Wednesday 26 November 2014

Flying Solo

It's been almost 4 weeks since I got back from my trip to Bali in October and within that time, I've already been back again. My names Anna and I'm a Bali-holic. Anyway, this time round, I took the leap into travelling solo. Although I've "travelled" alone before, I've never truly took a trip by myself. I was incredibly excited to experience the world of solo-travelling and I can honestly say I was not the slightest bit nervous about it. I was going to a place I knew and loved, a place I was very familiar with. There was people I knew there to look after me if anything went wrong, if I got sick I knew where to go. Of course something could still go wrong but I am home now in one piece and am happy to say my first solo holiday was a huge success. My verdict on travelling alone? I absolutely loved it. 



 
I decided to take this trip after I woke up from a dream of being on Lembongan alone and having an amazing time. It's not very often I "follow my dreams" but in this case, I decided to take it as a sign that I had to go. Any excuse for another trip to Bali, right?

I realise travelling alone would not be for everyone but having always been a very independent person, happy with my own company, I was nothing but excited for it. Of course I can't say the same for my parents who were not all too keen on the idea and did attempt to talk me out of it. But my mind was made up; I was going.  

There was something truly wonderful about travelling alone. It may sound selfish, but thinking only about what you want to do, where you want to go, not having to share your food, getting up and what time suits you, going to bed hem you're ready. Be honest, who wouldn't love that? I know I certainly did. I had the chance to meet some lovely people but more importantly, I had the chance to really spend some quality time with me. 


 
 Before I went on this trip I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't block out the world by having my nose stuck in a book all the time or by having earphones in so I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I promised myself I would open myself up to meeting new people and seeing new things, and that's exactly what I did. I learnt a few valuable lessons while I was away: 

Being comfortable with your own company is an incredible thing. 
I can honestly say that not once did I feel lonely, I never felt that I didn't know what to do with my time or with myself. I was nothing but content through my entire trip. 

You have to laugh when things don't go the way you expect. 
I had a moment while I was on Lembongan when I thought I had lost my scooter key. There I was, digging through the sand trying to find it, calling the scooter rental guy asking if he had a spare one, getting flustered that I couldn't find it. In the end, I had left the key in the scooter ignition. I felt like an idiot but I forced myself to take a breathe and laugh. What more could I do?

You have to be open to meeting new people and experiencing new things. 
Isnt that, after all, what travel is all about? It's one of the things you come home telling your family and friends, it's how you make your trip all that much more special. One of the beautiful things about travelling is sharing the experience with someone. When you're travelling alone, who do you have to share it with? The people you meet along the way of course. 

People watching and eaves dropping are legitimate hobbies. 
When I finished my book, I could not help but watch the world go by and listen to people's conversations. Maybe not the most polite thing to do but it bought such a smile to my face to hear people talking about how much they were loving their trip. When you have no one to share your holiday with, you have to find joy in people sharing their holidays. 

Would I travel alone again? Without a doubt. 


Stay tuned for my Lembongan highlights!