Why I Run (And Why It Keeps Me, And Many Others, Sane)

Travelling solo, whether exploring new areas in your home country, or flying to the other side of the world, with a rucksack packed ready for the next adventure, is arguably one of the most important human experiences. It is something we should all try at least once in our lifetimes. It offers a true uncertain but comforting mix of uneasiness and desire.  We may feel both lost and at the same time liberated, or both lonely and at the same time, deeply connected. Travel can slow down the pace we often fall into without noticing; the need to fit in, to compete, to operate on autopilot. It interrupts the constant tangle of thoughts, actions, and emotions tied to routine of life.

Ironically, home is often associated with a physical place or person, but there is something grounding about the “in-between-space”, surrounded by strangers who are also drifting . Sometimes this feels more like the “right place” to be more than a home itself- a belonging that can only be felt where there is no expectation to belong.

The unfamiliar and a new environment offers the additional nudge we may need these days, to be away from the screens, taking in the surroundings like stepping into the wide eyes of childhood again. A reminder of how rich the world is when we really look. Psychologically, this shift is no coincidence. The novelty and the curiosity that is restored within these new experience,- allowing our screen-fatigued and often overworked minds to reset. The new sounds, scents, colours and sensory awareness is awakened and subsequently, our inner dialogue quietens. In these moments, travel becomes more than a movement or a hobby, it becomes medicine for the brain. And how freeing to have this experience on our own. To really drink up this new cocktail of sensory experiences without any pressure or expectation of sharing, pretending or pleasing.

It is true too, that there is a rawness to solo travel. Perhaps a space where sadness can surface more freely than in a room full of friends and family, with hopes, pressures and societal milestones. The unfamiliar environment opens it’s arms to the sadness that we may have been supressing amongst those “home comforts” of normal life.

You may pass another solo stranger and feel deeply connected without a word. Or share a sunrise with another lone observer, feeling an abundance of love for another human who we are sharing a brief moment with, in a place we may never visit again. How we can create a narrative in our mind about their lives, their sorrow and their achievements.

And we remember then, how worthy we all are, of love and wonder and our own unfolding journey.