How One Solo Trip Abroad Changed My Outlook on Life

Last summer, I booked flights for a group trip to Tokyo with some of my uni friends. It was the most expensive and exciting trip I'd ever booked, and I couldn't wait to explore Japan with my buds. Except nothing is ever quite that simple with me, is it? I had booked myself as 'Katie' instead of the name on my passport, which is 'Katherine.' Yup. We tried everything we could to fix it and get me to Japan, but that one little mistake was a deal breaker. Devastated is an understatement.

I didn't get my money back, but the booking site I used kindly gave me a £140 voucher. Cut to a few months later, fresh out of uni and wanting a much-needed break from city life, I decided to book a short solo trip to Croatia. There were three main reasons I booked that trip. To use up the bloody voucher, to get a break from London and to challenge my travel anxiety (it has always been a pretty big issue for me). I was as nervous as I was excited to get to Croatia, but soon I would realize that fucking up those flights to Japan was one of the best things that would happen to me.

As soon as I landed in Croatia (after an anxiety-free flight, I might just add) I realized I'm actually capable of so much more than I thought. I tend to pin my self as the stupid fuck up of a friend, which is fairly accurate in many cases. See above. But when I returned from the trip, I knew I wasn't actually that useless of a person. I came back with new confidence and a kind of self-belief I had never experienced.

But my new found confidence wasn't the only thing that changed in me. Returning to London and my freelance film career didn't feel right anymore. My work gradually felt less and less fulfilling with each job. Aspects of the industry I'd previously disliked were bothering me more than ever. The waste, the pollution, the normality in crew members mistreating one and other (aka I was getting sick of being talked down to). It all felt so petty and pointless. During prep for my last job in film, I cried and panicked multiple times a day over things like a prop arriving late. An important problem for the shoot, but so not worth the suffering of my mental wellbeing. Film no longer felt like a path I wanted to commit to. I wanted my time and effort to go into traveling and helping the world somehow. The trip changed my outlook on life. The people I met, the things I saw and the feelings I felt in Croatia lit a fire in me. I was reminded of how big and beautiful the world is, and I wanted to spend my time exploring it.

A very good friend of mine has been traveling around Asia alone on and off since she was 19. We both happened to move back to our stomping grounds in December last year, a crossing of paths I'm so thankful for. We re-connected, and with that came many discussions of travel, one of the many common interests of ours. Emma told me so many incredible stories from her travels, leaving me itching to flee the country. I asked her a few questions for this post, as she has a great insight into the lifestyle of solo travel.

Travelling alone at 19 sounds super daunting to me, I know I wouldn't have even considered it back then. So I wondered what made Emma go to India alone when she was just 19...

'I was technically invited, sort of. A friend from film school was like 'You should come to India!' So I did! I didn’t have a plan, but that desire to travel has always been deep, and I think I just jumped at the opportunity.'

I know why I want to go travelling, and I wondered what made Emma go travelling again and again...

'Something unexplainable. Which is a shit response, but for as long as I can remember, the desire to travel and see the world was not a question of if, but when. As for going Solo, honestly it never even crossed my mind to ask anyone in my life to come with me. I knew also that I’d meet people out there. I knew if I just did it, I’d be okay, and it would get easier – and omg, it's weird how much you get used to it. Also, you are never alone, well, you can be but you have to choose to. You can just say 'Hi' to someone sitting next to you in a hostel and an hour later they are your new best friend. I think you meet more people when you are alone, and you are more open to saying yes to things, the experiences you get from this are invaluable.'

My two solo trips away have been very short, so I wanted to know what travelling for months at a time was like...

'It is the most freeing feeling in the world. It’s also a lifestyle, and it’s honestly not a lifestyle for everyone. It is a choice and it is a commitment. It’s a dedication to immersing yourself in a country, sticking to a budget, slumming it, living in hostels, bunk beds, street food, living cheap, public transport, 10-hour bus rides in scorching heat and humidity. But you realise, it’s all worth it, and you’re not the only one doing this. It’s a constant lifestyle of balancing adventure and survival, and I love it.'

Being on the go for so many months at a time must be challenging, so I asked Emma how going away solo has affected her as a person...

'I hope this doesn’t sound too cliché, but I just feel more educated and experienced. Life is so much bigger than the day to day life I have lived most of my life. You come back and the little things seem so unimportant. You gain so many new experiences and meet so many new people that affect you. You see things you can’t even imagine. The world is a big place.'

If travelling abroad alone is something you've been considering, do it man! If you've not considered it, it could be something you'd really benefit from. Especially if the thought of it scares you. Going abroad alone helps build your confidence, social skills and teaches you so much about yourself. There is so much to explore, so different from what you're used to. So much to learn about, and learn from. When I explore somewhere new by myself, I feel immense gratitude with every vast cathedral I wander into, every clear ocean I float in and every new person I befriend. Travelling solo is a chance to do what you want, when you want to, at your own pace.

It's an addictive sense of freedom, one I think everyone should have a taste of.