Roaming between the towering peaks of The Grands Tetons and the bustling streets of Jackson, a quiet melancholy began to follow me. Though the journey was deeply fulfilling, there was something bittersweet about witnessing such beauty with no one beside me to share in its wonder.

As an avid solo traveler, this is a feeling i know all too well, Yet somewhere between watching vast herds of bison drift across endless plains, backdropped by the iconic mountain range, and sipping cold beer in packed bars while watching smiling faces dance away to the sweet sounds of honky-tonk tunes, the loneliness felt heavier than usual. Perhaps it was the scale of it all, the kind of beauty that makes you want to turn to someone and say “Can you believe we’re here?” only to realize there is no one there beside you.

Do the destinations we travel to mean as much when there are no loved ones there to share in the magic of the experience? I suppose the roads still waiting for me hold the answer.