At the same time, it was also the most exciting thing in the world. It presented a totally novel and insane idea that was so out of my current world. I dreamed of unknown opportunities, destinations, and experiences that outweighed the fears and kept me moving.
When I first explored the idea of solo travel, travelling outside of work obligations and family holidays was a very young concept. Most people travel not out of want but of need while the rest simply had the time and money to spare. In my case, however, I travelled purely because of want and strict budgets have to be set to make it possible.
Because of this, whenever I tell people that I am going somewhere, they find it difficult to understand that I am not doing it for work and that I am neither on a holiday. What's more, I go alone with only my laptop and phone for company. They respond with so much confusion that I tend to question myself as well.
Nevertheless, I do know that travelling solo is something that I sincerely enjoy and am passionate about. While most people turn away from the work of making plans and arrangements for their vacations, I indulge in carefully designing my routes -- uncovering different means of moving from one place to another, searching diligently for prices and fares, and picking out known and unknown locations. To me, the journey matters more than the destination and stepping onto a new place is more breathtaking than the sceneries. It's not uncommon that I suddenly pause with the realization that I am, once again, headed to somewhere unfamiliar.
Now two years since I began my pursuit, I realized that travelling solo no longer scares or excites me. Gone are the wild thoughts and baseless worries that fed my doubts. Gone also are the hopeful anticipation and hazy daydreams that filled me with wonder. Instead, I feel comfort, normality, and familiarity even when arriving for the first time in a country whose language I cannot decode.
Though the experience is markedly different now, the same things that compelled me to travel solo persist still. I may no longer walk around with wide-eyed wonder like a kid in an amusement park, or with paranoid unease for pre-empting mistakes, but each new environment still amazes me and each unknown still worries me. Most importantly, I travel still because I want to expand my comfort zone and to incorporate more places into my personal reality.
Definitely, my preferences and goals will continue to change as I gain more years and experiences. But I am sure that no matter how familiar and unexciting solo travel becomes, it will never stop being amazing and breath-taking (add: insane).
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| Taken by yelmalab in Batanes, Philippines. Biking is definitely the best way (and most hardworking) way to explore a new location. This trip gave birth to this blog's forerunner, The Hardworking Traveller. |
