I've been wanting to solo travel since I was in my early 20's but for some "random" work or personal reasons, I couldn't go. Fast forward to my late 20ās - it still did not happen. I've been traveling across the Philippines and outside the country but it's always been with family or friends. I just couldnāt brush the idea off all these years and have kept on telling myself I should at least do it once before I bid my 20ās goodbye.
5 weeks before I turned 30, I packed my bags and went on my first solo trip. I was freakinā nervous! Going on this trip means going out of my comfort zone 100%. I had a lot of questions - Will I be okay? What if something bad happens to me? Will I be able to make friends? Will I be able to talk to people? Will I make it back home alive? and the list goes on. If you know me personally, youād ask me if Iām sure about what Iām gonna do LOL Iām always so shy and timid around new people. I donāt talk unless the other person starts talking to me first and gee! I am so bad with directions. It was super scary but I know It was something that I need to do.
I can still remember how I felt while checking in and lining up at the immigration in Mactan Airport - my hands were uncontrollably shaking I could barely write anything on my departure card. My knees are as soft as spaghetti noodles, and my heart felt like it will jump out of my chest anytime. Can you imagine how anxious I was?
A quick backstory..
My last travel abroad before going solo was with a friend who also happened to be my manager. We were heading to China for a quarterly work meeting. It was her first time traveling outside the country so we decided to go to Hong Kong first for a few days before going to Beijing. We got stopped at the immigration, they took us to a room and got questioned by some immigration officers. To cut the story short, we got it sorted and we were allowed to board. Whew! We were so close to getting offloaded. Kulbaa my heart! š
I booked my tickets just two months before D-day and trust me, I researched like crazy! I will be doing things on my own so I wanted to make sure I have everything that I need. First, all the possible things that will be asked from me before departure I got them all printed and filed neatly in a plastic envelope - outward and inward plane tickets, accommodation booking confirmation, travel itinerary, and proof that I am employed (and will not go TNT when Iām already out of the country haha) like your company ID and Certificate of Employment and sometimes they'd ask for your insurance health card. I experienced this personally. Like seriously, what else do you want from me, Kuya?
I created my itinerary as detailed as possible though I know I won't be following 90% of it. I still work full-time while traveling thus my time to go out and explore will always depend on how busy I get that day. Would you believe the officer asked me where I'm going while scanning my itinerary from top to bottom like I'm having an oral exam? haha, Of course, I know it by heart since I planned it carefully but still, I was not expecting that part at all. I'll probably write another post about some tips based on the first-hand experience to avoid getting offloaded at the Philippine Immigration since I get a lot of questions related to this.
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| Fresh from a 13-hour bus ride š |
The plan was to move places on a weekend since Iāll be more flexible and donāt need to be in front of my computer all the time. I looked into other possible modes of transportation I can take aside from taking a plane ride or whether or not I can take a bus or train to move to another city and country, if I need a visa and how long I'm visa-free. So, do you think I was ready after all the research and planning? Nope. There are a lot of things that nobody will tell you about.
Southeast Asia is on top of the list as an incredibly safe place to backpack and travel even as a solo female traveler. I started in Thailand and stayed for 22 days then headed to Cambodia and Vietnam before heading back to the Philippines. I had long layovers so I still had the chance to explore Macau a bit on my way to Thailand and an almost 24-hour layover in Singapore on my way back home.
I stayed at hostels ācos numero uno, itās cheaper than staying at hotels or Airbnbās. As long as itās comfortable, clean, and safe Iām all good. Another reason is that I wanted to see if I could actually survive and meet new people there. Honestly, it wasnāt as hard as I thought it would be. Iāve met a lot of new people that are also traveling by themselves. I donāt even remember how many times I said āHi, where are you from?ā or āItās nice to meet you!ā On my first day, I was eating meals alone but the next day Iām already out exploring and partying with my newfound friends. Hearing other peopleās experiences and talking about a lot of things and common interests is truly amazing.
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| I had this dorm room in Pattaya City all to myself for 3 nights and paid just 300 PHP per night |
Iād book an all-girls room as much as possible but as I said, I donāt always follow my itinerary so Iād end up canceling the hostel bookings I made prior due to some schedule adjustments. Some other times I stayed in a mixed dorm that I paid the entire stay for (never pay for the entire stay lol lesson learned). Since people at hostels come and go, there were nights that I have the entire dorm room to myself, sometimes Iāll be the only girl left in the room along with 4 or 5 guys. It was rather slightly uncomfortable than scary and a little bit annoying when they all start snoring. Thank God for earplugs š¤
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| Songkran with Monkey Nap Hostel people |
Some days youāll be by yourself and Iām telling you, it can get lonely. Iāve read about this a lot while I was still planning my trip. Who would have thought that shit is real? I only traveled for 6 weeks but l felt that especially during meal times and I'm always like āI wish my friends were hereā LOL
At some point, I found myself downloading dating apps like Bumble and Tinder. I mean why not? Char. I am all by myself and it wouldnāt hurt to meet other people that are also traveling or meet locals or whatever as long as youāre careful. Tinder doesnāt always mean hooking up. I know it has that reputation but it will entirely depend on what your intention is haha! Come on, Iām being honest here. (Mom, I hope youāre not reading this š)
I started using those halfway through my trip and it took me three attempts to meet up with someone haha! Itās just not my thing. While I was in Phnom Pehn, I was chatting with this guy I forgot where heās from LOL he wanted to go to a local bar but I wasnāt sure if I want to meet him so I told him I bought a ticket for The Avengers midnight screening and used it as an excuse and guess what he said? "Iāll go watch the movie with you." Nabuang na ni. Unfortunately, he could no longer get a ticket so we ended up not meeting at all. Well, that went well for me š
The only person that I met up with was so into trying local foods so we met up at a night market in Cambodia. It so happens heās also heading to my next destination. I'm glad I didnāt spend my 30th birthday alone otherwise Iād cry haha but I still ended up crying because I got my phone stolen. Yes, on my freaking birthday and still got a week left before I'm heading home. Imagine being in a foreign country without a phone where you do everything - work, mobile banking, book a grab, order food and etc,? Thanks to that person wherever he is right now for taking care of me till we went on our separate ways.
That 6-week trip was "life-changing". I did so many things for the first time. I met a lot of new people. I broke out of my shell. I learned a lot of lessons. It was liberating. Things may not always go as planned and the possibility of something bad happening is always there but I'm so glad I took that trip. Out of all those people I've met, not a single one has said they regretted traveling solo. I think the only thing I regretted is not doing it sooner so if you've been thinking about traveling solo, plan that trip now and book that ticket after this pandemic. And I thank you! āŗ
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ReplyDeleteUnsa na dax? haha
DeleteThumbs up na. Haha Ako gibasa, nindot man diay ka musuwat. Nasuya kos imo travel. Hehe
DeleteHahaha wala jud ni appear ang emoji. Thank you oi! Pag travel na nya puhon mo layas c Rona š
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