Traveling Alone? No Worries!

Traveling alone can be one of the most invigorating and terrifying experiences someone will go through in life. Whether you are just traveling from one familiar place to meet up with someone else or if you are going on a trip by yourself to a new place with maybe a new language you have nothing to worry about!

When I was on an education abroad program in Scotland I had the chance to go to Paris and London by myself for a weekend. While I wasn’t actually supposed to go to these places alone, the opportunity came up and I took it.

Story time

One weekend while abroad my roommate and I decided to go to Paris and London for a weekend. We were to leave early Thursday and Return late Sunday. This was all great and we were so excited! That is until she ended up getting very sick and going to hospital Wednesday in the middle of the night. I was not able to help her at all or even go and see her, so I talked to the house director to see what I should do and she said if I wanted to still travel I should.

And I did…

You may think that I am not a good friend for just leaving my roommate in that condition, but like I said there was nothing I could do for her so I would have just sat at home if I didn’t go.

Before I left I was all in a panic because one, I had never traveled alone before so that was stressful in itself, but the hostels we were staying in where in my roommate’s name so I didn’t know if I would be able to stay in our room since it wasn’t my name. I took a leap of faith and headed for the airport and I am so glad I did.

Even though there were a few bumps in the road I was able to travel from Scotland to Paris to London and back to Scotland by myself.

This experience showed me that I can be on my own and will be okay. It taught me how to trust myself and my decisions. And most importantly it gave me a feeling of self-confidence that I had never felt before.

Just like traveling with others it is always important to be aware of your surroundings, do some research before you go to a destination and most of all have fun and don’t be afraid to meet new people, learn new things and try new things.

Traveling alone is not for everyone, but if you have ever had the desire to travel alone and never had the push to do it, here is that push. Just do it. Don’t let the fear stop you from going, let the fear of missing out motivate you to go.

I cannot wait for my next adventure and am excited to hear about yours!