I woke up several days ago and braved the chaos of Los Angeles International Airport. With the holiday season often comes traveling, and I was making my way back to New York to see family. Other than the few minor annoyances that can come with navigating an airport, especially an airport like LAX, I had a pleasant travel experience. Something I’ve come to notice over the past year or so is how much I enjoy traveling by myself. While there are times when it can feel somewhat lonely, the benefits seem to outweigh the possible negatives. Here are some of the reasons That I enjoy traveling, flying especially, solo.

You Only Have To Worry About Your Own Luggage

One of the stressful things about traveling with other people is feeling some level of responsibility to watch over everyone’s luggage. Having to worry about a bunch of bags makes getting through the already hellish airport security that much worse. When it is just you traveling, the only bags you have to be concerned with are your own, and it can make for a much smoother trip. Less bags less headache.

The Luxury of Moving At Your Own Pace

Are you ever traveling with other people and feel this pressure to bend to the collective will of the group that you’re with? Some of your travel-group may want to do everything in a hurried manner. While traveling alone, you can do things at whichever speed you happen to prefer. Airports can be hectic enough as it is, and the last thing you want is someone breathing down your neck telling you to hurry up. If you waiting in that Starbucks line so you can get your grandé Mocha Frappuccino will make traveling more enjoyable for you, you should be able to do that without being guilt-tripped.

Pick A Seat, Any Seat

Maybe you do not want to sit at the very back of the plane, or maybe you do, and the nice thing about flying by yourself is that if you happen to be using an airline that offers open seating, you can sit virtually anywhere as long as someone else has not already claimed the spot. Imagine living in a world where you can have the window seat without a negotiation? That’s a world that I want to live in!

Meeting New People

Depending on how social you are, this may or may not sound like a positive thing. But if you are someone who likes to meet new people, if you’re alone, there is a higher likelihood that a random person will sit next to you, giving you, or them, a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation. You might get to hear someone’s incredible life story that you would not have if you had been sitting next to a person that you already had a relationship with.

While there is a tongue-in-cheek edge to some of my points, traveling alone genuinely can provide a better experience. Traveling with other people does not have to be bad in order for traveling alone to be good, but if you’re one of those people who dreads having to travel by yourself, don’t, you may end up liking it more than you anticipated.