Can we confidently say that COVID is behind us? Well, it may or may not be, but, in its wake, it’s left behind a thought with me – a thought that I’ve religiously been applying myself to.

And the thought is that life is WAY too short to wait for ‘someday’ to execute our plans. Like Shah Rukh Khan famously says, “Kya pata kal Ho na Ho?”, it’s become a reality ever since the pandemic struck us.

All the grand plans I’d been making for myself for that mythical ‘someday’, I’m executing them rapidly now. A big part of that plan has always been solo travel.

While I’ve been travelling solo for several years, it’s still been intermittent. But post COVID, I’m trying to do at least two solo trips in a year.

And my lessons from my previous travels too motivate me to keep going. Can I share what these lessons are? Or, at least, what the top three are??

Humanity Exists

Women are brought up to believe that the world is a dangerous place. That they are better off within the confines of their homes, or only when accompanied by men.

I have rebelled against this for as long as I remember. The world is only as bad or as good as we want it to be. In all my solo travels, I have been treated with curiosity (sure) but also with awe & respect.

Strangers have directed me to the right paths & helped me with translations. And I’ve tried to do the same to the best of my ability. Despite being an introvert, I have got into more conversations with strangers when traveling alone, than when in company.

I have felt freer on my journeys alone. More introspective. More at peace! And I wish more girls experience these moments of exhilaration for themselves.

Make Your Own Packing Checklist

I’ve read so many, many articles & posts on what I ‘must’ pack for my trips. But, honestly, most of these lists are overkills. Or, at least for me, they’re!

I certainly don’t need packing cubes, power banks etc when I travel. I don’t even need the dozens of apps that are supposedly ‘compulsory’ for solo female travellers.

I’m not dismissing these lists; just saying that everybody’s their own preferences & therefore, they must come up with their own checklists, based on trial & error.

No Need to Do-It-All

I love sightseeing. I’m not the kind of person who can go to one resort & lounge away my days by the pool there. But, even when I travel solo & pack my days with sights & experiences, I take out some time to unwind.

To maybe sit in a café & read a book. Or enjoy a drink in a bar while listening to live music. Or walk around a park. These moments of calm help me recharge my batteries & get me going on another sightseeing spree.

And TBH, I don’t feel guilty about listening to my body!

Have you learnt anything from solo traveling? Love to hear!

Read my other post on solo female travel – A Girl Who Travels .