One of my closest friends and I are huddled together, shaking, trying not vomit from the nerves. Yes, we’re both grown men, and there are girls our age present. Why are we doing this? Because we’re in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, stuck in a snowstorm on a paved road with no guardrails, sliding around turns in a van without snow tires 1000 feet above the valley below. We didn’t sign up for this.
Motivation
“Aren’t you worried about travelling alone?” It’s a question I get asked all the time. Friends and colleges who have never backpacked always ask this. ‘Don’t you worry about making friends?’ The answer is always the same. Of course not. So today I’ll dispel a few worried thoughts about Travelling Solo, share a few tales, and give a few tips for those who are still concerned.
My first experiences travelling I have to admit were kind of boring. It was at an all-inclusive beach resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Replublic. Don’t get me wrong, the place was awe-inspiringly beautiful, but to me 7 days of sitting at the beach with a bunch of Europeans that didn’t speak English, and drinking free coco-locos got a bit repetitive and lonely for me. Beach, eat, drink, sleep, repeat! Even the novelty of it being a topless beach got old real fast, especially when Euro-Granny walked by……a vision forever implanted in my memory.
It would be a lie to tell you that backpackers are always having the time of their lives. Their are certainly bad days and even days when you miss the luxuries of home. There are hundreds of blogs much like Art of Backpacking telling people around the world how great backpacking is but not much on the negative side of it. One reason could be the positive obviously out weighs the negatives. Even living the dream can be a nightmare.
Eventually most of us need to settle somewhere for work and make a home for ourselves. Your travels become memories shared with our family and friends about the journey you had. Then comes the full time work, bills, and other responsibilities you had to never worry about while traveling.
Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
I’m a frequent forum user posting in several message boards across the internet. It’s a great way of meeting new people, finding new information, reading stories, inspiration, and well almost anything else can be put into text. I’ve met countless amount of people that has turned into long term friendships from message boards. I’ve become so addicted to posting in forums that I’ve decided to start one called Nightlife Vibe.
Traveling can be an eye opener. Set out to distant lands with very little material goods. Your mind forces you to be social interacting with total strangers. You may have not said Thank You so many times in one day let alone in a different language. Common sense and your natural instincts are used much more often since you don’t have anyone by your shoulder (Mom? Dad?) telling you right from wrong.
I find that travel related books inspire the travel you are already on and continues to give you strength to keep on going. Learning about a new culture before you arrive will greatly enhance your experience and appreciation of your destination.
During my time in SE Asia, I’ve had most of my things stolen, lost, or broken. In a sense, it’s part of traveling. iPod was taken out of my bag this morning due to an amateur move of leaving my bag unattended. Although my path has been tough at times, I keep strong and so should you.
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