Seven years ago, I started my first journey out of country, and alone. Even though it's just a country next to Malaysia (which is Singapore), but it was something big to me. So big that I almost pulled out, because I fear. I fear of being alone in a foreign country.
But travelling alone has changed me, into who I am today.
Eventually I became addicted to travelling alone. I've been to Singapore, China, Vietnam and Japan alone. And these are my greatest lessons from travelling alone.
1. Taking Charge of Myself
I am the designer of my travel.
This thought made me take full responsibility of my travel. I can make this the best journey or the suckiest one. So I decide everything I want to do. What I want to eat, where I want to go, who I want to meet, what I want to do.
The journey then became truly enjoyable and meaningful, because I designed it that way.
2. Awaken My Survival Instincts
I have to be extra, triple-extra, quadruple-extra cautious of almost everything! My survival mode is turned on.
Every suspicious action became noticeable, every dodgy and dark places are off-limits and every valuables are kept tight in my pockets. My awareness went sky rocket.
Coz I know, once I screw up, I'm gonna be dead. Because no one will rescue me. I am my rescue.
3. Self-limitations are Meant to be Broken
I have to make unfamiliar, familiar.
You're kinda stranded in a foreign place. You don't know anything about the place, people, buildings, etc. Everything is unfamiliar. I want to make all these familiar. How?
I have to learn figure how things work. How to board public transportations, how to learn their language, how to navigate, how to talk to people, how to stay out of trouble, and how to do what I want to do.
In the end, I broke my limits and became like a local. I have made the unfamiliar, fammiliar.
4. Cultural Immersion is the New Travel
Hostels, Homestays and Airbnb are the new thing right now, because you can directly communicate and make friends with the locals and other travellers.
Being surrounded by locals, I get to experience their way of life and thinking. I get to talk to them and realized I have learned so much more about the country than just "walking around taking pictures and shopping."
Learning new culture and people is what I enjoy the most and challenges my point of view the most too, especially what I perceive as abnormal is normal to them.
Often times, I immerse by participating in overseas voluntary program. I used Workaway to find hosts.
5. Courage is My Must-have Best Friend
To decide to travel alone is courage itself. The fear grew stronger during travel. I kept thinking "What if's"
- What if I can't find my way back?
- What I lost my phone?
- What if I get sick?
- What if I boarded the wrong bus?
The list can go endless. These thoughts create fear in me and stopped me from getting out from my home sweet home, or maybe one step ahead, from my little cozy backpacker hostel.
But my goals gave me courage and drive to dive into the unknown.
I really, really want to see all the beauty in this world. I want to know the world!
I really want it so bad to the point I just f*ck everything and go. Ever since, courage is my best friend.
6. I know More about Myself
When I face different situations in travel which will almost never happen in my daily lives, I acted differently than what I said I will do.
The challenges that I faced such as looking for food, finding my way back home, catching up with my flight and talking with people that I don't understand causes me to act based on my personality.
I became more self-aware of how I solve problems in the midst of emergencies, how can I find accurate travel information, how to adjust my language to talk to different people. Knowing and improving all these how's directly contributed to my self-growth.
The first step is to know myself.
7. Think Out of Circles the Society has Defined
Everyone is born in a country, with some sort of similar mindset. That's why Malaysians have different mindset with Americans. But within Malaysians and Americans, they share similar thinking, in some ways.
Travelling to different countries with a totally different mindset has opened my mind to all sorts of possibilities. Things that I didn't know is possible in my country, is made possible in others.
I've come to realize that the
- Locals who are living primitively are happier than rich people.
- People who are able to live their lives travel and work all the time.
- Ladies who can travel to dangerous places alone and still say it's safe to travel alone
- Questioning is an art, not an offend
- Respect people as who they are, not what they are
- Happiness is not all about money, it's about your relationship life
- and more ...
I began to think like a Global Citizen, more than a Malaysian.
Disclaimer: Pictures are all taken by myself.
Share your thoughts below,
- If you want to travel alone, what's stopping you?
- If you can travel right now, where would you go alone?
- What are the lessons you have learned from your solo travels?
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She has committed to post daily every 2 days, so rest assured that you will find something new. everyday
She can't post daily now because she has undertake few projects that will bring her closer to achieving her goals. But she will still be active and help the newbies whenever she has time.
