Solo Travel

I must admit, there are some mornings that I wake up with my eyes full of tears. Mornings that my body simply cannot contain the joy and excitement that I receive from my own life.  I get lost in the distinction between my dreams and my reality. I have fallen completely and utterly in love with my life. I’d be lying if I said this isn’t exactly how I imagined it would go.

People always ask me how I do it. The answer is so simple. I do exactly what my heart desires. I live passionately, and push myself to live to the absolute fullest. Trust that if you follow your dreams, life will take care of the rest for you. It is all just a ride anyway; don’t forget that. The universe appreciates those who listen to it, and praises them in return. When you let your guard down, and place all of your trust in the hands of something of higher power, life seems to just fall in your lap. Trust that everything that happens, truly happens for some reason, even if you can’t explain it. When you strive towards the life you’ve always dreamed of, without letting anything stand in the way, the universe recognizes it. It does everything in its power to bring those dreams to you. Give love and passion into your life and that is exactly what you will receive. Life will start to unravel so perfectly right before your eyes. You must just trust the process first, though.

It won’t always be a magical fairytale. There will be moments when you’re completely out of your comfort zone, but that is okay. That is how you grow. Sometimes this means standing on the side of the road, getting hundreds of weird looks, because you are hitch hiking. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. But you grow, my God do you grow from it. Traveling alone is one massive compilation of moments that are experienced outside of the bounds of what you already know.

You will feel alone and you will feel defeated, but that is completely normal. There are many days where I feel so drained, from simply going out of my way to make friends. Something I have never struggled with, and always found very easy. When you are traveling by yourself, you are constantly making an effort to befriend everyone and figure everything out on your own. It gets exhausting, and it is okay to take a rest from time to time. Find something that makes you feel a sense of home. For me, that is music. Even if that means listening to the same song on repeat for an hour and a half. Do what you have to do to receive a feeling that makes you feel at home.

When you are traveling by yourself, you will experience moments where you just want to break down and cry. You want to give up everything and just book a flight home. You want the comfort, you crave the security. Sometimes those moments are when you’re in the middle of the train station and everything is going against you. Sometimes, it is unexpected and you have no idea why. It is okay to release those emotions. It is okay to feel defeated, and to cry. As long as you pull yourself right back up. Look yourself in the mirror, wipe those tears, and remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place. And never forget to give yourself appreciation for what you have accomplished.

There are days where you will feel alone and question if traveling by yourself is even worth it. Then there are days where you will feel so alive and so complete. Those are the days where you realize that it is all worth it. Suddenly every moment where you felt uncomfortable or down vanishes, and is completely overridden by the feeling of unity with the rest of the world. You make friends from every corner of the world. Some that last a lifetime, some that you will never see again. I think that is the hardest part about traveling. You meet these incredible people and share the most passionate experiences with them. But, when you say goodbye, you don’t know when you will see them again, or if you ever will. Traveling teaches you a very important lesson of life: how to love and let go. I think I have realized that some people aren’t meant to be in our lives for forever. Some are just meant to be in our lives for small amounts of time, but they make that small amount of time so incredible. A time that we will forever hold close to our heart and cherish. It teaches you how to love with no limitations.

I have learned to ignore the urges to follow the rest of society. I live without a plan, always. I dance through life open to anything, and going with everything. Plans leave room for expectations, and expectations leave room for disappointment. If you go into every experience in your life without an expectation; you’re more likely to enjoy yourself. Expectations are the biggest thieves of a good time.

Don’t lose your purpose. When you drift through life with no plan, it can be easy to lose your purpose. Trust me, you’ll recognize that feeling and you’ll know when it is time to leave. Never lose sight of exactly why you are doing what you are doing.

The biggest thing I can preach is to never stop learning. Never stop learning from everything around you. Life is providing us with free lessons all day, every day; indulge in them. It’s all about constantly growing as a person and expanding your soul. That is the easiest thing to do, if you just pay attention to what is going on around you. Learn as many languages as you can, learn to play as many instruments as you can. Let the people around you teach you about their culture, or about anything you don’t know. One of my favorite quotes of all time is “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t,” by Bill Nye. Let the people around you help you expand yourself.

Lastly, with every step you take in your journey, have love. Love for yourself, for everyone that surrounds you, and for life. Enjoy absolutely everything you do, and leave the situation if it the satisfaction dissipates. Be so full of love that it spews out of you when you interact with other people. Let your passion for life completely engulf every experience, allowing everyone else to absorb it. Create as much cosmic energy as possible, and share it with everyone and everything around you. Love your life as much as you can, and let it love you back.