Burning the Furniture

I get the same question pretty frequently when I am traveling, "Why do you travel solo?" I figure it is time that I come up with an answer to that. As I thought about it, I discovered the answer is a bit more complicated than I first thought. There is a simple answer, I don't really have another option. I have been single all of my life, so I don't really have a built in travel partner. Not being satisfied with that answer, I dug a little deeper. What I found may come as a surprise to some of you. I don't like people. Okay, that isn't completely true. I like people, some of my best friends are people. So a more accurate answer is that I am an introvert. I am going to let you in on a little secret, a lot of teachers and performers are introverts. Yes, those people that literally earn their living by talking in front of crowds don't like interacting with people. Okay, that isn't really true either. Most introverts, at least the ones I know, are perfectly fine with people, talking in groups, or being in the spotlight. We can "perform" when called upon just as well as extroverts. The difference comes when we are done. Perfroming, for lack of a better term, does different things to the emotional storage tanks of introverts and extroverts. Performing for an extrovert fills their tank. It burns physical energy but it replenishes their emotional tank. With introverts it burns the same physical energy, but it also burns emotional energy. When I am done teaching for the day, my emotional tank is running on fumes. Did I enjoy the day? Yes, I love what I do and wouldn't trade it for anything. Am I ready to not see people for several hours? Yes, and I think you will find that is true of a lot of teachers. By the end of the week we are done with peopling and want nothing more than to see no one for a few days. Can I be around people on the weekend? Yes, but know that by that point my tank is empty and I am looking around for alternate fuel sources. If an introvert is out with friends on their time off just know that they are buring their furniture just to provide the energy to be social. There are some exceptions to that, at least for me. Being around my volleyball team, even on weekends, actually refills my tank. There are a few, very few, individuals that also refill my tank. If you see me out on a weekend with someone, they are most likely one of those people. This all means that by the time summer comes around all of my furniture has been burnt to keep me socially present for 9 months. I need time to rebuild the furniture so I can function for another school year. For me the thing that does that best is traveling. It allows me to see amazing places, take a lot of pictures, get some reading done, and learn about the foods and cultures of new places. Doing it solo also means that I don't have to "perform" for anyone. So that is why I travel solo, I am rebuilding my furniture so I have something to burn when I need extra emotional energy.