WH ’s Alex Davies on why not being afraid to fly solo could actually be the best thing you ever do.
When I swapped my life in London for a new one in Sydney where I knew precisely two people, I had to get comfy doing things by myself. Checking out galleries, exploring parks, job-hunting with my laptop over lunch in cafes. Sure, it was daunting (do I look like Betty No-Mates? Am I being judged?), but I came to truly value that time for reflecting, people-watching and taking in the world around me. Three years later, and now with more than two names in my Oz phone book, I still value it.
I’m not alone in this case – a study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that when people went to a museum on their tod, they enjoyed it just as much as those in pairs. And, far from being judged, researchers found “the overall impression of someone who’s by herself is that she’s open-minded and curious”. Meanwhile, solo dining is on the rise: restaurant booking platform Dimmi saw a 47 per cent jump in table-for-one bookings between 2014 and 2016. And a Trip Advisor survey revealed Aussie women are among the most independent female travellers in the world (*fist-bump*), with 60 per cent saying the experience has helped them become more self-reliant.
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