I'm Ridin' Solo

What makes the perfect trip? Is it the food? The culture? Is it the welcoming smiles that greet you after a long ride or flight that whisper to your soul, that tell you it was all worth it? Immersing yourself in the local culture? Some may even say the sights that glaze across their eyeballs as they marvel at the landscapes, architecture and overall beauty of the location. Me? Well, it's quite simple. The thought of experiencing AT LEAST one major trip alone.

You see, I never had an issue with people but I've always fancied myself further along the introvert side of the spectrum. Despite this, I do enjoy time with my family and friends as we enjoy all the excursions that come as a result of our blended ideas. However, my experiences in my own life have shaped me to believe that life is only worth living if you live it unapologetically. Part of that, to me, is traveling and seeing what the world has to offer. I vividly remember those cold winter nights eating microwave dinners, Minute Maid berry punch in hand and frantically jotting down locations on a four-page front and back list of all the places I would like to travel to in my lifetime. A far cry from my humble beginnings in my small North Carolinian town.

I'm often times met with a look of bewilderment when I mention my solo trip dreams. "Don't you want to travel WITH somebody?", "WHY would you travel alone?", "WHAT will you do if it's just you?" I simply chuckle and explain that I believe that everyone should take at least one trip alone. To re-energize oneself. To finally breathe after suffocating from the myriad of problems, responsibilities and series of unfortunate events(See what I did there?) that plague the common man. To, dare I say, LIVE. I have a firm belief that doing this will ignite a fire within yourself that starts a domino effect of falling candles. Each candle lighting the end of the candle after it.

I'm fully aware that not everyone can or even want to venture into the big, bad world alone and without people to experience it with. If I'm being brutally honest here, it's rather frustrating when I go places with people only to find myself attempting to engage them, usually to no avail, in actually doing things on the trip. I boldly place my 'Motivator' hat on to persuade them to try new experiences. Only problem is, my ideas are often met with a nod in agreement mixed with opposition and five minutes later everybody having their heads buried in their phones. I love technology as much as the next person but what happened to just merely enjoying the trip without these distractions and just putting the phone down for a moment to simply enjoy the people, sights and experiences? I'm all for watching a YouTube video in my downtime after that day's events or uploading pictures of an immaculate sunset that I was lucky to witness. Things like that are living canvases that could only be described as being painted by the hands of God himself. Who wouldn't post a picture of that!? But, I will say that I absolutely refuse to be checking phone notifications every second when my dream destination is at my feet just waiting for me to fully grasp.

I've always did my own thing, even going as far as to walk into class on the the first day of school laser focused on the empty seat in the rear corner of the room. Although I don't mind people around, I recharge and thrive when I'm in my own element. I love the thought of hearing myself think, as it gives me an escape from the outside world. A solo trip to just one of those destinations I scribbled on paper years ago would be invigorating and life-changing. Excuse the cliché but I view it as "finding yourself". Waking up, doing as I please with zero interruption, not worrying about who does or doesn't want to do a specific activity. A chilly cruise to Antarctica would be my dream solo trip. Can you imagine being on a boat and waking up to a blanket of snow and ice as your eyes witness life on the coldest place on planet Earth? The thought of traveling to Antarctica sends chills up my spine(no pun intended). My introvert soul is enthralled with the idea of venturing out into the unknown on a solo trip to realign my focus, dreams and aspirations. Covid-19 is still a thing so these plans will obviously be on hold for the foreseeable future. I look forward to the moment where the skies part to offer a glimmer of hope at being able to travel without restrictions. It's nothing personal towards people I have met, will meet or currently have in my life. I just stand firm and confident in my beliefs that you won't truly know yourself unless you have had a moment in your own company. Yes, that means doing a bit of solo travel. Although a tragic moment in recent human history to say the least, Covid-19 has made me realize that the reality we wake up to today could be completely different than the one we wake up to tomorrow.

It will not only be a dream but a mission to go out into the chilly waters of the Antarctic with the thought of the unknown lingering in my congested thoughts. A sense of purpose, I'm hoping, creeping over me like a cloud of positivity and completeness never felt before in my almost 28 years of life. I truly believe a trip of this caliber is what I need to complete myself. To provide a positive memory in my mental archives to distract from my otherwise difficult twenties. Finally, I will have a moment to myself uninterrupted. To be at peace. My hope is that one day I will not only get to see this breath-taking continent, but also come back home a better version of the man I was before I left. Standing on the continent that contains the southernmost point in the entire world is enough to reignite my flame. Nothing is impossible, and you can't say the sky is the limit when there have been men on the moon. For now, I will have to settle for looking at Antarctica on a map. I will continue to plan, continue to hope but more importantly, continue to smile at that with no hesitation. After all, if you happen to look at it on a map the only place to go from there is up.