Maybe the reasons that lead us to go alone are different, but the personal value that comes from this decision is certainly transversal to all of us. Going out there alone is a call for freedom, an increase in self-confidence and an invitation to socialization.
If you still have doubts about travel alone this article is for you. I have good reasons that can help you put the fear in standby, take the backpack and forget the rules. If on the other hand you already decided that you want to travel alone but your family is afraid, you have only one option: show them that you will not be the first or the last girl that wants to travel alone and that has many benefits.
Here they go:
1 – You have more freedom
I could not start it any other way, for me it’s the best thing about traveling alone. It’s complicated to write exactly the feeling of being on our own. When you are traveling alone you can decide where you want to go and when you want to go, always. If you want to wake up early and enjoy the day or if you want to spend the day watching movies at the hostel. You decide your budget and it’s easier to keep inside the limits. You’re the one who does your route, the city’s on you.
It was when I walked alone through the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand, that I realized how good this freedom is. I went to massages, drank two to three juices a day, had dinner in differents markets, picked up tuktuks in the middle of nowhere and did everything I wanted.
You don’t need to go too far but do not miss a trip alone, it’s fantastic!
Sometimes when we are traveling with others (which I also like, attention!) it is not easy to decide where to go, not everyone likes the same. It is not necessarily bad but when you have little time it is good to visit all the places that we had planned.
2 – You follow your instincts
Even in safe countries unexpected events happen and there are always situations that can test us. We have no one, physically, to help and we can only trust in ourselves and our instincts, which rarely fail.
I am a very alert person about what is around me, I have a good sense of orientation and usually I can understand the others intentions. When I feel that they might want something bad, I’ll stay in the same place until I get a solution or I start walking to a place that I already know, walk into a restaurant or talk to someone who seems nice. Or sometimes I make a bad face and pretend that I’ve known that place since I was little, which is like saying “you can already give up the idea of annoying me.”
In Vietnam, when i was making the coast by bus, some people proposed a motorcycle trip from Hue to Hoi An. It was a man who had just met who made me this proposal, I had the bus in two hours, and despite of having been a situation that could have gone wrong I did not feel that something was wrong. I went with his nephew with a motorcycle and my backpack went on the bus, the trip lasted 8 hours, I stopped in huge places and when I arrived my bag was already waiting for me. It was one of the best adventures I’ve had. Sometimes fear hides behind prejudgement, on the road you trust more in yourself and your instincts!
3- You discover that you are braver than you thought
When we travel with more people we are more relaxed, the alert is lower and sometimes we do not even test our all abilities. I’m not the most fearless person in the world, I’m very shy, but when I need to show my attitude, I become in other person.
The first time I really had to have a wrist was perhaps one of the most challenging moments of my life. I was in Nepal alone and someone stole some things from my hostel room. I reserved a room just for myself so when I left the room I locked the door and believed that things were safe. When I came back someone had stolen all my electronics devices. “I was robbed” I repeated this ten times without knowing what to do. What did I do? I called my father (nepal or china, always) and he just said one thing to me, as if it were very easy to do, “you go to the reception and you are gonna say that you need to call the police.” So simple (or not). I filled myself with all the confidence of the world (and courage) and I went there. The truth is that after a lot of talk I got all my things back, it was the guy at the reception who took my things away (and I did not call the police). It was ten o’clock (already quite late there) and I started to walk from that place. I checked a hotel near and i left with a furious face, I am sure that my face turned away all who could even consider doing me something bad in the middle of a dark district of Kathmandu. If I ever thought I was capable? Never!
After this I was sure that if I ever need to assert a position, whatever the circumstance, I will be able to. Traveling alone makes you believe in yourself!
4- You meet more people
It is not certain that it happens and if you do not feel comfortable you do not need to do it. However, when we are traveling alone is easier to meet people, not only because you are more available for this but because sometimes you really need some help.
I was traveling around Vietnam alone and in one of the villages, Ninh Binh, there is a very worthwhile river trip. A boat that takes only one person is more expensive and I didn’t want to spend the amount they were asking me for. What was the solution? I stayed near to analyze the people and as soon as I saw two friends buying the ticket I went there and i asked if I could go with them on the boat. So it happened, I had a visit to a spectacular place with pleasant company.
I am not a person to socialize much in a hostel environment but I know many people in other situations. So do not forget that traveling alone does not mean a lonely trip.
5- You become a selfie stick expert
This art of using the selfie stick is at the level of a bachelor’s degree. No matter how hard is to look at a screen hanging from a stick, it is one of the best solutions to have photos of us. That proof that we were really there. I’m kidding but the truth is that I’m already a great professional, maybe one day I’ll write something about these wonderful techniques. Would you like to know?
I hope you’re already convinced to go out there, how excited are you?
The advantages are not only these ones, I will make one more list. Don’t think that the wonders of these adventures ends here.
Good trip!
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