Three Reasons Why Taking Vacation Alone Can Be Soooo Good for You

I'm on vacation in Florida. Alone. By choice. My every-day life consists of commuting for over an hour to get to work, stressing over some politically-charged corporate dilemma that essentially has no impact on my non-professional life, sitting in my car for yet another hour to get home, running errands, walking the dogs, watching mindless television programs, and going to sleep at the same time each weekday. Only to get up the next day and do the same routine over again. And again. Monday through Friday. Occasionally, I'll squeeze in dinner with friends, visit my folks, or go to a book signing. But generally speaking, I'm attached to my cell phone and do what I am expected to each day.

To take a vacation alone means to be in charge of my own time. It means that I get to decide exactly what to do or not to do with that time. You must be thinking, wow, that's unfortunate, you could have way more fun sharing your vacation with someone you love, with friends or family. Oh, I'm sure that is fun. In fact, I know it's fun, because I've done vacations with friend and family. But being away all on my own is a whole different, much more liberating, circumstance. I offer you three reasons why you should try this.

You decide how you want to spend your time. Vacationing with others means compromising on daily activities. When you are on your own, you can get up as early as you want in the morning, take your time lounging around the room, eat whatever you want, and visit that arts museum none of your friends are interested in seeing for the fourth time. Essentially, you call the shots. You don't have to check in with anyone, or get anyone's approval on what you wish to do for the next few hours of your day. The first day of your vacation, you may find this notion overwhelming; but once you get out there on your own and enjoy whatever it is you like to do, you will find that this experience is very liberating.

You can be totally anti-social. And no one will say that you are wasting your vacation if you don't feel like leaving your hotel room for a whole afternoon. With as busy as all of our lives get, it's nice to have alone time to simply sit still and enjoy a book you've been meaning to start reading for the last six months. Or watch some TV. Or take naps, or walks. If you don't feel like talking to anyone or being around people, you have that choice when you are vacationing alone. Oh, and turn off your cell phone. It's really Ok to wants some peace and quiet.

You can put yourself first. You may think you do this when you are at home, but you don't. Think about it. You sit in long meetings at work because someone else thought it was a great idea to discuss the new project over lunch. You take time to pay your bills before you make time to enjoy a sunny day outside (yes, yes, you are a responsible adult). Being on a vacation alone means not only doing what you want but getting away from everything (and everyone) that brings tension in your life and takes away from your me time. You can leave work at work; you can leave your family's needs behind for just a few days to focus on yourself. Clearing your mind from the every-day stress of your life recharges your batteries. And we all need that once in a while.

Not convinced yet? Try it for a long weekend, Take time for yourself, just once, and see if it's your cup of tea. I like it. I like having alone time to de-stress and focus on me. It's sure different, but very lovely. I highly recommend it.