Travel Solo and “find yourself”

“[dropcap]O[/dropcap]nly those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot

Many people I’ve spoken to are shocked, and consider me ‘so brave’ to explore parts of South-East Asia alone for two months this summer. Part of this comes from being a 19-year-old female, and part of it comes from the trouble that is currently plaguing Myanmar and Thailand. None of my friends had the money to join me on this trip, and I saw going alone as no reason to cancel such an adventure. Independence here I come!

So, why travel alone? One of the great things about travelling alone is that it forces you to go outside of your comfort zone: to make an effort to socialise, or risk spending your days alone. For this, a hostel is highly recommended, as you will meet many like-minded solo travellers. Last summer, my friend and I allowed ourselves to stay in bed and watch TV as there was comfort in knowing both of us were too burnt and lazy to move! However, alone, to avoid going crazy, your social skills are guaranteed to improve.

photo: Dennis Jarvis/flickr

What’s also nice about travelling alone is that you have a lot of time to reflect on what’s really going on. My favourite memories from travelling include times when I have been completely alone. Sat on the top deck with my legs dangling over the edge of a boat in Ha Long Bay, I was in awe at how lucky I was and how surreal the whole trip had been, but at the same time being reminded of how beautiful the world was and how much I had left to see. Often, isolation reminds you how lucky you are as it gives you time to think about all your friends and family who might never see this sight. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself to check you aren’t dreaming!

Travelling alone, your social skills are guaranteed to improve

Travelling alone also means you can take the route that you want at pace you want. You don’t have to worry about pleasing your friends and missing out on what you want to do. Perhaps your friend isn’t the daredevil that you are and isn’t ok with spending their days jumping off cliffs or throwing themselves out of an aeroplane. On your own, you can do as you please.

In addition to this, without a friend by your side, you are forced to become organised in order to avoid missing out on the best places to see or stay. Last year I left a lot of the planning to my friend as she really enjoyed doing it, whereas I prefer to generally go with the flow. However, this year, it’s fourteen days before my trip begins, I have no route and I am likely to miss out on a lot of the popular hostels and miss sign-up for trips to other places if I don’t pull my act together!

There is a constant pressure to please people when at home. One of the wonderful things about travelling alone is that nobody knows who you are. I hate myself for what I am about to say as it is so clichéd, but the reason it is said so much, is because it is true! Travellers have no history to judge you on and no grudges to hold, allowing you to find out who you really are or who you really want to be. Perfect.

So, as the famous Mark Twain once said,

“Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover”

I beg you not to be deterred from going alone!