Points To Consider If You Plan For A Solo Trip

Travelling is exploring the world that Allah (s.w.t) has blessed us with. To also appreciate the beauty of the different countries, the different people and the different terrains that this world holds. Travelling allows us to open up and look beyond what is familiar to us, to explore a different life that we never could have imagined on our own. It benefits us by opening our senses and widening our perspectives. Therefore, we should all strive to travel the world. However, have you even thought of travelling on your own?

Travelling solo sounds a little daunting but it is possible, if you put your mind to it.

The first thing that you must realize when you are travelling alone is (the obvious) : you are alone. This means that you have no one else to depend on but yourself. You are not expected to be responsible for anyone else or have to answer to anyone. This is your journey, and you make your own decisions. This is what most people have trouble with. It is having a lack of company. But in reality, sometimes we have to be able to be our own company. We need to be able to hang out with ourselves and reflect. We need to be able to compose our thoughts, look through our choices and think for ourselves without any outside influence.

A great part of travelling on your own is that you get to discover yourself. You gain the ability to find yourself in a different setting. You get to know yourself even more than you thought. Travelling alone is like a journey to self-discovery. You are more aware and observant of yourself. This will help you with a lot of things down the line. With self-awareness, you gain perspective and from that, you understand your prioritizes and goals much better.

You also learn how to treat others around you and to be more open and less judgemental. Self-love is incredibly important. A factor that many people do not focus on sometimes. But learning to love yourself and learning about yourself will help you. It will help you to be kind to others, it will help you to be kind to yourself.

Now that we have covered one of the reasons why you might want to consider travelling alone : we also have to cover the things that you need to know before you go through with it.

Travelling alone does not need to be extravagant, lavish and expensive (unless you want it to). Travelling alone can very much be budget-friendly. But with this being said, do not stretch yourself to thin. You need to remember that you are on foreign land and that you may get into trouble if you find yourself travelling without enough cash.

Therefore, it is important that you double-check your finances and only pay for what you can afford. Some countries have a quota as to how much money you need before entering the country. So be sure to do your research. Do your research on the countries’s currency and the exchange rate. Be sure you know how things are priced in that country.

Another thing that you have to be reminded of when travelling alone is that you have no backup. This refers to crime. Pick-pocking is very common in highly dense and commonly travelled cities : such as Paris, Rome, London etc. Therefore, when you are travelling alone, you have no one to look after you.

You have to be completely aware of your belongings. You need to be agile and focused with your belongings. Keep them close to you and always be aware of them being on you. Pick-pockets are getting smarter and more creative with their methods, so be one step ahead of them.

All in all, travelling alone (just like any other activity) has its pros and cons. But it is something worth considering if you are looking for a getaway from your stressful busy lives. But just make sure that you are prepared to take on the challenge.

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Article is written by: 

Fatin Najwa binti Daud, is a medical student studying at IMU Malaysia. She is a freelance writer of this blog at Zaahara. Interests include music, art, sports and travel.

-Photos are taken from google images

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