During my first solo trip in Bali, I had some moments of realisation about myself. I have found this can happen when you take yourself to a different country alone. So, I thought I would share the 5 things I learnt about myself as a solo traveller. Some may be obvious, but others have just recently come to light for me.
1. Fuel Yourself
First and most importantly, I learnt the hard way that it is extremely crucial to eat and stay hydrated during your travels, especially as a solo traveller. When I first landed in Bali, I was so eager to get out and explore that I didn’t stop to check in with myself. Because I didn’t realise I was so hungry, my patience levels started to drop when I had the slightest trouble installing my eSIM and overwhelm quickly consumed me.
From my experience, no matter how excited you are to get out and explore, stop and check in with yourself – always listen to your body. This will help you to have the energy needed for travelling!
2. Hiking Is Cool
At home (Australia) I have gone on bush walks here and there, but nothing super hard where I thought “hmm I don’t know if I can do this.” Well, that soon changed.
While I was in Bali I did the sunrise hike up Mount Batur. I like to think I’m quite a physically fit human. So, when I signed up, I was really excited. Little did I know I would be hiking up steep and rocky trails at 4 o’clock in the morning. The way I was trying to catch my breath after every 10 metres was really scary to me – especially when your guide says there’s still 1 hour to go!
In saying that, hiking challenged me in a way where afterwards I felt so grateful for my body and what it is capable of – I like that feeling.
3. Meeting New People Isn’t Scary
When I travel, I love to book hostels. First of all, they’re budget friendly, but I also enjoy meeting new people and hearing their stories. However, as a well known shy girl, this was one thing I was nervous about when solo travelling.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about. It always depends on the hostel (whether it has a more social or quiet vibe) but in Bali, everyone was super friendly! For example, on one occasion, I had just arrived at my hostel in Uluwatu. I sat my bags down when I was asked if I wanted hang out that night.
Making conversation becomes easy too when you meet people from other countries and share past adventures.
4. A Little Introverted
Although, I enjoy meeting new people, I also need time alone to recharge.
As an introvert, I find by the end of one week of staying in hostels I begin to feel drained. Therefore, I recommend alternating accommodation if you can (some hostels, some hotels). This way, you can reset instead of looking antisocial when trying to be by yourself in a 6-bed hostel room – that makes things awkward.
5. I Can Do Hard Things
When you solo travel, you have no choice but to figure it out for yourself. Figure out maps, where to eat, what to do, how to get from A to B. It can be exhausting relying on yourself. However, it builds independence and strong decision making which are undoubtedly great skills to have.
Solo travel made me realise I can do hard things, because each time I faced something hard, I got through it and it was okay.
Let me know in the comments below, what have you learnt about yourself as a result of solo travel? What surprised you?
Like this post? Check out another one here >>> https://travellikeagirl.blog/top-10-things-to-do-in-bali/
Leave a Reply