Travel

One of the reasons people are afraid to be single is that they are scared of being alone. For those of you who have feelings like this, know that being alone doesn’t have to be scary, in fact, I love being alone. The reason I bring this up is because of something that I discovered on StumbleUpon recently. I found it on Today’s website, and it is an article called “Going Solo” by Serene Lim. It discusses the joys of travelling alone.

For some people, travelling alone is as odd of a concept as going to the movie theater alone, but I admire those who have the independence to do either by themselves. In terms of travelling alone, Lim gives advice for those planning to travel by themselves, especially for how to prepare yourself beforehand. One of the best things you can do, according to Lim, is become “comfortable by yourself for an extended period” and practicing by “starting light conversations with strangers.” While I have no problem making friends with strangers, I’m a well-travelled social butterfly. For people without such travelling experience or who are introverted, Lim’s article walks step-by-step through the benefits of travelling alone and how to get over a fear of it.

The reason this interests me so much is that I plan to travel by myself for a year (and no, this was not inspired by the book “Eat Pray Love”, although I enjoyed it immensely). I have it on my bucket list – yes, I have one – to go abroad for at least a year. As I’m still in college, I may do a portion of that year as Study Abroad, or I will wait until I’ve graduated. The plan, which I have already begun to work on, is to start in Paris (which I have already been privileged enough to visit twice), work my way north to Normandy, then west to Brittany – where I’ll take some time to cross the English Channel and visit Great Britain – then south along the western coast of France, on to Spain and Portugal, then along the southern coast of France, into Italy, then through the Alps and to Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and back to the north of France in Lille. One year, one girl, and 8 countries, and yes, I plan to do it alone.

While the idea is somewhat intimidating, I’ve had some practice with uncomfortable situations just by coming to Pennsylvania. I had no friends at my school before coming here, and I had to adjust to a different climate, slang, history and culture. Honestly, it’s like a different country here, and given the 2,000 miles separating my home and my school, that really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me. I’m finishing my second year here, and I’ve survived easily. I made friends when I felt like it, spent time by myself when I wanted to, got involved to stave off homesickness, and kept in contact with my family and friends from home. I’ve had practice enough, I believe, to be able to travel by myself.

The reason the trip is centered around France is thanks to my dad. When I was in middle school, he and I spent 2 weeks in Italy and Paris. My minimal taste of France wasn’t enough, so he told me that if I learned French in high school – enough to successfully guide us around the country – he would take me back after my graduation. I kept up my end of the deal, and so did he. My second time in France I fell even further in love with it, but having only the time to explore Paris and Normandy, I felt the need to go for at least a year so as to explore and better understand the entire country.

I don’t want to sound overly-confident in my travelling and adjusting abilities, because yes, I will be terrified at times, I will get lost, and I will get homesick. But that’s all part of the adventure of being by yourself, and it’s all a part of what makes travelling alone such a life changing experience.