8 reasons every Indian woman should travel alone at least once in her life

So, Kangana Ranaut has bagged the National Award for Best Actress for her role in Queen. The movie struck a chord with countless women across the country as Rani from Rajouri went solo, finding freedom, adventure and, indeed, herself in the process. Everyone should try it sometime. Here’s why:

1. Ah, freedom!

When you pack your bags and hit the road alone, there’s an overwhelming sense of breaking away from everything that binds you down – the familiar, the routine, the people you have to do things for. You’re the only one you’re responsible for and that’s what freedom feels like.

2. Do your own thing

Love museums and art galleries? Spend hours traipsing through them. When you’re travelling alone, you don’t have to worry if your companion will be bored by the things you want to do. Or, worse, be forced to tag along to the sports equipment store, which really isn’t your thing.

3. Set your pace

If you’re a traveller rather than a tourist, you know the pleasure of lingering. Spend a morning by the quietly flowing Cauvery in Srirangapatna or an afternoon lying under a tree in a London park. If you go it alone, there’s no danger of being whisked, against your will, from one must-see sight to another.

4. Soak it in

Single travellers are known to experience things more sharply than those who travel with companions. The magnificence of Jaipur’s Amber Fort and its ancient ramparts are likely to leave a more lasting impression when you take it all in in solitude, rather than with someone who wants to take a selfie there.

5. Meet new people

One of the best rewards of travel is gathering new experiences and meeting new people. Your chances of reaching out to new people are significantly higher when you go solo. These chance encounters can mean anything – from a single great conversation to an enduring friendship. When you travel with people you know, you are pretty much re-enacting the familiar – just in a different setting.

6. Be a little wild

Away from the moral police or disapproving companions, you are at liberty to do things you wouldn’t normally do back home. Wear those skinny shorts, get your hair braided or a tattoo, sit at the bar counter and order a dry martini, chat up a stranger…

7. Do without the romance

When you travel with a romantic partner the getaway becomes more about the romance than truly experience the destination and the moments there. While romantic holidays are good, a trip without the mushy stuff can be revealing, too. Oh, and sunsets are beautiful even when you enjoy them alone.

8. See your confidence shoot up

There’s a special high that comes from finding your way around a strange city on your own. A good map, a pair of walking shoes and some commonsense and you’re good to go. Figuring out how to use a particular metro system, even buying a sandwich in a town that doesn’t speak English, can all boost your self-confidence.

9. Empowering and liberating

When you travel solo, you decide when, where and how. You discover the things you are capable of doing in unfamiliar places – managing your time and money, finding your way around, being adventurous and exploring everything from new cuisines to cultures. It’s a hugely liberating feeling and makes you feel awesome and on top of the world. So give it a try, go solo.

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