Traveling alone is probably the best thing I decided to do with my time. Why? Because it is scary and awesome and totally out of my comfort zone and something I would recommend to anybody.

So what have I learned so far?

1. When you travel alone (especially around a country where they don’t really speak much English) you learn to be quiet. We’re not quiet a lot these days if you think about it. I realized that most of my days I don’t have conversations, aside from Whatsapp with people at home. Sometimes we just don’t need speaking as much as we think we do. It is also pretty amazing how much you can communicate with people without a common language.
2. I am used to doing things alone at home, but eating is one of the things I definitely enjoy more in good company. But traveling alone you just have to eat alone, no matter how much I tried avoiding it at the beginning. It was one of the more stressful things for me and still is. I am still not at a point where I would go for a romantic dinner by myself, but slowly getting there. 🙂
3. Traveling alone builds character. At one point you realize you are more capable, brave and resourceful than you thought you were – both physically and psychically. Because you don’t have anybody else to rely on but yourself (and if we’re being completely honest – google). And saying this – I had a complete breakdown on my second day in Asia, and I got through it.
4. You stop caring about what people think. Or better – you stop overthinking it. Do I look weird being short little me with the biggest backpack on a metro full of Koreans? Probably.  Do I care? Not really. Not as I did on my first day when I landed in Hong Kong.
5. You learn to be more communicative. Would I ever start talking to somebody in the middle of my hike in Slovenia? Probably not. I would not have a need to do it. But here, if you want some company, you have to go and get it.
6. You start appreciating some things more – hot water, shampoo, electricity, clean clothes, privacy. While traveling you cannot really take any of this for granted. And don’t even get me started on what I wouldn’t do right now to get some home-made pasta.
7. And while you appreciate some things more, you care for stuff less. Do I like my clothes? Yes. Would I throw them away this instant if I thought I didn’t need them somewhere along the way? Also a very big yes. Pack only what you are able to carry, most of the things you can buy as you go.
8. Sooner or later you realize that there are a lot of people traveling alone. You realize it is not really a big deal. Most of my roommates were solo travelers. The next thing you realize is that majority of them are women, at least from what I’ve seen in Korea. So whatever you’re going through being alone, there are tons of people going through very similar stuff not that far away from you.
9. You realize you can be a pretty good company for yourself. Which is not the worst thing to realize. Most of the days it is just you and your thoughts. Which also forces you to be kinder to yourself and not expect too much in every single situation every single day.
10. There are nice people everywhere. Almost every single person I’ve met while traveling was kind and helpful. That is also a very good realization and something we tend to forget at home or at work. Some people are really nice, without a hidden agenda.

That’s it for now. Very motivational post for a change. 🙂