So, let me tell you an incident before I tell you ‘where to travel for your next birthday’! Once, I was traveling to a hill station near New Delhi, India, when I met this person on the bus. We started a random conversation that slowly turned to a thoughtful discussion about how we see life and perceive the existence of a parallel world etc. As we were about to reach, I got to know that it was the person’s birthday on the very next day and he came for the solo trip because he wanted to escape all known faces and to spend time with himself.

Now think about it – are you ready to ditch the regular birthday rituals that you’ve had all these years, to gift some exclusive time to yourself?

To convince you for starting a journey on your special day, here are a few reasons why you should travel on your next birthday:

Because you deserve to spend quality time with yourself.

All your life, you have been made to feel special on your birthday by others – parents, grandparents, friends and colleagues – all have come together with cakes and presents to shower you with happiness on this day, year after year. But, did you ever take a chance of making yourself happy on your birthday? Did you ever wish yourself, something like a “Happy Birthday to Me”? I guess not many out there have done it, but now, you should. On your next birthday, gift yourself a holiday to a destination that’s your favorite or has been on your checklist for long.

Escape the regular to find something beautiful.

Of course, I know you love all those phone calls and messages that you receive on your birthday, but trust me, it would be even more amazing if you just keep your phone away this time, or maybe switch it off! But the best option would be to escape somewhere – where there’s no network! Imagine, people would be calling you to hear – “The number you are trying to reach is currently unreachable”. And you, at that time, would be relaxing by the beach sipping a chilled beer or hiking up the valley to see the most gorgeous sunset of your life.

This birthday, travel to a distant place and gift something to those who need it.

As you choose to give yourself time on your birthday by traveling, you can make it more special by doing some volunteer work. You can join a teaching project in a third world country, and celebrate your birthday with little ones sharing some love and laughter with them. If you are an animal lover, then volunteer for a wildlife conservation project that’ll give you the opportunity to be with the animals all day long on your special day. This would make your day memorable in several ways.

Make some good use of your hard earned money!

You have worked enough the entire year to earn and it’s absolutely justified to spend it on yourself rather than treating your friends. The best way to do that would be to travel as far as possible, and probably, you can make some new friends and celebrate while you are on the go! You never know, sharing your birthday lunch with strangers might just turn out to be perfect. Also, you can indulge and spoil yourself a bit – to acknowledge the fact that you are turning a year older.

Go for an adventure that scares you.

We can’t deny the fact that all of us are scared of something or the other! If you are skeptic of traveling alone, then kick start your solo journey on your next birthday and enjoy every bit of the randomness. If you have a fear of height, then travel to a destination where you can try out bungee jumping, cliff jumping or skydiving. If you have aquaphobia, then go for river rafting, snorkeling, or scuba diving – and know for yourself that there’s nothing to be scared of! Remember that we have just one life, and you have to explore as much as you can when you have time, and not regret later thinking “I could have done it…”

While family and friends are important, know that you can’t be happy with others unless you are happy with yourself. So this birthday, make a choice for yourself. Travel to your favorite destination, be with yourself, learn something that you always wished to, share some love with strangers and mark it as one of the most beautiful chapters of your life.

Remember that this day won’t be back again in life, ever, so paint it before the colors dry out!

Wishing you a very happy birthday in advance.