Travelling alone: Getting your confidence back!
Ok so first I would like to apologise for the lack of updates for a month, I have been having a brief hiatus back home, weddings, reunion, friends, family and eating all my favourite foods in England, specifically mum’s cooking! But I am now back on the road, and back to the blog!
Friends for days
When I first left for Nepal 5 months ago I was with one friend, meeting another friend there and soon on a trek with a bunch of new friends. From there spiralled friends of friends, my guides friends and family, my friends family, my friends family’s friends and so forth. Needless to say, I was never really solo! Even after I left my travel buddy of 2 months to hop on a train south from Mumbai to Delhi … alone… I already had a large network of new found friends across the country, a local mobile phone and a bunch of locals numbers within it.
Actually feeling ALONE
But this time … a whole different ball game! I am REALLY travelling solo! I arrived in Sri Lanka almost 24 hours ago completely alone, after 3 long flights (including a stop off in the Maldives, which was just agony seeing those perfect pristine white sandy beaches outside my plane window).
Just before I left I had booked a hotel (the cheapest one with a website) so I at least had that sorted and after a short taxi ride, a couple of ‘I arrived safely’ emails later was fast asleep in my mosquito net covered bed, tired, contented and ready for the adventures ahead.
Then, morning arrived… the emotions I had just about kept under control before I left finally surfaced and I was a blithering wreck on the phone to mum. What am I doing? I haven’t made a plan! Why am I here? I miss home! I miss working! I’m all alone! Bla blah blah!
Well, mum sorted it out, her advice and now my advice to solo travellers feeling lonely and lacking that confidence to get up and go…
- Get up,
- Pick up a bag,
- Swing it from side to side and…
- SING ‘the confidence song’ from The Sound of Music … you know the one… ‘I have confidence in confidence alone…’
Here are the full lyrics if you want to sing it
And it worked! I may have had a few odd looks from hotel workers when I left my room again but I was back, confident Jen had returned.
Now the adventure really begins!
Solo travelling will leave you with fantastic memories for the rest of your life. Looks like you are having fun and the confidence crisis is over. Enjoy the ride:)
Definitely, so many memories already. Confidence crisis is over, back to my usual tricks and I now have the answer for any confidence loss in the future. Catch up when I am back, hope Brighton town is good x
Jen – you’re awesome and about to embark on a fabulous adventure travelling solo with no plans…keeps things interesting! I’ve missed you heaps but had the best time travelling solo for the last 3 months and picking up some fab new friends!
Confidence issues averted! All good in the hood! Missing my travel companion though, so much to catch up on when I am back or over Christmas in the Philippines … Can’t wait x
Haha this is such cute advice! I just had a really scary experience with a driver while traveling solo, and I can feel how it’s definitely shaken my confidence about traveling alone. I’ll just have to sing this song to myself 🙂