Will you be safe? Aren’t you scared? Don’t you feel lonely? So your going to a continent that you have never been to, don’t speak the language and your a lone girl? More often iv heard, are you that lonely that you have no one to travel with? Another thing people assume is ‘you must be having the time of your life, why do you miss home?’

All the above have crossed my mind before I decided to do this. I honestly can tell you that I questioned my decision and I’m glad that I chose to do it this way. A month into brazil ( which apparently 3/4 gringos get mugged, robbed or injured) and I have had such a great experience and I still have a few months left to go.

I have been living alone for a year and I am quite content with being on my own. It takes some time to get used to and this was one of the main reasons why I was confident that I will be ok on my own. I am way to curious for my own good and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity like this just because no one else was going to join me.

Before i left, I spoke to both males and females who had travelled alone and their experiences completely inspired me to do it. Tanya for one has been travelling alone for almost a year now. She started her journey in south east Asia and made her way to oz. ‘if your thinking about doing it, don’t think, just do it’ I have been quoting her ever since. The scary part is getting on the first plane and that’s it, once you land, your free- and she was right! Deepa, did the same thing. She told me about her experiences and how many amazing people she met, how she could be alone when she wanted to and when she needed company she had. ‘The best thing is that you are only accommodating this for yourself, use this time to test your limits and do what you want, go where you want to go and see what you want to see without restrictions or worrying about what other people want’. Again, she was right! Both were really honest as well when they said you do have those days where you want to pack up and leave. I did mentally prepare myself for this but I don’t think you realise it until you truly experience it.

I have had lonely days and i was under the impression that everyday I have to do something exciting and see something and those days that you don’t you feel like you have, are wasted. As those days pass, you get a reminder that your human and you need to rest. You need those days where you do nothing but chill – that is exactly what I am doing today 17.01pm on a lazy Monday in florianopolis listening to some waves crash along the coast. As for the safe bit, i try as hard as possible not to attract unnecessary attention, blend in and walk confidently and friendly. This helped me a lot. The more nervous you are the more people will realise that there could be vulnerability – which isn’t a bad thing but if you can avoid it then why not.

I met people who had travelled in groups and travelled in twos. They tend to stick to each other and don’t feel the need to venture out and meet new people. I also met others that were travelling in a group and completely mixed it up. I guess the compass swings 4 ways so it doesn’t really matter how many you travel with, It all depends on how comfortable you really are. Someone also told me that when you travel with someone and you come back home still feeling good about that person, they really are your true friend(s)

I guess I’m going a little off topic here, but its not that I am brave and that Im the only person who has done this, majority of the girls that I have met ( more than guys) are travelling on their own and have had really good positivity around them on the idea of travelling.

Not knowing where I’m going next both excites me and scares me. So far I have had times where I feel like oh crap where am I going to sleep, how will I get there and where should I leave my stuff. Funnily enough, it all falls into place, do your research, talk to people (everyone wants to help you because they too have been in similar situations) and again just be confident that it will all work out. So far so good. It’s exciting because the unknown creates no expectations and when you hit jackpot fun, it’s good.

Like I said, i am only into a month in my travelling, but I wanted to share this with you and anyone who does want to travel alone that it has its ups and downs, more ups and its not that scary, it’s more exciting and you will not regret it. You will love it and you will experience and learn things about yourself and others that you were 100% sure you previously didn’t know existed. You will also surprise yourself and grasp concepts with the truth of how independent you really are. I promise you, if I can do it so can you.

Tchauuuu for now xx