SOLO Revelations

Some of my friends shared that they would never enjoy solo travelling because

they feel lonely being by themselves
they do not feel safe being alone in a place away from home
they'd rather share common experiences with people they know

While this made me wonder if I'm less sociable hehehe :x convos with people about my travels made me think more deeply about what I find attractive about them. Currently, I believe it's the places themselves! They called out to me and I merely responded with a 'yes' :) I jotted down some thoughts on my calendar, and I'm here to document those revelations digitally!

I have both positive thoughts and less positive ones! And some remind me of my revelations in this post where I shared some thoughts to conclude Solo 1.0. I'm still discovering so they are definitely prone to evolution hehe. For now, I'm gonna type what I have and organise them as I go along.

First

The greatest thing about travelling solo is spontaneity - using my instincts to navigate the social and physical environment with the limited resources I have. The feeling of making impromptu/spontaneous decisions on the spot while not having the best knowledge of anything is unsettling yet thrilling and somehow comforting. This is something I have yet to comprehend in myself.

For example, I definitely felt unsettled when I paid for a return trip from Gili Air > Airport through a tout. They promised a public boat trip from the island to the harbor & and a bus ride from the harbor to the airport. While they had a proper storefront at the harbour, and I was willing to take the price they offered at 25SGD, it reminded me of the stories of similar experiences that turned out to be scams. #TheMoreWeKnowXDXD This is triggered by my realisation that they did not give me a physical ticket for the boat - how would I know where to find them? To de-escalate this anxiety, I approached the ticketing counter on the island on my second or third day and verified that they do recognise the company and will be issuing the tickets to me when i depart. This helped me feel much settled hahaha. Although a Singaporean guy I met on the VAN towards the airport told me he got his tickets at 9SGD (he is knowledgeable of the market rate), I felt assured that all's gonna be safe - we just have to be aware of our belongings - to remember to take everything with us when we transit to places esp if we leave our things with them because it is going to be a hassle to reconnect. This $highball experience was a manageable one - and now we all know the market rate ah HEHE

My ability to dance with the world's uncertainties with some of my instincts has led me to places, friendships, and wonder about the world - here's giving thanks to it and with sincere hope it continues to fuel whatever that's inside me.

Second

The next thing about solo travelling was the feeling of taking my own pace for everything. And, when I say my own pace, I mean a very slow pace hehe. I love to just 'be'. Be walking by the sea with no thoughts and head empty, be intrigued by the critters in the water, and be immersed in the sounds of dead corals as the waves brought them clashing against one another. There is neither a sense of obligation that I have to comment about [this very moment] to fill potential silences, nor create or sustain conversations with anyone I know sharing the experience, other than gentle nods and simple greetings to acknowledge others I see along the way. And, I think this is [me-time] for me - just being mindful of what my senses choose to tune into, and make whatever decisions I want and being accountable to me myself and i,while being considerate of the social and physical world I am in.

Third

Solo travelling to me, is beyond basking in me-time. It is also an invitation to connect with the people of the unfamiliar land I have decided to set foot on. I enjoy viewing the land through the lenses of the locals and other travellers through small conversations. While most of these interactions and relationships might not make it past the end of the brief encounter, it is still a pleasant interaction - where in SG would I dare to do this without fearing judgement hehe. For example, I felt like an extrovert when I chatted with the people I met along the way in Canada, greeted the locals on Gili Air pagi and malam, made eye-contact and smiled to acknowledge people I brushed past. Then,,, the moment I touch down on the singaporean ground, I'm back into my old comfortable shell :x Ok I tried smiling at people who are not service people but I felt awkward and conscious. Here's keeping my smiles and nods to appreciate service people like bus captains and cleaners hehe #It'sAMeProblem

Fourth

Apart from material safety (money, possessions), it will be physical safety for me. Being a foreigner means I might not have any connections and knowledge about the language or practices. I felt uneasy on Gili Air when someone commented "Ah, Singapore has a strong currency" when I replied the most common question of "Where are you from". I denied the statement and scurried gracefully away from the person HAHAHA Next time, I might just say I'm a Malaysian heh #noPrideNeeded:)

Then, there are also the 'what-ifs'. I'm fortunate that I'm not yet the breadwinner or caregiver of anyone but I'm conscious that I'm also a daughter and a sister and a friend to people who will be affected if I were to be caught in any mishap. While I gave the information about all of my financial assets to my sister, I wonder how many more years I have to feel so young and wild and free. It can be a selfish move, but I just want to experience the world while I can.

---

Work is starting and I only have 13/4 days of leave + 1 singles' day weee TT.TT Current plans for next year include Tasmania with Candelyn in Mar/Apr and Mount Kinabalu with Emerson and our friends in June! If I have a longer break in 2025, my plan is to solo Switzerland (visit Naomi and try Wwoofing there), if not, it will be Japan (for ghibi, snow monkeys, fuji and capybaras!)! I might fit Fitz Roy somewhere in the future too (though i only discovered the stunning mountain yesterday hehe)