Firstly, daddy, please don’t read this because I don’t think you’ll like the fact that I would be travelling solo again soon.
Being the only girl in the family and one of the two granddaughters of the 11 grandchildren, you can say that I’m very protected. People tend to worry about me a lot and disapprove of the many dangerous and life-threatening things I do. Nonetheless, doing those crazy and bold things make me excited about life and I would not stop. Of course, it also makes me 200% more cautious whenever I do anything crazy.
This is perhaps the official first time I’ve travelled alone, meaning I know no one at all. I’ve spent a couple of days in Seoul alone, but I knew someone there. In Italy, I had no plans, no one, nothing. All I had was my backpack, my phone (map) and my life. It was indeed, a refreshing experience.
Travelling Solo: Beware of Danger
To be honest, I’m afraid when I realized I had no plans, no accommodations and no one. I could have easily flown to somewhere else in Europe where I had friends, but I decided not to. You see, when I am faced with something I’m afraid of, I’ll shut myself up and do it. The experience is usually almost always very rewarding.
Travelling solo is dangerous, it’s even worse when you’re a girl. However, it really isn’t as dangerous as you think. The people are usually friendly, they help out and you just have to be wary of your surrounds all the time. It is about being prepared, expect the unexpected and to embrace such danger or challenges.
Travelling Solo: Be Prepared
Everything is about preparation. The preparation of mindset, the planning and resources needed. I was also prepared for all types of emergency. My day bag had all my important things inside, including identification, contact numbers and money. It is also important to tell someone your itinerary, contact numbers of where you are going (Couchsurfing, Hostels, Travel Agency, etc.) and the people you are meeting.
Also check out Travel Essentials You Need I used for my preparation part.
Why I’ll do it again in a heartbeat
(Daddy, this is the part you wouldn’t like)
I will definitely travel alone again for 3 reasons: flexibility, adaptability and maturity.
Travelling alone makes all your planning so convenient because, literally, the only person you need to care about is you. It is easy to go anywhere you want to go to, make detours, just chill or walk around the city for 10 hours.
You also learn to adapt to the changes in situations and to adjust when necessary. It helps in general, to become more adaptive to the new environment.
Lastly, as everyone agrees, you grow a lot when you travel. You learn new things, get exposed to novel ideas and you will get to know yourself even more. That’s an important part of growing up, of maturing.
With that, I will definitely travel alone again. However, I will travel alone to a place that I have more idea about; places I’ve been, places I’ve researched or places where I know people there. Here’s to the next trip, to new adventures and solo-yolo stories!
Trevellers is my way to change the world. Through my stories, tips and lessons learnt, I truly hope to inspire you to get out of your comfort zone, see the world and see who you truly are. Travel is more than just taking a selfie. Travel is an adventure, where you can truly become who you are, give you the time to reflect and grow to become the person you’ve always wanted to be.
Buying a Maserati in the Airport (Doha, Qatar)
