The Line Between Social + Solo

Cruising As A 'Fifth Wheel'

Photo by Lena Polishko on Unsplash

Yesterday was my kind of day.

After a couple of days of group meals, group activities, and group everything, I gave myself permission to do my own thing. I lounged by the pool. I napped. I finished a book I started weeks ago. I grazed on just enough food and drink to keep me content and a little bit sleepy. I’m happy as a clam. And relaxed as a jellyfish.

I’ve spent some time with my roommate and family. But I haven’t felt compelled to do anything I didn’t truly want to do. It’s easy to forget that travel—especially something like a cruise—isn’t a performance. Going with the flow sometimes means floating off and doing my own thing.

I don’t have to attend every show, join every trivia game, or over-socialize just to prove I’m having fun. Sometimes, for me, the best fun is found in doing absolutely nothing.

For my next cruise, I think I might just go solo. I like people, but I also like peace. I love shared laughter, but I equally love the quiet hum of my own thoughts. On a ship full of thousands, there’s an odd comfort in realizing solitude isn’t the same as loneliness.

Cruising as a “fifth wheel”—tagging along with four members of my adopted, chosen family as I am—can be a tricky balancing act. There is a thin, thin line between being included and intruding, between being social and solo. I’m learning to respect that line, to lean into my own company when I need to recharge, and to join the group only when it feels right.

Maybe that’s the real secret of traveling successfully: knowing when to blend in and when to drift off for a while. To sip my drink slowly, savor my book, and let the waves remind me that it’s okay to be alone—even in the middle of a floating city.

Keep calm and float on!
Clint 🌈✌️

P.S. I could get used to this. Especially the watermelon margaritas and 1am pizza runs.

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“Cheating is not the American way. It is small, while we are large. It is cheap, while we are richly endowed. It is destructive, while we are creative. It is doomed to fail, while our gifts and responsibilities call us to achieve. It sabotages trust and weakens the bonds of spirit and humanity, without which we perish.”
Terrence McNally