the art of travelling, alone

i have never before in my life gone on a holiday on my own,
apart from my flying days with SQ which is hardly a holiday.

it started out as a trip planned with another friend,
however due to unforseen circumstances,
i ended up having to travel alone. (since i had already booked my tickets)

and i have to say that it is not that easy to be exploring a city on your own.
much less travelling on your own.
i reckon one of the reason why people travel with their partner/friends is that there is someone who is going to be in the same boat as you. if you get lost, there is someone who is lost with you. if you have seen the most gorgeous view, there is someone next to you who is sharing the same majestic moment with you. that is the beauty i believe in travelling with people.
i have to admit that i was feeling a little apprehensive about the trip because i knew there was nobody to depend on and to get lost together. (i really hate getting lost, it terrifies me)
the bottom line was: i never thought that i was capable of going somewhere foreign on my own and i secretly was envious of the individuals that were able to do it.

on hindsight, i am glad that i did the trip.
i met the most amazing people on the trip, mostly much older folks who had interesting stories to tell. having no companion on the trip forces me to step out of the familiarity and mingle with others. it is not like i am anti social or anything, but there are times (many times in fact) that i don't take an effort to talk to a stranger because i know that i won't see him/her again (so what is the point?) what i have learnt is that human beings are social creatures, even if the rare few don't look like it. hence, if one individual is able to make the first step (which is the most difficult), most people are actually willing to share their stories and have a chat. yes, i admit that at times it might not be the most interesting, amusing, mind blowing, stimulating, profound conversation, and that there are possibilities of the silent pauses where you search frantically in your mind for a topic to fill in that awkwardness, i am fortunate enough that on this trip there was none.

my housemate believes that there is always a reason why you meet certain individuals in your life. some just for a spilt second, some of a while, others for life. i got to admit that this trip have made me a tad more inclined towards this optimistic belief. (i am a pessimist, some call it realist) this is not a life changing experience, though it sounds dangerously like one.
it was just an awesome travel experience that rejuvenated my zest for life, and beliefs in notions such as friendship and relationship and travelling.
afterall, that is what a purpose of a holiday is afterall, to mull over the past and recharge for the future, to rediscover a tiny part of yourself and to realise that the world is such a big place.

the art of travelling alone: i have only just started to take this small but big step to discover, see and understand the world in a different way.