We want different things

The interesting quandary with all of these travel articles that shout for “How to Get Over Your Introversion And Meet People” is that they make it seem like the nirvana of all travel is becoming some nebulous, super-extraverted version of yourself. That if you’re not making 100’s of friends and establishing life-long meaningful relationships wherever you roam that you’re somehow doing it wrong.

I hate to burst this biased bubble of thought but this is bollocks!

To be fair to the writers of these articles, I think a lot of the time they are simply inappropriately substituting the term “introverted” when what they mean is “shy” (again: the importance of definitions). When they write that travel can put you out of your comfort zone and that you have wonderful experiences when you meet and talk with locals and other travelers, they are being totally spot on. Where I disagree, however (other than in their definitions of introvert vs. shy), is that the sole PURPOSE of travel is other people.

There’s something magically creative and soulful in the experience of solitude.

Some places just have an energy about them; a vibe that resonates with you. I’m sure extraverts feel it too, but for introverts – who are highly sensitive to stimuli – we can be consumed by the experience.

When I am in a social setting, it’s usually all the stimuli I can handle. It’s only when I pull myself away from the beach bonfire party to walk solo down the shore, looking out at the vastness of the horizon over the waves, that I can completely take in THAT experience. And I can speak from experience that some of these moments of being alone in the presence of an unbelievable vista… they have completely changed my life.

Interestingly, this can lead the introvert to seek out destinations that inherently typify this atmosphere of vastness, stillness, or solitude. Where an extrovert might unconsciously choose destinations where people are part of the scenery (big cities, sprawling resorts, major tourist attractions), the introvert might discover new and wondrous places via their desire for space and wilderness.