Traveling Solo is a Good Displacement

Many people love traveling. It is believed that traveling can make our mind relaxed. Some people decide to travel when they are facing some problems. Going out from the city is a pleasant escape, especially when we do it with our beloved ones, such as family, friends, or colleagues. However, barely do people travel solo because traveling alone is thought to be less interesting. To some extent, traveling solo has many good advantages, especially when the traveler is having many troubles and wanting to make him/herself feel better. When a traveler is going out solo, she/he does not need to care about other people who might give a burden and she/he can have a great time with the nature. Therefore, becoming a solo traveler is a good choice when someone wants to find a displacement.

Location: Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Displacement, one of Freudian defense mechanisms, is an unconscious defense mechanism where our mind tries to substitute something unpleasant or unacceptable for a new aim or object which can satisfy our soul (simplypsychology.org). According to an article published on huffingtonpost.com, when we are stressed, we tend to dump our anger on someone else who has less power than us. The other people who have better self-control try to find the idea of how they distract their mind from their problems. They do unproductive things such as sleeping and becoming couch potatoes. Whether they bounce back or not is not their concern. Their focus is only on what makes them forget their problems.

It will be better for us to do something beneficial when we want to get away from our problems. The problems, with which we must reconcile ourselves, will never be solved if we cannot calm our mind and soul. Lazing around can never clear what is inside our mind. Traveling solo, meanwhile, can be one of the solutions. By becoming a solo traveler, we do not need to match our schedule with our buddies. We can go whenever we want and wherever the destination is. We are able to rejuvenate ourselves by not relying on anyone and learning how to deal with new things alone.

Traveling solo helps us love ourselves more. It is our self-discovery that acknowledges the importance of accepting ourselves as who we really are. When we travel with other people, we can complain when something goes south, but when it comes to a solo journey, we should never be dissatisfied. Everything happening to us during the journey is a useful life learning. Although we must take care of everything alone, the journey putting us into many difficulties is absolutely worth a try. The memorable journey, relished only by ourselves, will never be forgotten. Becoming a solo traveler is like music to which we always listen to because no matter what the genre is, it always bring peacefulness to our heart, mind, and soul.

  

       Photos: My Solo Flight Experiences from Jakarta to Yogyakarta