My Journey to Solo Travel

Did anyone else’s high school have an anonymous Twitter polls account? Well, mine did. The owner would post polls specific to our school, and students would vote on them. I was voted “biggest shadow” to my two best friends. While this was relatively tame compared to many of the other posts, it still hurt to know people saw me as someone’s shadow rather than my own person. 

For most of my life, I was very shy and kept to myself, so I surprised many people when I declared that I was going to backpack Europe by myself at 21. Like many other people, I had just spent years living through the pandemic. Sitting in my childhood bedroom, unable to see friends (let alone see the world) made me realize how important travel was to me. I vowed that once the world opened back up, I was going to see it, whether someone went with me or not. 

My parents taught me from a young age that you cannot live your life in fear. A mantra I offered back to them when they initially objected to my travel plans. They urged me to find a friend to join me, but I knew what would happen if I did; I would become a shadow again. I would cling to the familiarity of my friend amidst all the unknown people and places, limiting my experience. Going alone would force me out of my comfort zone to interact with others and make new friends. 

I also knew that a two-week trip was not going to scratch this itch, so I started planning for a months-long journey with no end date. By the time I left for my trip, I was very anxious but also very prepared. There were multiple times that fellow travelers said, “You thought of everything” regarding the products I brought or the plans I made. I am nothing if not a planner, but looking back on it, I did over-plan. I didn’t want any crazy surprises, but booking my ferries for Greece while sitting on my couch in LA a month in advance was a bit overkill. I don’t regret it, though, because it is what I needed to feel secure in my plans. Traveling solo was already putting me way outside of my comfort zone, so I made plans to help me feel some control over the unknown. 

I ended up traveling to 15 countries over 3 months, made friends from all over the world, and stretched my comfort zone by thousands of miles. It was the best and the hardest thing I have ever done. I battled loneliness and anxiety more times than I can count over those three months, but to me, not living your life in fear does not mean pretending fear and anxiety don’t exist; It means not letting those feelings stop you from experiencing life.