The solitary spark

A couple of days ago, I made the mistake of reading a Forbes article describing what travel in the post-COVID era could look like. There are well-supported rumors that almost everything will be self-oriented, touchless and uncomfortable at airports. Baggage will be put through disinfection tunnels, passengers will be required to show “immunity passes” and arriving at the airport three hours before your flight is scheduled to depart will be considered cutting it close.

Ughh.

Travel, along with so many other aspects of our lives, will never be the same. That’s indisputable. But all inconveniences aside, perhaps the toughest pill to swallow for any sociable jet-setter is the possibility that the days of finding oneself by commiserating with swarms of strangers abroad may very well be behind us.

Travel and solitude are a pair most people are definitely not rooting for. Not even the practiced solo traveler is immune to loneliness.

While I have had my fair share of lonely moments traveling abroad, I have also learned that solitude is something to be treasured. Finding yourself alone in an unfamiliar place can be strangely comforting and sometimes the most explosive of adventures are the result of a solitary spark.

So, in defense of solitude, a state of being we ought to learn to lovingly embrace, I dug through my copious amount of travel photos to create a short slide show that portrays solitude in its most resplendent light. Enjoy!

Love Thyself,

Anna