and I was able to do all of it way in advance, when prices are cheaper. I ate when I was hungry; I saved money and I splurged on the meals of my choice. I went to more museums than most of my friends would have tolerated. Some days I woke up earlier than I had planned. Other days I slept in an extra hour. I spent a lot of time wandering and just absorbing the French culture around me.
The best part was meeting other travelers, which is so much easier when you're traveling alone. It's too easy to be closed off or to give off an anti-social vibe when you're with your friends. The opposite is true as well. If your friends are too friendly, too social, it's easy to be inadvertently ignored. (We all have that friend who attracts people like moths to a flame, and we love/hate him/her for it).
But since it was just me, I found it easy to chat with my roommates and other people I met in my hostels' common rooms. Although I chatted with a variety of people, in French and in English, I really connected with Neil in Toulouse, Tiffany in Marseille, and Tyler in Nice. If I had been traveling with someone else, I'm sure I would have talked to them, but I probably wouldn't have had such amazing conversations like I did.
None of this is to say that I regret traveling with friends in the past. I have loved all my other travel experiences as well, and I am so grateful to have friends with whom I can happily and comfortably travel. This was just a different way of traveling, and I think for this particular moment in time, it was better that I went at it alone.
I spent two weeks traveling by myself.
I have traveled extensively in the States with my family and a bit with my friends. I have traveled a bit in Europe with my friends. I have traveled extensively in France with fellow Furman students and with my friends. I have traveled by myself in both the States and in Europe to stay with or meet up with people.
But this time I traveled completely alone to Toulouse, to Marseille (and Aix-en-Provence), and to Nice (and St. Paul de Vence).
Granted, I met up with Kate in Marseille and Emma in Aix-en-Provence, but I didn't spend the whole weekend with them. I mostly did my own thing.
What did I learn?
That traveling alone is one of the most kickass things I've ever done, and I can't wait to try it again. I think I'll be one of those mothers who takes a week off from her job and her husband and her kids each year to go off and do her own thing. Because it's basically the most amazing experience ever.
That trip was mine. I picked the cities I liked, I booked the hostels of my choice, I chose the trains that were best for me, and I was able to do all of it way in advance, when prices are cheaper. I ate when I was hungry; I saved money and I splurged on the meals of my choice. I went to more museums than most of my friends would have tolerated. Some days I woke up earlier than I had planned. Other days I slept in an extra hour. I spent a lot of time wandering and just absorbing the French culture around me.
The best part was meeting other travelers, which is so much easier when you're traveling alone. It's too easy to be closed off or to give off an anti-social vibe when you're with your friends. The opposite is true as well. If your friends are too friendly, too social, it's easy to be inadvertently ignored. (We all have that friend who attracts people like moths to a flame, and we love/hate him/her for it).
But since it was just me, I found it easy to chat with my roommates and other people I met in my hostels' common rooms. Although I chatted with a variety of people, in French and in English, I really connected with Neil in Toulouse, Tiffany in Marseille, and Tyler in Nice. If I had been traveling with someone else, I'm sure I would have talked to them, but I probably wouldn't have had such amazing conversations like I did.
None of this is to say that I regret traveling with friends in the past. I have loved all my other travel experiences as well, and I am so grateful to have friends with whom I can happily and comfortably travel. This was just a different way of traveling, and I think for this particular moment in time, it was better that I went at it alone.