Perks of Travelling alone

To be honest, I am absolutely terrified of travelling alone. I am that girl in school who has to have a "partner" while just going to the toilet or to attend some event. Shopping alone never did well for me, in the past at least.

Ever since the trip to Tokyo, when I went to Ueno Park alone all the way from our hostel (which really wasnt that far but it feels like miles to me) and back in one piece, I discover a whole new feeling that was foreign to me.

I like solitude. Yet, at the same time, I crave for company so much that I felt that I have to live my life carefully to prevent any disturbance, to prevent them from leaving me. I had to take my time to think it through, asking if my friends "wanted to do so-and-so" and carefully plan where to go. This thus unintentionally made me stressful, since I was not able to do whatever I felt like doing that very second (having a flicked mind).

I came across a blog post by Hemal Jhaveri from Huffingtonpost.com, writing about "How every woman should travel alone (at least once in her life)".
Almost everyone I know wanted to embark on a life changing journey by backpacking alone overseas. However, I know few would ever come down to that, sadly speaking.
Going alone means that you can do whatever you wanted, without compromising anybody. I understand that because most of my trips with friends ended up a little bit less than perfect because we have to take into account what 'they wanted to do'. The trip would become real stressful if you have to constantly worry about that. Been there, done that, would not want to try again.
That, however, is just the pros.
Cons appeared scarier and it gets you thinking twice when your friends and/or family try to talk you out of it. Out of good will, of course. Issues like "Is it safe?" "Wouldn't you be lonely?" and millions of "What ifs" tend to extinguish your excitement and thrill of travelling alone.

Expectations? You wouldn't know what to expect. Just know that after all this, you would come back home feeling more accomplished and confident. All it takes is Step Number 1.

So go, get out there alone if that's what you really want.

Do not, and I quote from her post, "postpone what's important to you simply because others don't share your priorities."