For my first proper blog post it seems appropriate to discuss what solo travel is to me, why it’s fundamentally important to my silly little brain, and what the ingredients are that keep me hungry to keep exploring this random little planet that we call home.
Well, yesterday it was a grey and grizzly day in Floripa, and my hormones were misbehaving so I was having a little (large) binge session on Netflix, whilst feeling unjustifiably sorry for myself. I was watching Jack Whitehall’s Travels with my Father, and he opens the latest season with the words, “I found lockdown really hard; I’m a free spirit. caging a peacock like this … it was hard,” and though I chuckled at the sarcastic choice of words, the sentiment resonated with me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a desire to see the world. The travel spark was ignited early for me, and I love travel in all of its forms. Well actually I lie, not a pool, and hotel for week with a heap of other Brits abroad… that just does not turn me on.
As a person I’m stubborn, independent, a sun-seeker, and pretty selfish with my time. So solo-travel always had a draw for me. I like doing whatever the hell I want to do. I relish the freedom, like a woman possessed. I cannot stand being told what to do, and I’m probably a little uncompromising. In my life I have been travelling with friends, and family, and those adventures are such treasured memories; I’d not change them for anything. However there is something addictive about being lost in a foreign location, and simply having to work the situation out for oneself.
Mostly I’ve been so lucky with my solo-travel, the only time I didn’t enjoy myself was my first solo venture to Budapest. That was straight-up not a good time for a host of reasons, probably more to come on that at another point as there were many easily avoided mistakes! My second trip to Budapest was solo to Sziget, and was genuinely one of the best times of my life. So perceptions can change!
Unless you’re an ostrich, and you’ve had your head in the sand for the last two years, you’ll know that we’re (hopefully) nearing the end of a global pandemic. Covid was shit for everyone, apart from the daddies of big pharma, and I’m not going to get into the peculiarities of living through a pandemic in this post – though I sure am chuffed to be still living, but it is fair to say that global travel after a global pandemic feels like such a luxury. Not to say that it isn’t in normal times, but post a world of lockdowns, safety sanctions, and, “don’t you dare hug the people you love,” getting on a plane and buggering off from Plague Island (the UK), was the most exhilarating thing.
There will of course be cynics who think that travelling at the moment is selfish, and that there needs to be more precaution for better global health, and apologies, but no, as soon as it was possible to travel, vamos with me: “life is short, and the world is wide, dear heart.” (Anne with an E, Netflix.). As long as you take care, and look after yourself and others where necessary, I see no issue.
I’m writing this sat on a plane from Florianópolis to Salvador. These hours of travel with no service, no Wi-Fi, nada, are my absolute most favourite places to listen to music, sit, and think. I don’t like listening to music in headphones unless I feel completely secure in my surroundings – I’m a prey animal. So pretty much the only places I use headphones are: planes, trains, busses, and bed. Rhianna what are you on about? What I’m getting at is I really enjoy the process of traveling. Not just the destination, the getting there is equally as wonderful. It’s why I enjoy bus travel, those hours staring out of the window, pretending to be the main character listening to music are a form of sanctuary.
I’d rather have gotten the bus from Floripa to Salvador, but I faced a few hindrances: it was going to take 49 hours, multiple busses, changing bus in cities I’m scared of (looking at you Rio de Janeiro), and being able to read Portuguese. So I took a three hour -cheaper than the bus- plane instead, which feels naughty because the planet is on literal fire, so I’m sorry Mother Earth, but convenience and consumerism won this time.
The blog is going to be like this I’m afraid. My brain is always doing eleven things at once, and I cannot think in straight lines, so there are going to be many tangents. The point will be somewhere wrapped up in the seemingly random tendrils of text that I throw at you.
So back on track, what is solo-travel to me? Easy. It’s meeting people, learning about them, and reducing the ~otherness~ which is an epidemic in this world. There is more to it than that, but I’d say that about eighty-percent of why traveling solo is so addictive is the personalities that one meets when they don’t rely on the friends they already have at home for adventure.
I say that as I’m heading to Salvador to meet Ali, Megan, and Sam from California. I met Ali in the airport, and then later in the same hostel (wtf) at ‘The End of the World,’ in Ushuaia. A few weeks later we reconnected in Buenos Aries, where she introduced me to Megan, and wowie it seems all Californians absorb the sunny climate they call home, and radiate it out of their zesty personalities. I’m now about to meet Sam, who I’m sure is gonna be equally as lovely.
So in essence, that’s the magic of solo-travel: you are never solo. Ah, what a beautiful, perplexing irony. I mean maybe you’ll be alone in the airport in your home country. Although sometimes not even! In Heathrow Airport before my last UK exit, I made friends with a couple flying to Chile, before I’d even gotten on the plane. And a quandary I’m puzzling over now is: is it still solo-travel if you find a new friend who is also travelling solo? Are you still solo travelling or not, if you travel together for a while thereafter? I don’t know! Some of my favourite people I have ever, ever met have been from venturing abroad on my own.
Genuinely, if you slap on a smile, and emit good energy people will be drawn to you. Oftentimes finding time to be completely alone can actually be the challenge, especially if you’re staying in hostels. I love people, but I also require a lot of time alone. Too much social interaction drains me, and so within every month I like at least two days in private accommodation just to exist, recharge, and not have to radiate those positive vibes.
So yes, eighty-percent of what solo travel is to me is the people. There are heaps of excellent eggs in this world, don’t let the scary rhetorics which circulate in the media put you off heading off to find them.
The remaining twenty percent is the actual travelling. Both the journey, and the destinations. Wowie the world can be beautiful. I am one of those people who gets emotional at the splendor of nature. I grew up in probably one of the world’s most beautiful places, and I’m so grateful for that, but there are so many landscapes to discover, from desert, to sea, to mountains, to rock formations, to Mars-esqe Volcanos, to tropical jungles, to Alpine forests, to glacial lakes, to serpentine rivers, I mean you get the point, the possibilities are endless, and I’m on a mission to absorb them all. Of course all of these places are lovely when they’re shared, but they can be truly wonderful when enjoyed alone too.
Let your mind feel the peace of a place whilst letting your attention focus on what’s around you, not the people you may be travelling with.
I also really believe that solo travel is the best thing for personal growth. You’ll spend a lot of time in your own head (scary territory, I know), but by listening to yourself and figuring out what it is that you want to do, you’ll learn more about yourself. Your likes, dislikes, passions, pleasures, wants, and needs. By bullying yourself to do things that normally you wouldn’t dream of, be it as simple as taking yourself on a dinner date, you will discover that things are not as scary or awkward as you probably imagine they are; in fact you’ll likely find it to be really fun. This in turn will build your confidence, and before you know it you’ll be ready for life-hurdles that you’d not imagined you’d be able to face prior to that growth.
Also, if you solo travel via sites like Workaway, or Woofing, you’ll be immersed into the culture of a country in a wholly authentic way. You’ll be able to learn new skills, develop ones you already have, gain empathy, trust, and be exposed to things you may not even know existed prior to the experience.
I’ve likely missed a heap of what I want to say, and rambled on about some things unnecessarily, but that somewhat concludes my first post. I shall probably revisit and alter accordingly as and when my brain conjures more things that I think make solo-travel the bees knees.
The main takeaway I’d like you to think about is that, yes, solo travel will certainly start solo, but by the end of your trip your life will be enriched with a host of wonderful souls from all over the world. All of them will give you a memory, or will have taught you something. So though it’s called “solo,” I promise you’ll not ever be alone if you look in right places.
This post is dedicated to those who have made my life better as a result of bumping into into them. I hope you know who you are, and love you all!
Take care, and have fun,
Sending a hug,
Rhianna x
Rhianna's World 