Contrary to what you might think, traveling solo can be not
so great for an introvert. “What?” you
say. “I thought introverts loved being
alone.”
Hang on a second. I
am a bona fide introvert. But let me be
clear about what that means. Do I like
being alone? Sometimes. Do I like being lonely? No!
Like most introverts, I’m not shy. I’m not a loner. I like people. I can be very, very chatty. However… I like my interactions to be with one
person or maybe a few people at a time.
An evening in a room full of people at a party? Blech – feels like a slog that I have to make,
makes me feel exhausted. An evening all by myself? Nice, every once in a while. An evening in a pub with a couple of close
friends? Bingo!
When I travel alone, I often feel surrounded by strangers, like
I’m at that party where I must interact with lots of people… or no one. Not a good feeling, let me tell you. Where an extrovert may find herself feeling
energized by the presence of lots of people and the opportunity to meet and
chat with new people, I often find myself feeling a little anxious, a little
lost, and a little depressed. I need people,
just not a lot of them, and I definitely need MY
people!
I was feeling a
little that way this morning while at a conference, which I have been looking
forward to and am very excited to attend.
Sitting in the lobby trying to figure out what to do next, I was struck
by how much I was NOT enjoying myself.
So many strange faces walking by.
Nothing familiar. I wished that
my husband or a good friend were there for me to chat with, someone to make me
feel not so … lonely. But then, I saw a
familiar face and ran into some folks I know and like. We chatted, and, all of a sudden, I felt more
calm, more at ease.
I am now "charging my battery" up in my
home-away-from-home hotel room while I wait for the next meetings to start. Alone, sure, but not lonely!
