If you’re traveling alone for an extended period of time, you’re most likely going to have some “off days”. You don’t have any plans, and you don’t know how to spend your time.

I had my first “off day” only a few days after flying to Japan. My Japan friends were all busy, and I had absolutely nothing to do. I slept in, checked e-mail, browsed Facebook, cooked instant noodles, and watched online episodes of TV shows. Essentially, I procrastinated, but I had nothing better to do anyway.

Off days can be both a blessing and a curse. After a chain of activity-filled days, it can be relaxing to lie around at home. In fact, your body will most likely need rest, so spending a day to recover from adventures is usually a good thing. However, some travelers may fall into the habit of wasting away in their foreign home, something that you must be careful to avoid.

Taking a day of rest is not only fine, but also recommended. Yet taking several days of rest in a row will dig travelers into a rut. Sitting at home and doing nothing can be accomplished in any country. You paid good money to travel across the world, and you should take full advantage of your time.

Most importantly, travelers should enjoy themselves. If sitting at home eating instant ramen and watching TV shows is all the satisfaction you need, then there is really no need for you to travel in the first place. People travel because they want to see and explore other parts of the world. They want to experience a new lifestyle, and, in order to do so, they need to get out of the apartment.

When reminiscing on your time abroad, you will remember your activities with other people, traveling to different locations. No matter how enjoyable it is to laze around at home, it will not be more memorable than getting dressed and stepping out your door.

I finally decided to go out, create some memories, and stop wasting my time at home. My problems of not having work, friends, or plans were still present, but did not mean I couldn’t go out on my own.

Many travelers would like to go out, but do not know what to do without the company of others. However, every country has cities and stores to offer travelers.

You do not need a plan to go out and have a good time.

I got on the train and went to Shibuya, one of the most popular areas in Tokyo. I took pictures by a famous statue, people-watched from a Starbucks’ second story window, and shopped at stores I had never heard of.

If you don’t have plans but still want to enjoy the day, explore on your own. Go to a museum or famous landmark. If you don’t know how to get there, you can find all the information you need online. Have you been everywhere worth seeing? Then go to an unnamed part of the city and look around. Tourism books cannot capture everything, and even if you spend every moment poking around the city, you will leave with stones still unturned.

Enjoy the time you have in a foreign country. Take a day of rest once in a while, but afterwards, make every effort to go everywhere and see everything.