Brit lost in Melbourne: What i've learnt by traveling solo

A couple of years ago today I remember waving my twin sister goodbye as she went off for her travels round Thailand. She was 18 and flying to a country she had never been to before, all by herself. People asked “Why aren’t you going with her?”,  “Don’t’ you want to go?” and in all honesty this seemed like my idea of hell. I was envious of her confidence and her drive to push self boundaries to get out of her comfort zone – this was a skill I lacked and I hated myself for it.

Something had to change; I needed a shift in my life. I was tired of the monotony and the cycle of old patterns.

I was tired of coming across as shy and nervous. I’m none of these things, I’m an introvert. I have aspirations and dreams too but I struggle to push myself. I class myself as an introvert with outgoing qualities.

I needed a new beginning. It was as if I had outgrown my skin and suddenly had this overpowering feeling of confidence in myself.

I recently moved over to Melbourne on my own. When I informed my friends and family they were nothing but pleased and excited for me, their positive energy took all my anxious feelings away which I am grateful for. For them, flying on my own, finding my own bearings in a new city and meeting/traveling with new people is something they never saw coming – I’m the person who struggles to order a takeaway on the phone as I’m worried I won’t be able to understand them and make a fool out of myself. Moving away and traveling on my own has been one of the most rewarding experiences and here's what I've learnt so far:

Conversation isn’t dead

Meeting new people can be daunting and naturally we are drawn to a comfort spot; our phones, which in reality is slightly embarrassing. I've learnt to leave my UK life in the UK and embrace my new own in Australia. It's so easy to be distracted by things that are going on at home. Put your f*cking phone away. Enough said.

Comfort isn’t everything

When you travel, you’ll most likely have some peculiar nights in strange places, where the beds are questionable, the scents are foreign or you end up spooning with 29 cockroaches when you wish it was your significant  other.

That will sometimes leave you feeling lost and alone.

But, in my experience, once you let yourself go for the first time there’s no better feeling than coming back to your previous comfort zone with new eyes and a more refined appreciation for it. You may even find you’ve grown out of it.

You become more independent

I've become independent; I've learnt how to use a map, navigate the different cities’ public transportation, and I have to pay better attention to my surroundings.

There is such a satisfying feeling of accomplishment that comes along with being able to navigate a new and foreign place, especially when you do it alone.

 You become more observant

Normally, on trips, you spend a lot of time talking with your travel companions; whether it is a friend/family member or significant other and you put your attention on them. I am always putting people before me and I love to see people happy, meaning I put their ideas forward before my own, even if it’s something I would prefer not to do. On your own you don’t have an interference of others; all of your focus is on your surroundings, as it should be.

Wonderful things happen when you are free from distractions; you see things you might have missed before, you can take things at your own pace or you meet new people.

You are free to take this new place in with all of your senses. When you travel alone, it might be the first time you’re seeing the world and actually seeing it.

People are generally good.

The world is, at times, a sh*tty place, and humans appear to suck more often than they don’t.

One thing you’ll learn when you step outside of your comfort zone, is that for the most part, society is a refreshingly classy act and being alone should not be seen as jeopardy. I recently pushed my comfort zone and traveled with people who I had never met before. At first it was daunting and I was nervous but I had the most amazing time and loved every second!

Treat Yourself

Your 20s are a time of frugality and like me, most of us are students. You probably don’t have a real job; more than likely, your refrigerator is broken, you have mice in your crappy little studio room (I do) and your rent is getting to be a little too much. You might have to live like this in your everyday life, but you should treat your trip alone like the celebratory event that it is!

Splurge on a fancy (or by fancy I mean something other than student budget hostel, we’re not millionaires just yet) hotel. Treat yourself to a luxurious dinner; order an alcoholic drink instead of water; try to make it like the vacation you deserve.

Luckily, there is no one there with you to say, “This restaurant looks too expensive,” or “maybe we should spend this on other things”. What I’ve learnt is too not live in a massive black hole of money worries. In the past it has caused me a lot of unneeded stress – if it makes you happy then bloody go for it! Happiness is not eating rice and soup for 6 months and watching your flatmates go out for an amazing yet cheap dinner – I have learnt this. You have the rest of your life to worry about finances, be selfish when you can!

I'm sure we've all heard those typical, (yet true) travel cliches about how we've find ourselves or enjoyed embracing the unknown so I've concluded on what I think travel is to me. 

Travel is the butterflies in my stomach from the mix of nervousness and excitement that I feel while passing through the airport gate about the head to the other side of the world, embarking on the unknown. 

Travel is about meeting new people. Introducing myself to a guy in the Heathrow airport because he was wearing a hoodie with a logo from a university in my home town – just because I was sh*t scared about getting on a flight on my own

Travel is making new friends from Australia and finding myself saying the Australian lingo way too often. 

Travel is the culture shock I experience as I arrive to the overwhelming heat of Bangkok and experience the dusty, dirt roads in my first tuk-tuk ride. Travel is seeing the locals ride their mopeds with 5 children hanging off the back, with no helmets!

Travel is visiting the local village where these children live only to be stunned and heartbroken by the conditions — the piles of trash and the walls of their homes are made from debris and old doors.

Travel is eating fried insects from a street stall and realizing they’re not so bad.

Travel is riding in a taxi in Marrakesh and fearing for my life when I realize there are no lines or lanes on the roads and traffic goes in both directions.

Travel is just being in the moment.  Travel is a transition. Travel is a doorway to a new beginning.

Georgia x

(Me on top of a sand dune in Mungo National Park - for more pictures check out my instagram @georgiiasheehan)