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Don’t you ever feel like dropping everything and catching the next flight to your favourite destination? Have your plans with your friends failed far too many times because of divergent schedules?
So what’s stopping you from having your first solo travel experience?
If you are anything like most people out there, you would have envied Bunny and his bucket list scrapbook while watching Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani. Meeting new people every day, trying out new cuisines, and discovering yourself each step of the way-doesn’t it sound like something everyone should experience once in their life! If you’re planning to be the Bunny of your life and want to know how it feels to travel alone in a foreign country, continue reading!
When you are travelling in a group, more often than not you have to sacrifice your wishes for fulfilling the demands of the majority; but this does not happen when you’re enjoying a vacation alone. On solo trips, you can march to the beat of your own drum. Whether you want to stay up and see the northern lights in Norway, or step out to have a lavish ramen dinner in Japan, there will be no one to stop you.
Most trips get cancelled because people who are supposed to go can never find the right time. When you travel alone, the most important person is you. You can plan everything as per your schedule. Basically, you wouldn’t have to think twice before booking a flight for the next day. There will be no arguments, no adjustments, and no stress.
One thing that most people are anxious about during their first solo travel experience is feeling lonely. However, on solo trips, you end up meeting more people than travelling in groups. You learn to socialise with other travellers and make friends wherever you go. It will be even more enriching for you if you’re an introvert, as it will push you out of your comfort zone. Think of Rani from the movie Queen who stays in a hostel on a solo trip and ends up befriending three random strangers!
On any solo trip, you will get to experience the serenity of travelling alone. The hustle-bustle of a trip with a group distracts us from the details that are minute yet beautiful. You will spend more time looking at the picturesque landscape from a window or observing the people and their culture in a new city. These details ultimately lead to a richer and wholesome experience. While your solo travel bucket list may consist of adventurous tasks, do not forget to give yourself some time to stand and stare.
“Travel far enough, you meet yourself”. Self-discovery in itself is a journey, for which one needs to be with oneself. A solo travel experience allows you to be alone with your thoughts, and at the same time, it gives you time to ponder about things you generally don’t give time to. The entire experience can be quite therapeutic.
You may not realise it at the moment, but when you travel alone you expose yourself to new challenges every moment. It makes you more decisive as you’re the one making all the decisions, and it also gives you the ability to have faith in yourself. Since you get to interact with new people, it boosts your socialisation skills and at the end of the day, you learn to enjoy your own company, something which the majority of the populace finds difficult.
It goes without saying that some of the best solo travel experiences involve trying things you have never done before. No trip is successful without this. You may try sushi for the first time at a Japanese restaurant, go kayaking in Thailand, or live your “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” moment by participating in the La Tomatina festival. Every new experience you choose to have will give you all the more stories to share among friends and be the life of dinner parties!
With people around you, you might feel like you have to put on a mask to live up to their expectations. The guard is always on. When you travel alone, there are no expectations. You get to be yourself, and it’s much easier because you will be meeting people who do not know you.
A change of setting and several new experiences can really freshen up your mind. So many authors and songwriters travel to specific locations because it helps them write better. You get to see different people with their diverse emotions, each one with a different story to tell. All this turns out to be quite enriching. If you are experiencing something similar to writer’s block, a solo trip is just the thing you need.
Being on your own provides a fantastic opportunity to mingle with the locals. By getting to know the locals, you’ll be able to discover secret vacation destinations only locals are aware of, as well as some fantastic eating establishments that serve excellent food at a reasonable price. Even if you don’t comprehend what they’re saying, working out the entire discussion will keep you entertained.
You have several apprehensions before having your first solo travel experience, but it is important for everyone to do it at least once in their life. It’s fine if you have interesting chats with folks you’ll never see again on certain journeys. To make the process go more smoothly, start by heading somewhere nearby where you can interact in your native tongue. You will be less frightened by the risk and planning required in this manner. Even one trip can leave you with memories for a lifetime.
On some journeys, you will have conversations with people you may never see again, they will only remain in your memories. While on others, you may meet a man who invites you to his house for dinner. You get to know about the history of his family, the names of his children, and the biggest lessons he learned in his life. That’s the thing about trips, you may plan them to the T but the most cherished moments are often the most unexpected ones.
Hopefully, till now you’re inspired enough to book that ticket. If not, for further inspiration read books like “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert or “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, before booking your ticket on Cleartrip.
It gives a lot of control and allows for a richer experience.
You start your journey alone, but on the way back you are accompanied by a bundle of memories and thousands of stories to share.
Not at all, you will be meeting new people everyday, be it other solo travellers or people from the new country.
It is as safe as travelling in a group, provided you take basic safety precautions and be wise while making decisions.
Expect a lot of freedom, unexpected moments that will give sheer joy, and the urge to leave for another solo trip soon after.
