Luggage for one

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine showed me some pictures he snapped somewhere in the south which totally took my breath away with its unique landscapes and picturesque, quaint towns. I’ve made up my mind then to visit that place before year end. However, I was faced with a problem. No one I know had the time to come with me (not even my bf due to his work schedule). It took me some time to decide and finally seeing only that beautiful place in mind, air ticket was purchased and not long after that things were settled for my journey to the south, on my own.

I think it was the first time ever for me to travel alone. All this while, either I was on some working trip or my close friends were with me or bf was always there. So there was somehow a feeling that someone would be there should any unforeseen circumstances happened before or during the trip. However if you are traveling alone, you’ll have to take care of EVERYTHING yourself.

A day before setting off, I was having some mixed feelings. In fact, I was close to having some anxiety attacks! However after arriving safely at my destination and seeing the place before my eyes, any apprehension or nervousness that has built up simply dissipated altogether. I was suddenly giddy with excitement because it finally dawned on me that I was free on my own! No more waiting on anyone nor having anyone to wait on me. It didn’t matter whether I chose to go left or right because either way leads to serendipitous surprises. Traveling alone calls for more spontaneity which makes the journey itself totally enjoyable and relaxing. I’ll stop whenever I want or grab an ice cream when the heart desires or simply sit down to watch the world goes by. Being on my own forces me to be more alert and be aware of my surroundings which is a good thing because I actually see and absorb the happenings around me, which sometimes I might miss with little distractions when friends are around.

During the trip, I surprisingly met quite a number of female travelers, who were backpacking alone through Europe for weeks! Hats off. Actually the idea sounds quite enticing and to tell you the truth, after getting a hang of traveling alone, I’m actually hooked .