Over the past five months of traveling around the world, the most common question I have been asked is “are you traveling alone?” It’s a fair question when I meet people for the first time and I am half way around the world on my own. Of course after a while of hearing “are you alone?”, it makes me begin to think about traveling on my own and what it would be like traveling with a partner or a friend.
But, the more I think about it: am I really ever “alone”?
Sure, in the traditional way of thinking, traveling alone means I am the only one traveling from place to place and no one else is joining me on the same itinerary. So yes, with the traditional way of thinking, I technically am traveling from place to place on my own.
SOLO TRAVEL ALLOWS YOU TO MEET PEOPLE EASIER
I think back to how I got here. I left my corporate job and set out on a journey to learn more about myself. To maximize the one shot I get in this physical existence. To try to find out why I exist. And the way for me to do this is to do it on my own (in the traditional way of thinking).
But I think back over the past months and remember the many beautiful people that I have been with during my travels:
- The amazing friends I met on my cruise to Antarctica and have since seen two of them in their home cities. I’ve stayed with my very good friend from the cruise in Auckland and then my roommate on the cruise picked me up at the Melbourne airport when I arrived in January.
- The family I stayed with in Greymouth, New Zealand, who let me stay at their place a second night for free and also lent me their tent, sleeping bag, mat and pillow so I could camp throughout the South Island.
- My volleyball friends from New York who I met up with in Melbourne, traveled to Tasmania and then to Sydney together, and stayed at my friend’s beautiful place in Bondi Beach for two and a half weeks.
- The new friends I met in Sydney while staying there a couple weeks. It was the closest that I have come to living someplace again for a period of time since leaving New York and I could see myself living there someday.
- The fun couple I met on the flight from Sydney to Vanuatu and us sharing so many laughs over many drinks with their taxi dropping me off at my hotel in Port Vila that night.
- The local villagers at Lonnoc Beach who graciously invited me over to their village for lunch one day and the local village boys who joined me at Champagne Beach for the afternoon for some carefree fun in the crystal clear water.
- The Indian Australian who stayed in the room next to me and I met running out of my shaking hotel room in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, during one of my first earthquake experiences.
- The amazing Filipino couple who made my first stop in the Philippines one that I will never forget as we hiked the rice terraces together.
NEVER REALLY ALONE
After thinking back over my months of travel, I ask myself: Who is traveling “alone”? It isn’t me.
And while I am on my own, the people I have met along the way have helped me learn about myself in many ways. To help me overcome mental obstacles. To introduce me to new things and experiences. To inspire me. To show me how to be a better human being.
I haven’t felt lonely on this journey. In fact I have been surrounded with amazing souls at each step along the way. Sure, sharing this adventure with someone else would be amazing by creating lasting memories together. But I am optimistic in thinking there will be many adventures in the future to be shared with someone special. However for now, when people ask me “are you here alone?”, my response is “I am here on my own, but not alone!”
Are you a solo traveler? Do you get this question often? How do you feel about traveling alone? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
