Daisy
I would tell my younger self that you don’t have to choose between travel & success! You can achieve all your dreams of traveling the world & make it into a career. You have the power to make you’re own dream life on your terms! Keep believing in yourself & continue to chase your dreams. Even though it’s absolutely terrifying.
Alayna
I would tell myself that it’s okay not to have everything planned. Like a place? Stay a little longer. Have an opportunity to go somewhere you hadn’t planned? Go if you want to! Traveling alone is so freeing and you’re the only one setting the timeline so relax, enjoy, and put away the planner.
Tom
To completely rip off Nike, my advice would be to “just do it.”
I think it’s important to note that with solo travel that not everyone will like everything, and it’s a travel type that involves a lot of experimentation.
But don’t let fear stop you from trying new experiences, and remember that even if you end up not enjoy something, be it hostels, eating alone or simply solo travel as a whole, you won’t truly know until you give it a go – and you may even just fall in love with it.
Ciara Butler
Go with the mindset that people are inherently good instead of bad, it removes the fear that we often have when travelling alone. And that every plan that doesn’t quite go to plan, is redirecting us to meet people / see things that will impact our life
Charlie Johnson
Go back 6 years ago when I first wanted to go travelling but my ex boyfriend promised but never made any plans.
‘My thought process then’ if he doesn’t come I’ll never be able to go, I can’t go on my own, I can’t leave him to go his my life, I won’t be safe’
It took me a further 2 years to build up the courage to take the leap to go & leave my long term relationship and follow my goals (one of the hardest but best ever choices)
What I’m telling younger char!
- BELIEVE IN YOURSELF,
- FOLLOW THAT GUT INSTINCT,
- IF YOU DON’T GO YOU’LL NEVER KNOW
- YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT
- PUT YOURSELF FIRST
Going travelling was one of the single most needed and best experiences of my life, & I’ll never stop travelling! It’s changed me as a person, the way I look at life, the way I look at myself and my relationships!
As cliche as it sounds I really did find myself and if I was talking to my younger self now and she was asking if she should go I would say DON’T WALK RUN!
Brooke
“You never will truly know yourself before you do a solo trip, it really gives you so much independence. You can do what you like when you like & not have to worry about anybody else.
Allyssa
I vividly remember the feeling of landing in my first country as a solo traveler. The butterflies in my belly fluttering so hard that I felt as if I was going to explode. The excitement, anticipation, and hint of worry for if I hadn’t planned everything perfectly, if I wouldn’t make friends, if something would go wrong. I was SO nervous.
Now feeling like an expert when it comes to navigating hostel life and feeling most comfortable doing things solo, I wish I could go back and tell my 21-year-old self that she is SO courageous and that everything would work out, even if (and when) things go wrong. Solo travel comes with obstacles and extreme highs and lows, but it’s also the most empowering, fulfilling, and life-changing thing. You’ll meet people who will leave lifelong impressions on you and cry saying your goodbyes, even if you only shared days or hours together—this has happened to me more times now than I can count. You’ll feel yourself growing as a person and won’t ever see the world the same way again. I could write a novel on the impact that solo travel has had on me over the last nearly 2 years if I’m honest .
Nolan Saumure
II'd probably tell myself not just to go places because they are in Lonely Planet, or popular on the internet. Just be spontaneous, meet people and find what you like, that might not always be the places everyone on Instagram and Tiktok are going.
Chris
" I would tell my younger self that the only thing that is stopping you is fear of the unknown. Once you finally face that fear you'll realise there was never anything to be fearful about. Be you. Be confident in yourself. You never know who you will meet on your journey and trust me, that's the best part".
Alexa Mcdonald
I would tell my younger self….
that you will come across a lot of road blocks and people that won’t believe in your journey or think you are crazy.
And that is normal. If you are trying to live a life full of freedom and exploration, you are unique! You are such a light in this world. You are breaking norms and building your own life just the way you want it to be. I wish I realized the strength in this a long time ago. To all of the future solo travelers, you are in for a wild ride. Maybe the most exciting one of your whole life. Trust me, I’ve been to almost 50 countries and have been traveling for 4+ years full time. Give yourself so much love and take in all of the growth you’re about to experience. I wish I started my personal growth journey earlier. Find the joy in the wildness and be so thankful that you are unique, and not sitting in that lame cubicle.
Love you all!
Alexa
Lucy Jospehs
I always knew that I wanted to travel. From a very young age I’d stare out the window and imagine myself in all kinds of countries and landscapes, and I was counting down the days of education before I could do it. I finally got to do my first solo trip for 7 months at aged 19 and it was life changing. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, and the magnitude what I was doing only really hit me when I was in the way to the airport.
I’d spent so long researching travel and destinations, that I hadn’t really thought about what it would be like to travel alone. Immediately my biggest concern was making friends and meeting people. What if I didn’t meet anyone? What if nobody else was alone? Knowing what I know now, I can say for a fact that I never needed to worry about these things. The funny thing about solo travelling is that it’s actually the most social you could ever be in your life, and it’s rare to find days where you are completed by alone! One thing I wish I could tell 18 year old self, is to be more sure of myself, and my decisions, and just because other people are doing things, it doesn’t mean they are also going to be good for you. That being said, I would also tell myself to carry on saying yes to things!
Meet some people that ask you to cancel your plans and join them on a road trip? Say yes. Want to go bunjee jumping? Say yes. Have you been offered a job on the other side of the world? Say yes.
Obviously these decisions need to be made with the correct context and safety checks. However here are two of my favourite saying that I’m always telling myself.
‘If you only stay within your comfort zone, you will never be more than you are now’
‘Most of the things you regret, are things that you don’t do!’
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