One of the hardest things about travel is actually biting the bullet and deciding to go, especially if you are planning to do it alone. It takes bravery to leave behind everything and everyone you know to head into the unknown, and for some that obstacle is too hard to overcome.
When I decided to backpack through South East Asia I initially wanted to travel with friends, but the time I wanted to go didn’t suit anyone else, they had either just been travelling or had jobs they couldn’t leave and so I was left with the choice of either not going or going alone. It wasn’t much of a decision really, I wanted to go and nothing was going to stop me, but that didn’t make it feel less scary. As my departure date got closer I was terrified and couldn’t think about my trip without a huge sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I was really sad to leave behind my family and friends and really worried about what was waiting for me on the other end. It helped to do lots of research and planning but I still had an awful fear of the trip going wrong. The fear didn’t subside until I left the airport in my first destination, Singapore, when I realised that I had arrived in an exciting city that was similar to other big cities and not the scary place I had worried about. With every day of my trip the fear ebbed away, it came back briefly each time I moved to a new destination but after a few weeks my confidence grew and I realised that fear is just a natural reaction to change and in fact I was really pleased that I was undertaking this adventure alone.
‘The fear’ never really goes away, I’ve traveled many times on my own and know from my experience that the initial upheaval of leaving home is worth it but that doesn’t stop the feeling creeping back every time I decide to undertake a new adventure. I’m struggling a little with this at the moment as I am currently planning a couple of solo adventures and it’s making me feel scared and teary about packing up and leaving behind a life that makes me happy, but the feeling of wanderlust is stronger so I’m doing it and I know that the second I arrive in my first destination it will be totally worth it. I’m determined to live the life that I’ve dreamed of, and I won’t let fear stand in my way.
The best advice I can give to anyone letting ‘The fear’ stand in their way is to remember that you can always come home. If your trip really is awful or you are missing home too much there is nothing stopping you from coming back, but go in the first place and see! It’s so easy to talk yourself out of travel, ‘it’s the wrong time in my life’, ‘I can’t leave my job’, ‘I will go next year’ ‘I will miss out on things at home’, ‘I can’t afford it’, ‘travel is dangerous’, but none of these things are genuine obstacles it’s ‘The fear’ talking. So focus on talking yourself into things, don’t miss out on fantastic opportunities because it’s scary... nothing worth doing is easy. And believe me, it’s worth doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment