Traveling alone has been some of the most terrifying experiences I have had in my life. But, on the flip side, it has also been the most empowering.
“If you have to wait for someone to go with you, you many never go.”
It seems to be one of those things that we all dream of doing but are too afraid to take action. Experiencing new people, food and cultures is overwhelming. Stepping outside of our comfort zone takes courage. And most of us find it it easier to stay where we are comfortable. But taking a step outside the box and travelling alone is very powerful.
4 reasons why you need to solo travel at least once in your life:
– You will not return the same person who left.
– Traveling solo doesn’t mean you are alone. Meeting locals and other travellers just ads to the experience of seeing things through the eyes of someone else.
– You will challenge yourself.
– Solo travel means that the entire trip you get to do exactly what you want, when you want.
When I was in high school I did a project on the churches in Adelaide, Australia. The more I dug into the architecture and history of this city, the more enthralled I became. The more I learned about this little city, the more I started to look in to the rest of the country. Before grade 12 came around, I knew a little bit of amazing knowledge about just about every major city in Australia. With huge excitement I shared my dream of traveling to such a far away country to a girlfriend of mine. With excitement in our hearts, we talked many times about going to Australia when we graduated. Discussing all the things we wanted to see, the photos we wanted to take and the all the incredible memories that we would create.
Grade 12 came and went and so did planning our epic adventure to the other side of the globe. I started college courses to become a certified personal trainer. She met a boy and fell in love. They wanted to get married and travel together before they had kids.
At just 20 years old, the idea of solo travel terrified me so much that I didn’t go to Australia. One year went by . Then two.
And then, before you know it, I had finished post secondary and had met a man of my own. Three years had passed since I was supposed to go to Australia with my friend. And in the blink of an eye, eight years had gone by since I first started to dream of traveling to this country.
I didn’t think much about it. I was working and living my life and planning for a future with my now husband. We both had goo jobs and a small mortgage.
Then my dad passed away. Suddenly, overnight, without any warning – he was gone. His life was over.
It was my fathers death that woke me up. Suddenly realizing just how short life is. He was not sick. He had no time to prepare or go on one last adventure. He never got to say good bye or I love you one last time. It was just his time and no one could have been prepared.
My husband supported me 100% when I said F*CK IT – and quit my job because I wanted to go to Australia. I was prepared to go alone if he did not want to accompany me. Sitting at my dads funeral the idea of solo travel didn’t seem so scary! What if my time was up before I had a chance to do all the things I wanted to do?
We had the most epic adventure. Getting our holiday work VISA as Canadians was easy since we are part of the Common Wealth countries. In 12 months, we drove over 20,000km and saw every single tourist attraction that we could. The Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, The Sidney Opera House, The Great Ocean Road, Kangaroos and Koalas. It was the experience of a lifetime.
Memories – experiences – laughter – adventure. Things that I wouldn’t have if I had put off waiting any longer.
After an amicable divorce, solo travel became my therapy.
Fall of 2016 they found a brain tumour in my frontal lobe. Life flashed before me once again as I realized how precious life can be. The tumour was removed and it was like an angels voice when the neurologist told me that it was not cancer. Here is the link if you want to read more: The angels I met while I got treated for a meningioma..
In less than six months I sold my condo, bought an RV and drove to Mexico. ALONE.
Was I scared? Hell yeah. The idea of solo travel still gives me anxiety. We all know that anything new is going to be overwhelming. But the experiences have made me stronger.
If you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletters. I don’t send things out often, and I promise I won’t spam your. Building an email list is the best way for me to keep in touch with you. If something happens to YouTube or Facebook – I will still be able to share my adventures with you. I always make sure to include more personal details and tips and tricks on my emails. I am happy to have you along.
The newsletter that I am emailing out at the beginning of October I will share some specific tips to help overcome the fear of traveling alone.
If I haven’t convinced you that it is something that you need to do, you can also check out 71 reasons you should travel solo.
