I’ve always been a bit of a daydreamer. I grew up envisioning myself travelling the world and living in different cities every year. As the years passed by though these dreams diminished and I got caught up in the preconceived boxes women should fit in in my culture. In my mid 30’s this desire for exploring the world was awakened and I began dreaming again.
But at this stage of my life I had no one to travel with. I was, and still am, single, my friends were all married with kids, and my family the same. I let fear and anxiety hold me back for many years but then I got sick of waiting and my inherent stubborn nature kicked in and I set out alone.
I didn’t have a ton of travel experience and was nervous but I am also highly tenacious in proving I can be a strong independent woman. So I went scared, confidently nervous, and I set out to prove I was capable of doing what so many others already do.
And with that I was hooked. Wanderlust had been switched on and my thirst for travel could not be quenched.
But it wasn’t just the travel itself that I was addicted to, I was also obsessed with how solo travel was changing me, body, mind, and soul.
I took off with a vague idea of what I was about to face as I travelled the world alone, but I never could have imagined what was to come. As I embraced the challenges of traversing airports and borders, the complications of language barriers, and finding my way through the streets of foreign cities by myself, with no one else to rely on or show me the way, I found confidence in my abilities. Being single for such a large portion of my life, I have had to be independent , but I’ve always had others I can rely on like family and friends, but on the other side of the ocean there was no one else, I was truly alone, and I learned that I can rely on myself. I’ve done things I never thought I’d could do and faced obstacles I had not seen coming. Solo travel has empowered me in ways I never imagined.
Solo travel is also a journey of self discovery. I suppressed my desire for exploration and travel as I became an adult as cultural norms for women imposed themselves upon me. Marriage and motherhood eluded me which meant I had to be successful in some other way. So I threw myself into trying to find a career that fit me. I tried so many avenues but all of them felt like prisons that held me back from something that was missing. I became dissatisfied in my singleness and mediocre life. I felt out of place in my own body and mind.
Traveling solo provided me plenty of time and space to reflect and explore myself. Away from my everyday distractions and stresses I was able to focus and look deeper. I had to face the feelings and dreams I had been suppressing and the lies I had been telling myself were revealed. It was extremely arduous at first, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to travel. Instead I was like an addict, hunting for the next destination to get my fix of self discovery. Travel was the drug that removed the scales from my heart and soul and beneath, I found out who I am. I broke out of the boxes I had shoved myself in and unearthed new opportunities and options for what and who I could be.
Solo travel took me out of my immediate environment and immersed me into a diverse and wonderful new world. I met so many amazing people who I could relate to and identify with. I was exposed to new perspectives and a wider understanding of what it could mean to be a woman. Solo travel freed me to become who I want to be.
I don’t have it all figured out yet and solo travel has shown me I don’t need to. Every journey I embark on becomes an adventure of growing and discovery who I am and what I am truly capable of.
Are you ready to experience what solo travel can do for you?
Let’s go!
Send me a message, I’m here to assist you in your next solo adventure.