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You see, I have never travelled solo before. Which was why I immediately came up with plans of travelling to the north of Cebu just to contribute to this month’s blog carnival. However, aside from financial issues, hesitations and what if questions won over which was why up to now I have never travelled solo…or so I thought.
But wait! Memories started to flood my senses. Maybe it was my brain’s way of complaining how “stressed” it was at my attempt to go on a solo trip or come up with thoughts on solo traveling. And it actually hit me! I remembered travelling solo!
My braincells transported me back in college where I cross-registered in our sister campus in Quezon City. I went there on my own. I remembered going to SM North Edsa and even had the guts to watch a movie in Robinson’s Galleria on my own. Then went solo to the National Library and even went to GMA, Cavite to visit relatives. Travelling on these routes may be easy for some people, but for me who was from Cebu and wasn’t used to the busy streets of Manila, it was really something out of the extraordinary. I also recalled travelling to Tacloban and enrolled for summer classes on another sister campus too. And this was 13 years ago.
But if you were to ask me if I have ever embarked on a solo journey after that time, my answer is a plain “NO”. 13 years and counting, I have constantly travelled with friends and the thought of solo travelling was something I never considered. Maybe the availability of friends who were willing to travel with me was one reason why I never thought of going on a solo trip.
I am also the type of traveller who would start getting anxious the moment you step on a bus while someone seats beside you. My paranoia and pessimistic side would probably eat me alive. The thought of even planning on a solo trip these days would make me think twice. Not that it’s dangerous for a female traveller to travel solo but it’s more of battling with my pyschotic mind full of uncertainties and what nots.
And if you were to consider group travels, there are great perks that come with it and some benefits I could think of at the top of my head includes:
- not having any dull moment on the trip
- splitting expenses on accommodation, food, transportation, etc
- a number of hands willing to take your profile shots
- the feeling of security knowing that you have a companion when you travel
But travelling on a group also presents disadvantages like having to wait for the other person to finish their daily rituals before you can go on with a trip or having to endure tantrums while on the road.
As for travelling solo, some benefits that I could think of include:
- being your own boss
- having the opportunity to experience new things on your own and meet new friends
As far as disadvantages are concerned, just think about the positive benefits I listed on top when travelling with a group and think of their counterpart. However, solo travelling is really not bad as opposed to what famous quotes say, like “No man is an island” or “It takes two to tango“.
Travelling solo is something I would want to do in the future. I may have those jitter bugs crawling up my nerves now but I also want to embark on a new adventure where it only involves me and me alone. Call me a loner if you must, but I believe that this is something that will pave way for new self discoveries and new adventures that would be a great story to tell my kin someday.
This is my entry to Pinoy Travel Bloggers’ Blog Carnival themed Solo Travel which is hosted by Philippine Blog Awards Best Travel Blog of 2010 Winner Nina Fuentes of Just Wandering. For more solo travel stories, click here.
Click on the Blog Carnival Logo on the left to access a list of interesting topics about the Philippines through the eyes of each Pinoy Travel Blogger.
doi, i so love the photo!!! you’re right, there a lot of advantages and disadvantages of solo travel but you should try it before getting married 🙂
thanks carla! kasimang sa reply. where did that come from? hahaha
anyway, married or unmarried, we should try to travel solo too. that’s why you should push through with your Bukidnon trip again! hehehe.
haha tlga namang plan mu sana mag travel solo jst to have an entry fr this blog carnival. 😀 I;m sure you can do it one day, it doesn’t look hard as it appears, yun lng mejo magastos minsan.
hi gael, i definitely agree with you on the magastos part. kaya will definitely plan it well para di gaano mahal 😉
nice photo! explorer na explorer ang dating… 🙂
thanks happy sole! 😉
[…] that there are people who share the same paranoid thoughts as I do before and during a trip. Doi seemed to be reading my mind, for these are the same scenarios that run through my head: I am also […]
no pressure! one day you’ll realize you want to discover the joy of solo traveling for yourself. when that time comes, you’ll understand! i love your photo. one brilliant image that surely captures your most intimate feeling! Galing!
thanks jerik! yah, am looking forward to the day that i’ll be able to go on an official solo journey somewhere ^_^
Traveling alone *can* be scary…that is, until you do it. Then you’ll learn that you can trust yourself naman pala 🙂
It’s actually not about trust issues within myself but more of trust issues with people that I’ll meet along the way but yeah, until I don’t do it, I’ll forever be scared kaya nga I want to travel na rin to get this done and over with 😀
Try mo rin minsan, it’s so liberating, you’d be surprised. =)
yeah, will definitely do this christian ^_^
at dika naman masyadong nag campus hopping Doi?hahaha. I agree, the streets of Cebu are way too simple compared to the complex thouroughways of Metro Manila. Urban jungle ito. Solo travelling parin talaga. And you learned a lot diba.so–what’s the verdict? which is still better? travelling solo or in a group?hehehe
di naman masyado anton. slight lang. hehehe. as for travelling with a group or going solo, masyado na matagal yung solo trip na yun. a lot has changed so as of now, ipark muna natin to till i find the perfect timing to go on a solo trip so that i can compare =)
Pag natry mo na ang solo travel, hahanapin mo din sya minsan, iba rin kasi ang fulfilment nito 🙂
claire,
yeah, kaya i will aim to go on a solo trip talaga before the year ends ^_^ dapat plantsado lang lahat para di gaano toxic ang travel 😀
Better to travel solo than not at all. Many advantages to solo travel. More freedom and privacy (usually).
Reminds me of my first solo trip to South America! Thanks for sharing your experience! I particulary remember staying in Uruguay for almost 2 weeks. It is a small country, but has so many places to visit! I recently catched this video on youtube about Uruguay called “Uru Movie”, made by a foreigner! The video is great and accurately resumes my experience there; Have you ever been to Uruguay? 100% recommendable!
I also prefer traveling with company kasi I get bored when I don’t talk and it’s always great to share expenses. 🙂
But yeah, I’ve traveled solo in China. It can be a zen experience. For the first time, I got comfortable just being with my own thoughts. It wasn’t so boring after all.
[…] My most beautiful post: My Take On Solo Travelling […]
nice blog. thanks for the inspiring posts. hope i get to travel as much as you do 🙂
[…] You’ll hardly find me making conversations with strangers. I normally get anxious when I go on solo travelling. Although I’m chatty with friends, I’m very shy and gets tongue-tied when in the company of […]