5 Reasons you should schedule alone time while traveling

It's no secret that I love traveling with people. I've gone with family, friends, and even school trips across the world. Even with all of this variety, the #1 thing I've learned about planning trips is to plan for alone time.

If you're in a big group, maybe that alone time is just time in a smaller group, or maybe it truly is alone. In any form, getting away from the whole group for a while can be insanely helpful, and possibly the thing that keeps you from losing your mind. So here's why you should do it:

1.  No one can handle socializing constantly for days on end.
   Unless you can, then that's cool. But most of us need a little time to destress from the constant discussion of what you're seeing & how wonderful the trip is (or how unpleasant it is, in which case you definitely need a break).
2. Exploring alone helps you grow.
   I know it sounds cheesy, but sometimes it's just better to go through a thousand-year-old cathedral alone and absorb the beauty and sentiment without having to discuss it with others. 
3. It's empowering.
   Once you realize you can take on the world alone (or at least a piece of it), you realize you can do anything. The first time I went off on my own in a foreign city I was scared to death, but when I understood how good it felt to do it all alone I felt on top of the world.
4. You're traveling to feed your own wanderlust, not everyone else's.
   Unless you're only on the trip because someone dragged you along, then maybe you are traveling for them. Generally, though, you're there to help yourself. To be immersed in culture, to see the world. Don't settle for less than what you want. Feed your appetite. Don't just do enough to tide you over until next time, traveling isn't like a 3pm snack; it's the whole meal. 
5. It's your trip, make it what you want it.
   Yes, compromise is a great thing, but sometimes you just have to do what you want to do. If you're in Paris and you're the only one who wants to see the Catacombs, then go see them! It's not every day you get to see things like that, don't miss them.