'I'm Having Such a Good Time' - The Beauty Of Solo Travel
We were asked recently who our retreats are geared towards and whether we have many guests who come on their own. Solo travelling has had quite a lot of press recently, but there’s nothing new about it. 90% of our guests are solo travellers. It’s amazing how freeing it is, coming to a weekend on your own and being exactly who you want to be.
I think people are sometimes a little nervous of heading off on their own because we are taught from an early age that it’s best to do things together, we are, after all, human beings, designed to thrive on connection. Throughout life we’re taught to work as a team, share the load, take part in group activities, feel things together, share experiences, make memories. The trouble is that as we get older it can become harder to find the time for these shared experiences and often even harder to find people to have these experiences with. It almost always entails endless WhatsApp groups trying to find a date that fits and then, if that feat is managed, where will you go? Who will cater? But most importantly, what will you do? Interests and hobbies change over time and it’s not always easy to get a group together to try something new.
A retreat is time away with people who have chosen to do the same thing as you. They’re not there because they feel they ought to be, but because they want to be. Already you’re winning, because you have something in common, but best of all there are no expectations of you. The other retreat guests don’t know your life history, they don’t know if you ballsed up at work last week, if your kids are playing up, or if you’ve just split up with your boyfriend. It’s a clean slate. You can give as much or as little of yourself as you choose and there’s no judgement. We’ve had guests on retreat who’ve said. “I’m having such a good time, I’m really glad my friends aren’t here.” And that’s not offensive, it just means you have space; space to focus on yourself and having a new experience. You’re still getting that connection us humans thrive off, but without any of the hassle.
There is sometimes still a worry that being with a group of strangers might be bit weird or awkward, and that’s why our surf and yoga retreats are fully hosted, to make sure the group is pulled together, that no one feels left out and everyone is having a great time, whether that’s being fully involved or just dipping in and out. The best thing of all is that you can make new, great friends, if you want to. Friends from new hobbies and new shared experiences. So, if you are someone who wants to connect to their youthful spirit, try something new and exhilarating, take a break from responsibility, whilst also being looked after, then go for it! Don’t wait for someone to go with you, we promise, you won’t regret it.
