Solitude
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the winter I spent in Paris. Although I was on my own, ironically for being in a city so far from home, I had way more face-to-face contact with friends and family than I’ve had this winter. That is not something I ever thought I would say.
Pandemics, eh?
Not everyone enjoys travelling on their own. I really enjoy the trips I take with other people, even when they require a lot of compromise. On the other hand, if I limited my travel to the trips that suit the interests and schedules of my friends or family — well, I’d be giving up a lot of opportunities.
And so, I do a lot of solo travel. I’ve learned a few tricks over the years to help me be comfortable (and safe) when on my own in a foreign country.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it is this: if you can handle the solitude of living alone during a pandemic, you will thrive at solo travel.
Jardin des Tuileries
There and Back Again 
I love this – I encourage friends to travel on their own because, just as you wrote, you give up so many opportunities waiting for someone who wants to go where you go, when you can travel, the way you like to travel! Solo travel helped me develop some self management skills that have helped in the pandemic. If you have survived this well, you are already set to travel on your own.