I LOVE SOLO TRAVEL

I drove 8 hours today to see a 2 hour musical that is bound to be, on some level, a disappointment. It’s spitting rain, and I am badly parked in front of a Dominican restaurant where the single server was engrossed in a difficult Doordash order when I arrived. When I got her attention, somewhere halfway through explaining every item on the menu on the phone, I gestured questioningly to a table, hoping to seat myself at the window if I could. She nodded, and here I sit at a table with a table covered with a red checkered cloth, and a vase of snow white flowers. The air is filled with a warm aroma of garlic and oil, and I am drinking a unsweetened ice tea in a glass of ice waiting for plantain and yucca dishes that I will wolf down with pleasure. My only emotion is happiness. I have loved this day, and I haven’t even seen the main event. 

When I travel, I don’t feel lonely when I am alone. I can stop at a restaurant, ignore others, read a book, eavesdrop on conversations, and no one bats an eye. I can stop where I want (although time is always at a premium), and I found on this trip that I no longer even need a navigator, having downloaded the complicated route to my phone, that happily indicated each turn with a morse code buzzing on my wrist and a broadcast through my car stereo when and where and in which direction.

I sat outside with my neighbours last night, and excitedly explained to them about my upcoming, last minute, whirlwind trip to see the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. I have been enjoying the score for years. Telling them turned out to be a mistake, because they had no ability to enthuse vicariously. They were honestly worried for me, with one of them bewildered by my plan to go alone. She shook her head, saying,” I wouldn’t do it”. I showed them the incredible vocal range of my favourite song “Gethsemane” ,they were not only unconvinced; they didn’t like it!

I feel sorry for them. I am grateful that I am able to go to something truly special  even when no one else appreciates it. I am grateful that it’s still exciting to navigate myself to somewhere new. I am grateful that I can pack in a few minutes, grab my car keys, passport, and proof of insurance, and be on my way! I am grateful that I can sit at a table alone in a restaurant and find myself in the most pleasant company. I am grateful that I can travel alone, and that I love it!