I've taken over 30 cruises by myself. I was lonely for a few until I realized I'd cracked the code for the perfect getaway.

• I love cruises, but I was hesitant to go on them alone because I thought I'd be lonely.
• I was lonely at first, but less so once I did what I wanted and stopped worrying about socializing.

I'm in my 60s, and I've been fortunate to take more than 30 solo cruises over the past 15 years.

I started doing so after I discovered that I love going on cruises, but my wife did not. Fortunately, she's fine with me taking off by myself — I'm not sure whether it's because she wants to make me happy or just likes to periodically get rid of me for a while.

Either way, my choice was to cruise solo or not at all. I opted for the former.

My first few cruises were lonely until I freed myself of solo-travel expectations

The first few times I cruised solo, I took three- and four-night cruises to see whether I could handle being alone on a ship.

I was a little lonely on those first few cruises, primarily because I didn't know what to do with myself or what was expected of me as a solo traveler.

I felt as if I had to attend tons of ship events and have my meals at shared tables with other people, but it didn't actually make me feel less lonely. I didn't enjoy doing things just for the sake of being around other people, either.

Finally, I asked myself an important question: What was I actually looking to get out of the cruise experience?

I wanted to relax and do what I wanted, not what others expected me to do on a cruise.

So, I stopped prioritizing socializing and started only doing things that furthered my own enjoyment. I found these things weren't dependent on being with others, and I became more at peace with being alone.

Eventually, I increased the length of my cruises to seven, 10, and even 16 nights. I'm still amazed at how fast time seems to pass on a ship.

I love getting to do what makes me happy without worrying about others

Turns out, it's OK to do absolutely nothing on vacation. And I don't need company to enjoy the benefits of being on a cruise.

I found that I like spending meals alone with a book, free from feeling obligated to converse or wait for others to finish eating before enjoying my next course.

Going to the nightly onboard shows is still fun for me, but I stopped doing onshore excursions that don't further my relaxation. Sometimes, I just watch movies on the television in my cabin.

Although I no longer prioritize socializing, I still strike up conversations with people often, and I welcome those who ask to join me when they see me sitting alone.

But above all, cruising solo has taught me to be more comfortable in my own skin and more confident in myself. It's also allowed me to see the world without waiting for others.

I've now traveled throughout North America and made bucket-list trips to Antarctica and Iceland.

These days, the one downside of being alone is having to pay the dreaded single supplement, which usually doubles a cruise's base fare. But by booking an inside cabin, I can somewhat mitigate this cost of traveling solo.