Travelling alone feels incredibly daunting but is highly rewarding (yes that rhymed, no not on purpose, kinda love it though). As cliche as it sounds, solo travel will change you and really help you grow as a person. Especially, if like me, you are an anxious, nervous ball of anti-social stress.
How solo travel helped me become a better version of myself.
I suffer with depression and anxiety (un-diagnosed at the time of my solo travelling) and taking the risk, booking the tickets and going it alone really forced me out of my comfort zone and out of my shell! I'm still not the most social person there is, but I have become more confident in my ability to socialise and to make friends. You are never really alone when you're travelling, there is always people to meet either at your accommodation, on day trips or in the local pub!
I also found my confidence grew very quickly upon my return. Things that would have caused mini mental breakdowns before hand (like phone calls) became manageable. I know this probably sounds hilarious to those brave, confident, socialites out there but trust me, nothing set my anxiety off like making phone calls and having to use a door I'd not used before...(is it push? pull? what if I get it wrong? everyone will see, and they'l laugh. I'll make a fool of myself, I'll get bullied for it etc etc). For me now, looking back on this behaviour and these thoughts is very, very sad. I went through life with these kinds of thoughts and over thinking patterns daily thinking it was completely normal, hating on myself every time I made a simple mistake (like pushed a door instead of pulled).
Travelling alone really pushed me, I was terrified about navigating airports by myself, like truly terrified. After the second or third flight though, I soon came to realise that it is pretty straight forward. I also started to realise that no one really knows what they are doing! Everyone is just taking it one day at a time. So by travelling to the other side of the world, spending Christmas in Indonesia with strangers and starting 2019 off by island hoping in Australia I realised, actually, I was doing pretty damn well. Fast forward a few years down the line and I've got my diagnosis, my medication and I've completed my CBT therapy course. I'm now able to look back on this solo travelling and realise it was really the start of my mental health journey. It really did pull me out of my shell.
Why do it?
Well if the stuff mentioned above isn't enough to convince you, I also say, do it because you will get time to bond with yourself. Go somewhere, alone, spend time with yourself, explore by yourself and really learn to listen to your body, your thoughts and your needs.
The main reason I would push everyone to do it is because it's a trip just for you! Ever been on a family holiday and really not wanted to go to the restaurant for dinner or you wanted to stay on the beach for a bit longer but no one else did? Well, when you solo travel you do whatever YOU want to and you do it when you want to for as long as you want to. Let me give you a for instance, one evening in Australia I really wasn't feeling it. I was sun burnt, tired and hungry so I went to woolworths, got some snacks and took myself off to bed to watch crap TV and snack. I felt great the next day and didn't have to worry about anyone else needing my company.
Top tips for solo travelling:
BE ORGANISED.
This is, by far, the most important piece of advice I can give you. Get a folder, print your booking confirmations/plane times/transfers etc and put them all into the folder in chronological order. This also gives you a reason to go out stationary shopping and who doesn't love that?
Don't over pack.
I took a rather large suitcase, a smaller suitcase and a cross body bag. This, in hindsight, was too much. It was a struggle towards the end. Get yourself a big old backpack (60-100 litres) and some packing cubes. Packing cubes will change your life. Actually, they deserve to be a tip of their own...
(This is my travel back pack, Karrimor brand, no idea how much as it was a present years ago! Luggage tag is from typo, also years ago).
Packing cubes and laundry bags.
Space saving to the max! You can get these bad boys off ebay/amazon for pennies. They usually come in a pack of 3 sizes (large, medium, small). I found this insanely useful. You can organise your clothes into tops, bottoms, underwear etc or into 'safari clothes', 'hiking clothes'...you get the idea. They really stop you from being able to over pack. Some packing cubes come with laundry bags, I purchased separate ones from typo years ago so I used those. These handy little bags are great for keeping your dirty clothes separate from your clean ones and are even better for taking your washing to the launders/laundry room or even all your wash stuff into the shower room.
(6 piece packing cube set from Amazon. For more details click here)
Water filter bottle.
Not so much a solo travel tip, more a general travel tip! Bit of an expense but it means you can have access to water anywhere and any time. These bottles will turn river water into suitable drinking water. They are insane! Will save you a lot of time looking for bottled water, a lot of money and stop a lot of single use plastic going in the bin. I purchased mine from where I got my vaccines, which is here. But there's lots available so have a google and see which one's your fancy.
Have a vague itinerary.
I am a very organised person. I love to plan. I love making lists. I love ticking things off my lists more. Before I went away I made a plan of where I was going to be and when and what days I would do certain activities. I also booked these before I went away so that when I got to Australia everything was planned, paid for a ready to go. Some people will do the complete opposite and do whatever takes them on the day, maybe even delay leaving a country to do more there. This is completely up to you and how you will feel most comfortable. I still recommend a vague plan, you can then also share this with family and friends so they won't panic too much if they can't get hold of you on days where you've said you'll be off grid trekking etc.
Check in regularly with your mother!
My mom was very supportive while I was away and the build up to it but this doesn't mean she wasn't terrified! Although I was absolutely fine, having a great time, my mom didn't know this. So, just as often as you can, check in with home. Let your loved ones know what an amazing time you're having and where you're heading next.
Enjoy yourself.
Most important tip! If you do your planning before hand and prepare you can spend you trip relaxing, soaking up the atmosphere and not worrying about the next step. Take it slow and take it all in.
Thanks Mom for always supporting me, whether it was dog grooming, zookeeping or travelling you never said no and you always said go for it girl. Thank you for trusting me on my travels and for always giving me a home when I came back (and thank you for promising to do the same this time round!).
Thanks for reading! Follow us for me here on Wix or over on instagram @bilbo.h
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