"australians Traveling Solo: The Importance Of Travel Insurance" - A tourist takes a selfie with a stick at Phra Sri Sanphet Pagoda, a temple in the ancient city of Ayutthaya, Thailand.
I still wonder if I did not drop the dead stone in shame during my first solo travel experience. As a 20-year-old, I booked a solo trip to Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. I do not want to go alone, but none of my friends have the time or money to go with me.
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Everything was wrong from the beginning. Poor planning put me in the only room in town, a well-stocked storage room. Two German men who do not speak English. On the guided tour of Kakadu National Park, I came across all the jokes that my Australian guide drew. (Eventually he stopped beating me. My ignorance made it "easier than catching a turtle," he said.
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I own the world heavyweight title that beat myself up, and each mistake made me even more aware. I feel like Nancy No-Mates when I ask for a table for one. I'm sure everyone is watching me, wondering if I was just jilted or just a friend.
It turns out that someone is watching me. During my last dinner in Australia, a British woman approached me. "I do not want to bother, but I just want to say one thing," she said. “I think you are incredibly brave. I saw you around town this week and you look like you're having a lot of fun. "I want to have the courage to travel on my own like you."
It takes a while for her words to sink in, intimacy will be slower than self-discrimination, but during the next 21 years of my solo journey, I heard the same sentiment over and over again.
I became a lone traveler with no need for choice: As a travel writer, I spent a lot of time on my own. On the other hand, when my friends settled into their lives and got a professional child partner and mortgage, I found that I had to travel alone if I wanted to travel at all.
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I quickly learned to love it. Freedom to travel alone: I am responsible for my own decisions and personal rhythms, and being in charge of my own travel budget also saves some arguments. I learned to be independent and I even learned to love loneliness. And I'm not alone: Solo travel is growing in popularity, especially among female travelers, and it is getting easier.
So if you have not yet tried traveling on your own, you should be a little encouraged, here are six things solo travel has taught me.
Fear of what other people think is one of the biggest obstacles for potential solo travelers, but here's the truth: My Darwin disaster has become one of my fondest memories and one thing. Among my favorite wildfire stories. Darwin taught me that people do not see me the way I see myself. I look at lone travelers with respect and compassion, and that is how people look at me. And if they are comforting their judgment, what is the problem? I will never see them again. The more time I spend on the road alone, the more confident I become.
You will get a solo trip on your own. Whoever tells others is a liar. But loneliness gets a bad rap. At 41, I spend more time traveling on my own than with anyone. And while some of it is traction (like taking your equipment to the airport bathroom because you do not have a travel companion to see it for you), I enjoy the time for myself.
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Loneliness was emotional and focused on my mind, though it always started with mud. Once or twice I found that I was not missing someone I ought to be answering questions I was too afraid to ask at home. Loneliness has taught me how I enjoy spending my time. Understanding my own speed, rhythm, and hobbies influenced every aspect of my life, including my place and lifestyle. We rarely have time to be quiet to be with ourselves. Solo travel gives that gift.
All that is said about loneliness you will meet people on your journey. Traveling alone forces us to stay out of our comfort zone, which makes us more receptive to new people and experiences. And solo travelers are less intimidating and easier than groups.
On some trips you will have interesting conversations with people you will never talk to again that is good. Some people can keep happy memories. On other trips, you will make friends - like-minded animals that you have patiently waited to meet for the rest of your life. I made some of the best and longest lasting friendships on my solo trip. These are people with a history and experience different from mine, only travel can cross our path.
More than that, traveling alone will help your career. New experiences open the door. You may stumble upon a place or activity that changes your overall direction. Or you will meet someone you want to collaborate with in the future. The world is a small place and travelers are always looking for each other. You have time to get to know yourself, to think for a moment, without criticism and competition. Learning to listen - and believe - my own voice away from distractions and pressures improves my writing.
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I was robbed in the Czech Republic on a day trip from Prague to Brno. Thankfully I still have my passport and my equipment safe in my Prague hotel, but I was forced to withdraw my money and phone.
As I sat on the bar stool, Brno sat down to drink, trying to find my next way, three locals came up to me and invited me to join their group of friends for a drink. I explained my difficulties and they went into action by buying me a drink immediately "for courage". They helped me communicate with the local police. They set me up for the night with their grandmother, a wonderful woman who did not speak English, and produced a delicious and dangerous homemade slivovitz, a classic prune made from prunes. She kept it in a pit she dug by hand during World War II. I spent most of our evenings together going up and down the stairs to get more wine, and the rest of us sat next to her on her couch, looking at her photo album. In the morning she took me to the bus station and bought a ticket back to Prague.
In 21 years of solo travel, I can count on not having a bad experience on the one hand. My travels have taught me that most people want to help rather than hurt. But anything can happen. Some precautions put you in a better position to handle the situation if it occurs. Here's what I do:
My biggest solo trip turned out to be my best trip. In 2004 I moved to New Zealand. I do not know anyone in the country. And I would not have been able to do that if I had not traveled alone.
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Traveling on my own taught me something I could not learn anywhere else. I learned how I like to spend my time, self-reliance, and I knew I could go (just about) anywhere and do (just about) anything. And no one can take that knowledge or independence from me. It is freedom.
The only way to try a solo trip is to book a ticket. Just go. You will be glad you did.
Carrie Miller is a New Zealand-based travel writer and storyteller for National Geographic Traveler magazine and other publications. She loves to try new things, from diving with amazing white sharks in Australia to riding reindeer in Mongolia. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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