6 Life Lessons I Learned While Learning How to Travel Alone
Traveling alone was something that I might have wanted to attempt, but never something I thought I could do. Key word: could.
Back in November 2021, my business partner, colleagues, and friends surprised me with a round-trip ticket and a fully booked Airbnb to Honolulu, Hawaii for my 32nd birthday.
Not knowing what to expect, I was confused as to why I was handed a piece of paper for a birthday gift. Of all the gifts, I sure wasn’t expecting paper.
When I opened the letter that contained my flight ticket to paradise, I was in complete awe. I felt shocked, excited, and scared all at the same time.
I have always held on to self-limiting beliefs that prevented me from traveling because I was either too afraid to go alone or believed I couldn’t do it.
Now, it’s something that I can scratch off my bucket list. Learning how to travel by myself has been one of the most liberating experiences.
It was never easy to get to travel because I have always had a physically demanding job. So receiving this gift meant so much more to me.
Not only did I learn how to travel alone, I also learned how to be present and truly experience being alone. It truly is a life hack.
6 Lessons I learned:
- Do not be afraid.
Being scared to venture out may be more in your head than not. At least, for me it was.
I am an over-thinker and an over-worrier. I tend to indulge in catastrophic thinking more often than not because I’m afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I feel like I’m wired to expect the worst, though I have been actively trying to re-wire my thoughts.
Maybe because I was already told that Hawaii was a safe place for women to travel alone, I wasn’t on edge. But, I had to teach myself not be afraid to go eat at a restaurant or that tiki bar alone, explore the Waikiki strip, go to the Diamond Head Crater hike, or talk to whoever crosses your path.
2. You are capable. You can do it.
Self limiting beliefs are in your head. You can figure out how to rent a car. You can figure out how to get around the island by yourself. You can be alone. You can go into a restaurant and eat by yourself. You can explore by yourself without depending on anyone else. You can plan adventures. You can have fun by yourself.
3. Be adventurous.
Opportunities like this don’t come too often. At least for me it hasn’t.
Working a completely different schedule from everyone else doesn’t present you with much options to travel together. Having felt confined for so long, I was scared but so excited to be adventurous and take part in outdoor activities. Back home, I wouldn’t go on adventures alone, I would wait for friends to go with.
But once I was given this ticket to go, I was fully able to apply, When life gives you lemons, go make lemonade. When you’re given the opportunity to go to a different state or country, you gotta go experience it. You need to break out of your shell and take advantage. Or else, you may look back and regret not having done. So just get out there and just do it.
4. Be open.
Being open to trying different things and staying present in the moment changed my life in so many ways. I learned how to enjoy the moments regardless of what was going around in my surroundings. I learned how to really enjoy exploring the environment, hole in the wall places, or even just exploring how I dealt with myself.
Be open to talk to the people out there and be open to new experiences. You don’t know what kind of people you meet and experiences you may go through without being open.
5. Be mindful and aware of your surroundings.
One negative thing about traveling alone was the deep fear of losing your only line of connection.
When you’re traveling alone, you find yourself not having anyone to rely on in the case of an emergency. I found myself holding on to my lifeline, my phone. It was how I was going to get back home, rent a car, plan my day, map the city, and call my friends or family if I missed them or was in need of help.
Learn to let go a little bit but make sure to be mindful and be aware of your environment. Never put yourself in a situation where you cannot pull yourself out of.
6. You Learn More About Yourself
Before traveling, I never knew what kind of traveler I was.
I didn’t know how I would act in certain situations, but I also didn’t realize how frustrated I got when I felt like I wasn’t making the most out of my time there. I realized how much I valued productivity.
Fast forward to my present situation back at home, I am much more aware about what drives me to want to accomplish more.
If I had not put myself out there to experience the things I wanted to, I would have never learned and grown from it. Go and do it.
