You seem to misunderstand. I don’t reject socializing because of a few negative experiences, I just don’t get any significant positive feelings anymore from the majority of my social interactions, after many attempts, and especially when compared with interactions from long ago. It isn’t just other people, I have changed too. Even interactions that “go well” just don’t provide anything of value. What’s more, I don’t miss it. I much prefer what I have now.
I don’t travel alone, I travel with my partner who is a great companion.
Yes, and IMHO this kind of conversation is superior to the average IRL conversation. It is asynchronous (allowing you to return to it as you like), it places few demands on your time, and when it’s over then it’s over. You can enter just the interesting part of the conversation and then exit just as quickly. No need to drag it out or pad the ends with filler. No need to explain your departure.
IRL conversation is an art, and few people are even halfway decent at it. Maybe that’s the true source of my complaint. To make an IRL conversation entertaining you need expressiveness, creativity, as well as a good variety of topics and tolerance for differences of opinion. Not many people can check all these boxes.
For me, how entertaining or interesting a conversation is, depends a lot of the personality of my peer. Open minded people who are not being stubborn, who try to see things from different perspectives are good candidates, as I learn from them and provide a basis for further thinking. Still I prefer to talk IRL, as there's so much extra info in intonation and physical expression. Even calling with camera on makes a big difference. I find it interesting and even puzzling to know there are (apparently) smart people out there who don't find that having much added value.
I don’t travel alone, I travel with my partner who is a great companion.