I heard that question so many times in the past few months. You should think I’d know how to answer it by now. After all, if I’m up-ending my whole life at home to move across half the world for a year, I should have a good reason for that, right? Well, yes and no. More often than not, I find myself
This summer it’s precisely 10 years since I graduated school. And yes, it does make me feel old. It also made me think about what expectations I had for my life all that time ago, and in what way they have – or have not – come true. Because of this ten-year anniversary I recently reconnected with some old friends from school.
The first time I travelled alone, really alone, was in 2011. I spent six months on a working holiday visa in Australia. I knew the country already, because I have family over there and had previously visited them and travelled around with family members. But this time it was different, because I would be all on my own for most of the time.
There seems to be a general assumption that travellers are extroverts. People think that if you travel, especially when you travel solo, you have to be very brave and outgoing to do that. The truth is, travel is possible even for shy and introverted people like me. Only because I’m travelling solo, doesn’t mean I’m unafraid. I’ve already written about how I’m
Travel often requires compromising. That’s especially true when you travel with other people and you need to agree on an accommodation, an itinerary, or where to go eat next. But it’s also true for solo travel. So let’s look at some of the compromises you need to make when travelling. The two areas where this is by far required most often are time
I have never thought of myself as a very courageous person. On the contrary, there are heaps of things that I’m scared of, that make me so nervous I just want to hide away or become invisible. I’m an introvert and naturally shy. I don’t feel confident in a lot of social situations. I’m nervous about approaching people, and about speaking in front of