This is the first time for me to travel alone (I think I already mentioned this in another article if you have read it 😊) and I had no concrete idea how I will experience this part of my trip. I didn't know how I was going to feel nor did I make a specific plan of where exactly I wanted to travel to. As organised as I am in my everyday life, I wanted a contrast - freedom and flexibility - for this part of the trip.
I got different impressions and experiences from my friends about travelling alone. There were some who said they really enjoyed being on their own and devoting 100% of their time to the things they wanted to do. There were those who said "You are never alone when you travel alone, you always meet people everywhere" and there were those who said "It was interesting to try it out, but it's not for me".
Through these different approaches, I tried to start this part of the journey with an open mind. However, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous and unsure. The start of the journey alone was quite easy for me - at the Welikande Yoga Retreat in Sri Lanka - because of the focus on doing everything together in the group and because of the great people I met there, you really never felt alone.
So my time alone really started in Kuala Lumpur and now continues in Bali. So far I have mixed, yet increasingly positive feelings about travelling alone.
To a certain extent, I have to agree with those friends who said "if you don't want to be alone, you're not alone". If you go to places where there are potentially a few other people, such as guided city tours or cafés, then you get to talk to people quite quickly, exchange numbers and can arrange joint activities with these new acquaintances. I find this exchange with other people totally exciting. You get to know people with different life backgrounds, values and also, for example, different working models - that can be very inspiring from time to time. And in any case, you constantly get personal recommendations for your own journey, which I think are the best recommendations.
However, there are also days or moments when you want company and just don't have anyone to do something with. This feeling of being on your own, even though you haven't actively planned for it, is a feeling that I didn't know before. At home, in my everyday life, I am only alone when I want to be - that is, when I actively plan for it and want to have time for myself alone. I enjoy this self-chosen solitude and see it as a contrast to my everyday life in which I am well occupied by my job, hobbies and social environment (which I also like and value very much).
I try to see these moments here alone on my travels as an opportunity - namely the opportunity to deal with myself - my goals, needs and desires. These are precisely the things that are often neglected in everyday life and one has "no head" to deal with them, or sometimes one sees occupations as a kind of excuse for not being able to devote time to certain very personal questions that one should devote oneself to.
Up until now, there was only one thing that really annoyed me when travelling alone: Applying sunscreen to my back! Although I do yoga quite often, I'm unfortunately not flexible enough to fully reach the middle of my back in the area of my shoulder blades. If you're as careless as I am and go running with a strapless shirt and then get a sunburn on that exact spot, the need to get to that spot to apply after sun is even greater.
In times of need, you get creative, so here's my tip if you ever find yourself in this situation: Take the handle of your toothbrush, dip it into the after-sun cream, then hold the toothbrush so that the bulbous part is pointing towards your back and apply the cream to your back. It takes a little time because you can only apply a little cream per pass, but I managed to apply it to my whole back. It's a pity I didn't have this idea when I was applying sun cream. So there's a solution for that too - or significantly easier - ask someone for help. 😊
Overall, I'm fine with travelling alone and I take things as they come - I'm happy to make new acquaintances but I can also make good use of the time alone and be for myself.
What were your best moments travelling alone? 😊
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