Solo Travelling

When people ask me what my favourite memory was from my time abroad, I always come back to the same answer: the time that I went to explore the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. This wasn’t the first time I went to the mountains that year, but it was the time that I went alone and the experience was just incredible.

Before I explain why, I would like to say that I love going away with friends. I have some amazing memories from my time in Copenhagen and I had such a laugh in Prague. Morocco, Beijing, Corfu and Dublin were all so incredible and so were the people that I went to those places with too.

However, there is some sort of joy that comes from travelling alone that just makes it a whole other level of awesome.

When I was exploring the mountains, I could choose to see the parts that I wanted to see. I could go at my own pace and take pictures whenever I wanted. I can change my mind last minute and decide to take the 2-hour trek to the next waterfall without having to convince someone else too. I was able to spend 20 minutes standing in one spot, and take in the views, without someone grumbling in the background. And trust me, those views were incredible.

Pictures cannot do these views justice (in particular those taken by a samsung S3)

However, at the end of the day I can come back to the hostel and have a laugh with the people that I was sharing my room with. Nothing brings together a group of strangers than when they are in a strange country alone. I was always excited to hear about when someone had booked their next travel plans and some of my roommates were more scared about me going skydiving than I was myself. You get to learn so much about other people from different parts of the world which you do not get to experience to the same extent when you go away with a group of people. I mean, I managed to find someone who was so similar to me yet had a completely different upbringing. It is weird how quickly you can connect with someone when you are sharing the same experiences- even if it is only a day long trip.

The best part of these friendships was that there was no expectation to do what they were doing. When I went to the beach with someone, she wanted to go back after we completed the coastal walk and I wanted to stay and watch the sunset.  There were no qualms. No awkwardness. It was a case of you do what you want to do and I will do what I want to do. I was able to sit there with a good book and enjoy the sunset without worrying about needing to get back at a certain time. And for someone who is always worrying about something or the other, it felt truly peaceful to know that no one was expecting anything from me.

Coastal Walks

It is not all plain sailing. There are times when you have to eat alone as you are got back from an adventure rather late. There are times when you need a comforting hug as you spent half an hour walking down the same street in typhoon rain trying to find out where your hostel is. There are times when you have to get ready in the dark as no one else in your dorm is getting up at 6am.

Having an Asian family, I also came across the whole ‘it is not safe’, ‘a young girl cannot travel alone’ and so on. Hell, I even got that from my friends too. Some said I was really brave and others said I was being crazy. But in all honesty, I am probably in more danger taking the tube in London then roaming the harbour in Hong Kong. And the latter gives me so much more joy. The funny part is that I have been organizing my family’s holidays my whole life. From finding the best deals on flights and hotels down to figuring out how to get from one place to the next, I have done this all on my own before I even got to secondary school. So, if a 9years old me can do it, why can’t a 21years old me do it? It would be even easier as I wouldn’t have to ensure that I am keeping everyone else happy too.

Enjoying these views without dealing with someone moaning in the background

Even then, travelling alone really pushes you out of your comfort zone. I had to force myself to talk to strangers, to be confident to go up and start a conversation. I had to be comfortable with eating alone in public. I had to learn to trust my instincts as there was no one to tell me if something was a good idea or not. But I never had to compromise. I did what my instincts told me to do and I have never felt more at peace.

I really recommend to give solo travelling a go. Even if it is just a trip to another city for the weekend. My only regret is that I didn’t go for longer.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.