\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 you have a boyfriend? Where is he?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He lets you travel all by yourself? WTF?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
And then come the looks of disbelief and suspicion.<\/p>\n
There seems to be this odd misconception that only single women travel solo\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor that if you do have a partner, the relationship must not be very serious. Married women traveling alone for fun? No way! Impossible! I can understand how this might be surprising in some non-Western cultures, where the idea of women traveling alone is still fairly new. In those places, people are only just beginning to get used to the concept of solo female travel. I get it\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s outside their norm.<\/p>\n What surprises me, though, is when the same reaction comes from people in the West. People who pride themselves on female empowerment and independence. And yet…<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Does your husband allow<\/em> it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Allow<\/strong>?! What age are we living in? I may be married, but I aint no prisoner!<\/em><\/p>\n I love traveling with my partner. But when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not in the mood for travel or can’t take time off, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let that stop me from spreading my wings. I travel solo even though I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in a relationship\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I love it:<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n When I travel with my partner, we naturally gravitate towards people we both vibe with. But when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on my own, I connect with a completely different crowd\u00e2\u20ac\u201dpeople I may not have met otherwise.<\/p>\n As a couple, you (often unconsciously) take each other\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s personalities into account. You’re less likely to start conversations with someone you know your partner wouldn’t click with. Alone, I end up making friends with a much wider and more eclectic mix of people.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n You’re on your own, you call all the shots. Where to go, what to eat, whether to party, who to talk to\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all up to you.<\/p>\n But with that freedom comes full responsibility. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no one else to blame when things go wrong or a museum turns out to be a snooze-fest. That solitude pushes you to tune into your own likes and dislikes. It forces you to hear your<\/em> voice louder and clearer\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno external filter, no partner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s preferences shaping your decisions.<\/p>\n You rediscover who you are, without the influence of your most trusted person. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eye-opening.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n Some things, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather not do when my partner\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s around. Mostly girly things or weird little quirks\u00e2\u20ac\u201dlike chowing down on a McDonald’s burger and a large Coke, something he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s philosophically opposed to. \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n In a relationship, you become a team. You start relying on each other\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit’s comforting, it’s beautiful, it works. But I also believe it’s important to stay functional on your own. Sometimes we forget how strong and capable we are on our own.<\/p>\n When I travel alone, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reminded of that Dealing with scams, navigating a new city, haggling with a taxi driver\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all on me. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no one to fall back on. And guess what? I manage.<\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to forget your own strength when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re used to sharing the load. I had completely forgotten how fierce I can be when bargaining with hotel staff\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbecause Douglas usually handles that while I sit on the bags.<\/p>\n Taking care of everything solo is a serious confidence boost. It sharpens forgotten skills, toughens you up, and reminds you: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got this.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t strictly related to being in a relationship, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth a mention.<\/p>\n Every time I travel solo\u00e2\u20ac\u201deven for a few days\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI seem to get invited into something totally unusual and unexpected. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if people feel sorry for the “poor lady with no friends or family,” or if solo travelers are just more approachable, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been welcomed into: weddings involving elephants, marlin fishing, photo shoots, secret turtle hatching spots, wool spinning sessions, VIP champagne parties, coffee harvesting… As a couple, we get these kinds of invitations too \u00e2\u20ac\u201djust not nearly as often. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something about being alone that opens more doors.<\/p>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n This one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not really a reason\u00e2\u20ac\u201dit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bonus<\/em>.<\/p>\n Finding strength in yourself, having time to be you, and giving each other space to miss<\/em> one another\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 all of it contributes to a warm reunion and a stronger connection. You return home with stories to tell, a fresh appreciation for each other, and a little glow from doing something bold and independent.<\/p>\n And yes, it requires trust\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut that trust is also what strengthens the relationship in the long run.<\/p>\n If you’re in a relationship and planning to travel solo, here are a few tips from experience:<\/p>\n Talk it through beforehand.<\/strong> What are your expectations around communication while you’re away? A daily check-in? A few updates per week? Get on the same page\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand respect the agreement.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Don’t travel to your partner’s dream destination without them.<\/strong> Obvious, but important. Save that special spot to share together.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Don’t stay away too long.<\/strong> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found 10 days is the sweet spot. More than 12 starts to feel a bit too much\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s different. Do what works for you<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Bring a photo of the two of you.<\/strong> Sometimes people assume you’re making up your significant other. Having a photo handy can save you a lot of hassle.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ladies, the fake (or real) wedding ring trick doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cut it anymore.<\/strong> If you’re going to lie, make it count. Add fake children to the mix. Solo woman with a husband? Suspicious. Solo mom of twins? Nobody questions that.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n If approached by someone sketchy, never admit you’re traveling alone.<\/strong> Just say your husband\/friends are waiting for you back at the hotel.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n The post “Why I travel solo even when \u00c2\u00a0I’m in a relationship<\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I travel solo while being in a relationship, I often get questions like: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 you have a boyfriend? Where is he?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He lets you travel all by yourself? WTF?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And then come the looks of disbelief and suspicion. There seems to be this odd misconception that only single women travel solo\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor that if you do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[12,86,85],"country":[],"class_list":["post-1503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-story","tag-experiences","tag-female-travel","tag-solo","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1503"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4573,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1503\/revisions\/4573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1503"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=1503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
And yet… we exist<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n
Meeting a different crowd<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"mud](\"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/friends.jpg\")
<\/a>Reconnecting with myself<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Indulging in those guilty pleasures<\/b><\/h4>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a huge fan myself, but once in a blue moon, when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on the road, I want to indulge in a nutritionally-bankrupt, environmentally-dodgy meal. When I travel solo, I can do that without judgment\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno guilt, just greasy satisfaction.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>Confidence boost<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/a>Exceptional experiences<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Relationship boost<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>\n
Have you ever leisurely traveled solo while being in a relationship? Would you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n