It is not as easy as I thought it was at first. But hey traveling alone will change you. It will force you to be more creative and a problem solver. I have learned a lot now in my third attempt traveling solo. It made me more comfortable with my own skin and it means goodbye comfort zone. I met interesting people along the way and it pushed me to be more sociable as you need to be. But how should one start and jump right into wandering our planet? Exploring places and experiencing them yourself like how others described it.
Guts! It requires a lot of guts for you to be mentally ready for your journey, alone. Planning is as vital as your budget and traveling on your own. Remember you are going to be dealing and depending on yourself all throughout. Your decision-making is as equally as important as deciding whether you are choosing which place to stay for accommodation or how long your stay will be. It is all up to you!
Making a research about the place will help you consider going and packing your bag as soon as you decided to. And now that our technology always comes in handy every time we need to check places out there, you will be overwhelmed for sure. So look up things like how long will the travel time would be. Is it accessible by land, air, or water? Whatever that way, ask yourself how much time and money do you have in taking that trip. Consider the weather, the crowd and the availability of transportation too. I learned it the hard way during my second trip traveling solo. I’m the type of person who likes spontaneity and I did not realize what I was about to face when I took the trip to Bicol recently.
Below is the video of my Albay Trip:
The long weekend of Memorial Day (in the US) and a canceled trip of our Team outing left me no choice that’s why I went on an unplanned trip to Albay last June 2nd until the 4th. Imagine all Bus Terminals were fully booked. The early morning trip I intended after going out from work became a long waiting time and felt almost like a whole day. I did not realize it was a back-to-school season and I almost sacrificed an extra day just so I could go back to Manila. I had to wake up as early as 2am to catch a bus back home and make it in time with enough rest before going back to work again.
Make it work! No matter how much time I have left I still make sure that I enjoyed the moment. Make the most out of it. There is no one’s opinion when traveling solo. You visited as many places as you can without waiting for someone. You went on without relying on somebody else. Traveling alone taught me so much about independence. So yeah, whether you had thoroughly planned for your trip. Traveling solo taught me to be brave and gave me the strength to deal with life’s messes. The murphy’s law!
To travel is to live. Do it while you can and are able. It is not a matter of money but of courage. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. Travel brings power and loves back to your life. If you can't live longer live deeper. And it feels good to be lost sometimes in the right direction, to discover yourself. To crossroads inside you never been before. It presents you with self-understanding. Best of all you are not only able to find yourself but you remember who you've been all along. You will realize that Adventures are the best way to learn.
As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself, it's inevitable that you discover just how capable you are. You just embrace the beauty of your journey. Don't be scared to walk alone. Don't be scared to like it. It is the best way to be lost and found all at the same time. Not only does it push you out of your comfort zone, but it also pushes you out of others' expectations. It's the single best gift you can give yourself. You travel alone not to get away from anyone but to get closer to yourself. Travel without itineraries, without forced plans, without waiting for others to be ready. It's the happiness of listening to a carefully compiled playlist on your headphones. And your travel becomes a true adventure when you leave yourself behind. Sometimes you just need to disconnect and enjoy your own company. The more you learn the more places you'll go. After all solo travel doesn't necessarily mean traveling alone.
Here are some of the photos I’ve taken from the recent 3 trips I had this year:
Calle Crisologo In Vigan
Dancing Fountain In Vegan
Bantay Watchtower of Vigan
Below is a video of my Vigan Trip:
Baluarte Watchtower La Union
Man made Forest, Balaoan La Union
Poro Point Lighthouse
Ma-cho Temple, San Fernando La Union
Pink Skies Sunset In San Juan, La Union
Grapes Farm In Bauang, La Union
Below is a video of my ELYU Trip: