Approximately one third of the world's population is introverted, and one of those individuals is right here writing this to you now. If you are uncertain of the term, introverts are people who would define themselves as the quieter, more reflective type. We see the world through a different lens to you social butterflies.
Whilst the social butterfly is out burning the midnight oil, we are in bed snuggled up with a good book relaxing before visiting a museum the following day.
There are many negative connotations associated with introversion. Those that are not this way inclined do not understand us, or why it is important for us to spend time alone every now and again. They may conclude that we are loners or antisocial, or they may even presume that we are snobbish which is typically not the case at all.
For me, being an introvert is not a matter of being shy or timid in social situations, it is purely not always feeling comfortable within them. I very much enjoy meeting new people and hearing their stories, but going to a noisy bar where I have to shout across the music to communicate with people does not sound like a fun night to me and I would much prefer to have a deeper conversation in a more intimate setting with somebody that I click with.
I can understand why the concept of travel can seem daunting to you fellow introverts - after all, the stereotypical image of someone that travels is the young, carefree, party type. That stereotype may account for a relative percentile of those you encounter on the road but it is by no means a prerequisite personality type.
If anything, traveling solo is something that suits us introverts down to a tee..
We are comfortable with our own company
Whereas the extrovert feels the need to constantly surround themselves with others, we are the polar opposite and thrive on time spent alone. A four hour solo bus ride through the countryside is a chance to reflect on travels thus far and take in everything that is going on around us, or purely just an opportunity to take out a book, put our headphones in and unwind.
We are used to being independent
Traveling means that there are many times where we will have to rely on our own judgement when it comes to planning routes and itineraries, booking journeys and accommodation, and ensuring our own safety. On the road there will not be familiar faces around to help us out, however we are not the co-dependent types and we are used to taking care of ourselves.
It's easy to find the social balance
Sure we like our alone time, but that does not mean that we are reclusive cave men types that shun all human interaction. The wonderful thing about traveling is that there are always so many opportunities available for us to go out and socialize, that when the time arises that we do crave company, it is easy enough to go along to an event and meet our peers. (On this note, I will often check couch surfing or meetup.com for events taking place in the cities I am traveling to then if I feel like it, I'll pop along to one).
We make deeper friendships
When you are traveling you are constantly meeting a range of new people. Of course, a lot of those interactions are relatively shallow. Not every stranger that you meet on a long bus journey or share a cup of coffee with is going to be a life long friend. As introverts, although we are altogether more selective about who we spend our time with, every so often we do meet someone special and it is these connections that we tend to invest our time in. Though I am more a wallflower than a social butterfly, us introverts build deeper connections and I have made some of my closest friends on the road.
For the longest time, I felt that I had to apologize for my introversion, try to hide it, or try to force myself to go out when I really wasn't feeling it. As with so many things, I've realised that the most important thing is to accept being an introvert as who we are and live life and socialise on our own terms.
What do you think? Have you been traveling as an introvert?
This article was originally published on www.highheelsandabackpack.com