glad you’re not here - solo travelerglad you’re not here 6 discover yourself – the gap year...
TRANSCRIPT
GLADYOU’RENOTHERE
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RESULTS MAY VARY (Adisclaimer.)
ThroughoutthiseBookandonSoloTraveler,theblog,recommendationsaremadeastohowtomakesolotravelsafeandfun.Therearealsonumerousbenefitsproposedthatyou’llenjoybytravelingsolo.Naturally,resultswillvary.Everypersonandeverytravelsituationisdifferent.ThecontentofthiseBookandSoloTraveleraremeantassuggestionsonly.Yoursafety,satisfactionandfuntravelingsoloareyourresponsibilityaloneandnotthatofSoloTraveler,itspublisher,editorand/orwriters.
©2009JaniceWaugh
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Contents
No,it’snotweird.......................................................................................................................................................4
TopSevenReasonstoTravelSolo.............................................................................................................................5
DiscoverYourself–TheGapYear.............................................................................................................................6
RedefineYourself–40sand50s...............................................................................................................................8
PositiveAgeing-Seniors...........................................................................................................................................9
SoloTravelandCommunity....................................................................................................................................10
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NO, IT’S NOT WEIRD.
Theworldisinteresting.Whatcomesnaturally–what’sano-brainer–foronepersonisastruggleforanother.Forme,solotravelcamenaturally.Itraveledsoloinmy20sforonereasonandinmy50sforanother.But,whateverthereason,always,inallways,itwasagreat,growing,gratifyingexperience.
Travel+Alone≠WeirdItseemsthatsomepeoplecometomyblogonsolotraveloutofangst.Theysearchphraseslike,“isitweirdtotravelalone”.Whatasadquery.Eithertheythinkthere’ssomethingwrongwiththemforhavingthisdesireorothersaresuggestingso.I’mnotsurewhichisworse.ButIamsurethatthepressurestomeettheexpectationsoffriendsandfamilybytravelingwiththemcanbeoverwhelmingandthatithastostop.It’stimetoexpandourunderstandingofsolotravelasnotonlyalegitimatechoicebutawiseone.
Travel+Alone=toomuchforasimpleequationSolotravelhasanimpactonthepersontraveling,thosewholovethem,thosewhodon’t,theircommunity,country,theworld,theuniverse…Wellyougetit,solotravelisimportant.
It’snotthatsolotravelersdon’tlikepeople.It’snotthatwedon’tsendthe“wishyouwerehere”postcards.It’sjustthattravelingsolooffersatrulyuniqueandvaluableexperience.Thismanifestomakesthecaseforsolotravel.
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TOP SEVEN REASONS TO TRAVEL SOLO
Therearecertainaspectsofsolotravelthateveryoneenjoys-regardlessofage.AndI’mnottheonlyonewhothinksso.I’veconductedmanysurveysonsolotravel.Herearethetopsevenreasonspeoplesaythelovegoingitalone:
• Independence.Noneedtocompromise.Asasolotraveler,youcandowhatinterestsyouandyou’renotdraggedtoplacesdon’t.
• Connectingtolocalsandothertravelers.Becauseyou’renottalkingwithatravelcompanion,youaremorelikelytotalkwithlocalsandlearnhowtheylive.
• Specialtreatment.Youarelesslikelytobetreatedlikeanormaltourist.Goingsoloraisescuriosity,respect,concern,andinterestfromlocals.Theytendtogooutoftheirwaytoenhanceyourexperienceintheirhometown.
• Solitude.Youcaneasilyhaveperiodsofquiettimeforreading,painting,thinking…• Growth.Youstretchyourself,developnewskillsandoftenlearnmorebecauseit’salluptoyouto
navigatecultureandlogistics.• Thefocusistravel.Asolotripismoreaboutthedestination,culture,andhistory…thanyour
companion.• Confidence.Bytravelingalone,youdiscovernewself-confidence.
Anyoneofuscanenjoythesebenefits.But,dependingonwhatstageoflifeyou’reat,thepleasuresandbenefitsofsolotravelrunmuchdeeper.AsIalludedtoabove,whatonegainsintheir20sisquitedifferentthanintheir50s.Here’show.
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DISCOVER YOURSELF – THE GAP YEAR
Whetherit’satraditionalgapyearbetweenhighschoolanduniversity,orsimplytimeofftoexploretheworldbeforebeingsuckedintotheworldofwork,it’safabulousideatotravelasayoungadult.It’sevenbettertodoso–atleastpartofyourjourney–alone.
Agapyearisnotayearofflearning.Itisoneofintenselearning.Morelikelytobecashpoorandtimerich,youngadultstendtotakeitslowandreallyengagewiththecommunitythey’revisiting.Assoloadventurers,youngadults:
• Discoverthemselvesastheydiscovertheworld–withouttheexpectationsoffamilyandfriendswhohavedefinedthemovertheyears.
• Findthattheyarecapableofmuchmorethantheyrealizedsimplybecausetheyhadneverbeengiventheopportunitiesbefore.
• Identifywhatreallyintereststhemwithouttheinfluenceofothers.• Learnself-relianceastheybookhostels,managemoney,andnavigatecitiesalone.• Developskillsindecision-making,relationshipbuilding,communication,organization…• Gainconfidenceastheynavigatenewcities,situationsandcircumstancesthemselves.• Developtheirownopinionsonissuesastheyhavetimetolook,analyse,andreflect.• Gainmaturityastheynavigatetheworldthemselves.• Discoverthattheyactuallyliketheirowncompany.
Oh the Places You’ll Go!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.
Dr.Seussspeakingatagraduationceremony.
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DEFINE YOURSELF – 20S AND 30S
Unlessyou’vehadadrivingambitiontobeadoctor,firefighter,architectorsomeotherspecificprofession,youprobablywentthroughschooland/oruniversityinageneralarts,scienceormanagementprogram.Youareageneralist.Which,bymymeasure,isfabulous.Butwhatmanygeneralistsstrugglewithisestablishingthemselves–findingtheirnicheinsociety.Anichethatisnotonlyfulfillingpersonallybutalsofinancially.
Travelingsoloisanexceptionalopportunityforthoseattheageofestablishmentto:
• Explorenewcareeropportunitieswithouttheweightofsomeoneelse’sagenda.Tryonacareerthroughvolunteerorcontractworkandseeifitsuitsyou.
• Upgradecredentialsforthenextstepinyourcareerpathbytakingtimeforintensivecourses,self-studyprogramsoressentialreading.
• Confirmyourcommitmenttoarelationship.Ifyou’reunsureabouttakingarelationshiptothenextlevel,sometimeawaycanhelpyouunderstandwhoyouare,whotheyareandwhetheryou’reagreatfit.
• Demonstratehowcapableyouaretoyourselfandothers.Thiscanhelpyourparentswithdrawfromparentingyou.
• Getgroundedinwhoyouare.Whetherit’salasthurrahtripbeforekidsorsimplytimetoexperienceandreflect,travelingalonehelpsyoufindyou.
Alloftheabovecanbeachievedonshortaswellaslongtrips.
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REDEFINE YOURSELF – 40S AND 50S
Beinginmy50sandhavinglaunchedatravelblog,IthinkI’mparticularlyqualifiedtoaddressthesubjectofredefiningyourselfthroughsolotravel.Itdoesn’tmatterwhetheryou’resingleorinarelationship,solotravelisanenrichingexperience.Atmidlife,itcanbeevenmoreso.
Midlifeisatimeforchange.Jobsandrelationshipsmayhavelosttheirlustre.Emptynestsyndromeleavespeoplewith,well,anemptiness.Unanticipatedchangescanthrowyouforaloop.Travelingsolohelpsonethroughthesesituationslikenootherformoftravel.Bytravelingaloneyou:
• Discoverwhoyouarewhenyou’renotresponsibleforaspouseorchildren.• Returntoyourjoborrelationshipenergizedwithnewideas,experiencesanddreamstoshare.• Buildconfidenceafterlossoradivorce.• Demonstrateyouryouthfulnesstoco-workers;it’sdifficulttoseeanadventurerasold.• Reducestress,amajorcontributortohealthproblems,byrelaxingandtravelingonyourownschedule.• Savemoney.It’smucheasiertobookhostels,hospitalitystays,andgreatdealswhenyoutravelalone.• Injectchallengeintoyourlifethatmayotherwisebeonautopilot.
Solotravelistrulyrejuvenatingatmidlife.
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POSITIVE AGEING - SENIORS
Travelingsoloasaseniorhasauniquequality.Therearehealthandsafetyconsiderationsthataremoreobviousatthisstage.Seniorscanbemorevulnerable.Butitisalsoatimewhentravelingalonemaybetheonlyoptionor,witha“nowornever”attitude,atimeforadventure.Regardlessofthereasons,therearesafewaystotravelsoloasaseniorand:
• Dowhatyoucouldn’taffordordidn’thavetimetodointhepast.• Fulfilllifelongdreams.• Rediscoveryourself,youpersonalityratherthanyourroleinfamilyorcommunity.• Feelreallyuseful.Volunteerprogramsneedthelifetimeofskillsyou’vedeveloped.• Eatdessertfirst–ordoanythingelseyouwanttodothatmayhavebeenjudgedinthepast.• Travellongterm.Younowhavethetimetosettleinandenjoycommunitiesforlongerperiodsoftime.
Ifyouarewealthyrelativetothelocaleconomy,thiscanbequitepossible.
Solotraveldoesn’thavetomeanthatyouleaveyourprovince,stateorcountry.Travelsoloclosetohomeifthatiswhat’srightforyou.
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SOLO TRAVEL AND COMMUNITY
Whenyoutravelsolo,you’refocusedonallthatisnewinthemoment,notyourcompanion.Becauseofthis,peoplearemoreinclinedtotalktoyou.Theyfeeltheyhavesomethingtoofferandlessliketheywillbeinterrupting.
Andyouaremoreinclinedtotalktoothers.Youneedtoreachoutbecauseyouare,afterall,asocialbeing.
Mypointisthat,whenyoutravelsolo,youexperiencetheworldmoreintimatelythanwhenyoutravelwithacompanion.Thebenefitsforcommunitieseverywherearegreat.Everyinteractionincreasesourunderstandingofothers.Asaresult:
• Stereotypesbreakdown.• Ourcommonhumanityisshared.• Wediscoverhowsmallourdifferencesreallyare.• Ourunderstandingofotherculturesdeepens.• Ourappreciationofthechallengesfacedinothercountriesincreases.
Whenwereturnhome,webringthisnewunderstandingandspreadittofamilyandfriendstherebyincreasingharmonyinourhomecommunity.
“Travelisfataltoprejudice,bigotry,andnarrow-mindedness,andmanyofourpeopleneeditsorelyontheseaccounts.Broad,wholesome,
charitableviewsofmenandthingscannotbeacquiredbyvegetatinginonelittlecorneroftheearthallone’s
lifetime.”—MarkTwain,1857
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SOLO TRAVEL FOR EVERY ONE AND EVERYONE
Myargumentinthismanifesto,isthatsolotravelisgoodforindividualsandgoodforsociety.
Likealltravel,it’sfunandrewarding.Butitgoesdeeper.Therearebenefits,likethefreedomtofollowyourownschedulethateveryoneenjoys.Therearealsobenefitsspecifictoeverystageoflife.So,solotravelisgoodforeveryoneofus.
Butitisalsogoodforeveryone.Solotravel,bybringingusclosertoourdestination,increasesanunderstandingbetweendifferentculturesinawaythatmostotherformsoftravelcan’t.Thismakessolotravelgoodforcommunities,citiesandstates.
Now,afterwritingforeightpagesaboutthemeritsofsolotravel,Imustsaythattravelingwithacompanionisafinewaytogo.Ithasitsbenefitstoo.Butthatwasnotmypurposehere.Myobjectivewastolegitimizesolotravel.Tomakeitbetterunderstood.TostoptheGooglesearchesonwhetheritisweirdtotravelalone.Andtoencouragepeopletotaketotheroadsolo.
Ihopethat,asyou’vebeenreading,you’vealsobeenplanningyournextsoloadventure.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
TherearemanypeoplewhohavebeenreallyhelpfulinthedevelopmentofSoloTravelerandthisebook.First,mysisterDale.ShespentmanyhoursredesigningaWordpresstemplatetolookthewayIwanted.ShemadeSoloTravelerpossible.Andthen,somanymore,innoparticularorder:ElizabethMacKenzie,SusanWard,ElizabethVerwey,CarolinePius,HarryvanBommel.Thankyouallforyourfabulousguidance,supportandincrediblepatienceasIrattledonintheprocessoffiguringoutwhatIwasdoing.ThankstoKeithoftheVelvetEscape(http://velvetescape.com/blog)andEvelynatJourneywoman(http://journeywoman.com).Youhavebothbeengenerouswithyourknowledge,insightsandsupport.And,ofcourse,Mom.She’sprobablytheonlyonewhoreadsabsolutelyeverythingonSoloTraveler–evidenceofthesupportshehasprovidedmywholelife.Ok,ifyou’vereadthisfar,you’rethesentimentaltype,soI’llgoon.Thanksalsotomylatefather,whotaughtmehowtoengagetheworldwithasmileandmylatehusbandwhotaughtmetoseewonderandbeautyeverywhere.