Travelling by yourself changes the texture of the work, not just the trip. The days get slower, the detours get longer, and the people you meet are the ones who would never have spoken up if there had been two of you at the table. That is where the good material lives.

So the next time you are sketching out an itinerary, leave a week of it unplanned and go on your own. You will come home with fewer photographs and considerably more to say.