Emma Clarendon reflects on her experiences of travelling solo…
I remember well the moment that I decided to take a chance and go and explore the world by myself. It was at a time that I wanted see more of the world but didn’t have the opportunity of taking a gap year – plus I wasn’t quite brave enough to go backpacking by myself!
It was suggested to me that I book a cruise – all the creature comforts of a hotel but a way in which to see a variety of places in one week. That first trip I visited Greece and since then I have visited Italy, France and Croatia as part of a cruise trip. That was it – I was completely hooked to not only going on cruises but also for travelling by myself.
It may sound selfish, but I loved the things that I discovered about myself along the way as well as learning how to deal with situations when they don’t go according to plan (which is something that I have never been able to deal with). I loved the independence and meeting people along the way – it really helped me to connect to the world in a different way and that life is about unexpected surprises. I’m guilty of thinking about work the whole time and travelling helps me to realise there is more to life than that.
I then decided in 2023 that in 2024 I would take my biggest trip to date: visiting the U.S.A and Canada by myself. I was worried about this trip as I was so far away from family and friends and as a country it was one of the biggest I had visited. The trip included a two day stay in New York which excited me and then wondering around the city as much as it made me nervous (getting out of JFK turned out to be the most stressful part…) was also so exhilarating – travelling solo means that you get to experience these places and get your own perspective on them.
As much as I enjoyed going on cruises, I wanted to experience a city for itself for a few days to see how I would cope with this, again I wanted to push myself a little bit more (yet still having the creature comforts I adore…I really will never be a backpacking type of traveller!). So I decided for my birthday I would go to Prague, stay in a hotel and visit all of the sights there while celebrating my birthday by myself. Yes, it sounds lonely but I genuinely enjoyed myself and I still felt able to experience it with those closest to me as I shared what I had been up to with them on a regular basis – I then followed this trip up with an exquisite trip to Vienna.
Have all of my trips gone according to plan? Absolutely not but that is one of the joys of travelling: it is a reminder that life isn’t perfect and we should just simply go along with whatever comes our way – its exciting, exhilarating and yes scary but being a solo traveller has helped me realise that this is what life is all about.
If you have never travelled abroad by yourself, I can highly recommend it and I’m constantly thinking about my next trip away! Travelling solo has helped me in so many ways and I can’t wait to see where I end up next.
By Emma Clarendon