Have you ever travelled alone? Do you enjoy travelling alone? If not, why is that?
I have to say that travelling alone as a woman is different than travelling alone as a man. A woman will always keep her guard up for obvious reasons. There is something vulnerable about a woman travelling alone because it makes them an easier target (I guess). If a man asked if I was travelling alone, I said that I was meeting friends, just to be on the safe side. I suggest all of you solo travelling ladies do the same!
I am not a constant traveler but I am learning that I do love it! I am a very easy person to travel with because I am proactive but also can go with the flow. I travel to have an amazing experience so I don’t let anything taint it, which I recommend. I travelled to Germany with a friend but we would go our separate ways for days at a time and meet back up with each other and I enjoyed each of those scenarios in different ways.
This was my first trip that I was completely by myself for the whole duration. I travelled to Honolulu, Hawaii for 6 nights. The funny thing is that I originally booked my stay for only 3 nights but quickly realized I wanted to be away longer, so I extended it. I had the week off of work so it was the perfect time to take an actual solo vacation. I booked a few excursions, stayed in a hostel, and made sure I had free time to see where the island would take me. I have to say, this trip was perfect and I’ll share it with you in my next blog post.
I want to talk about the way this trip made me feel. I marched to the beat of my own drum and did whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Not that I don’t do that normally, it’s just a little different because no one else is occupying your thoughts, actions, emotions (good or bad). You are literally hanging out with yourself so you learn more and figure out that you enjoy your own company! I already knew that but let’s just say, I know how to show myself a good time. That sounds like I did wild things and I totally didn’t. I just know how to have fun and fill up my own personal love tank.
I feel like this year has been hard on everyone for many reasons. My personal reasons were what felt like being smacked in the face by life with an alteration of future goals. I know, that may not sound like a big deal, but for someone who is a highly motivated planner, it definitely turned my world upside down. I’ve talked about how I have made myself feel better in the midst of anxiety in previous posts and it has been singing. As I was riding that high, I decided I wanted to keep that going and booked a solo trip to Hawaii. The idea of being alone was exciting. The idea of being in the happiest setting of beaches was exciting. The idea of spending my money on myself to have incredible experiences was exciting. Not having a car (because it was hella expensive) and figuring out how to get to where I wanted to go by bus was exciting. Why was all of this exciting? Why was going to a new location without a car but surrounded by beauty exciting? I don’t have an answer yet, maybe you do! Maybe the answer is as simple as it being a vacation. Maybe there isn’t an answer and it’s just a pleasant experience for the soul.
There is something empowering about taking care of yourself and doing a good job. At least for me, that is a big deal. It could stem from the fact that I wasn’t well taken care of in my childhood. I had to grow up quickly and make do with what I had. There wasn’t much relying on others for my happiness. I had to make that choice for myself and make it happen. Most of us do that, right? I wonder if I had to prove to myself that I could be on my own because I was afraid that I had become too reliant on others. That isn’t the case, it was just a passing thought. It’s interesting though because if you travel with others, you enjoy their company (hopefully) and you don’t really go outside of your bubble to talk to others as much as if you were alone. I talked to many people and had a great time doing so. I’m someone who knows how to talk to people but doesn’t really choose to. But I talked to people on my tours, at restaurants, in my hostel, at the bus stop, at the beach, you name it! Did it really add to my trip? Hard to say, it was just part of the experience because I’ll never talk to or see those people again. However, if you travelled with a friend/loved one, it would add to the experience in a different way because you would share it together for the rest of your relationship.
Anyway, I definitely recommend travelling alone because there really is something about fulfilling your soul/self love tank. I know I definitely feel recharged and ready to get back into life. Though I am not going to lie, I would love to live the island life. Aloha
Melissa's Moments 