I celebrated this year’s Women’s Day in Bali on my first solo holiday. I have travelled a lot on work but never on holiday. Holidays were always spent with my husband of 26 years and/or children. This holiday was a very liberating and truly rejuvenating experience! It was so refreshing to get up in the morning and not having to consult with anyone on what I wanted to do. No consensus, no discussion, no process of elimination; just get up and do it. It was a big tick off my bucket list.
Bali was the ideal destination – safe, friendly local people, heaps of culture, breathtaking scenery, very affordable, delectable cuisine, amazing spas and last but not the least, a shopper’s paradise.
I experienced three different spa treatments, learnt how to rustle up some Indonesian cuisine in a cooking class, shopped to my heart’s content, watched local dance shows and essentially had seven nights of ‘me’ time. Sheer bliss! Ladies, especially those of you who are married with children, go solo, you will come back a new person. – Vidhya Michael
I have travelled to nine countries and I still can’t believe I did it alone. Travelling solo is thrilling and a rewarding experience. To travel alone was not as bad as others say, though it takes courage and perseverance.
The most unforgettable trip I had was when I went to Europe. I visited Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Zermatt in Switzerland, and Milan and Rome in Italy.
My journey helped me to become a stronger and more confident woman. I learned to trust my own decisions and take full responsibility for my travels. – Desiree Bimmoy
Travelling solo can be extremely liberating. Man or woman, young or old, rich or poor, each one of us should make a solo trip at least once in life. Such solo trips end up becoming the fondest and most treasured memories of life.
My most memorable solo trip was to London. It is a vibrant city, well-designed and extremely tourist-friendly.
The best part of a solo trip is the pre-planning, the anxiety associated with grabbing the best deals for flight and accommodation bookings.
My solo trip was even more special because it was a reunion with my old college friends. A dream come true in every way. Travelling solo is also an invaluable learning experience. I not only learnt about the rich culture and heritage of the swinging city but also got enriched with a sense of responsibility and being cautious while travelling alone. It taught me to blend enjoyment with a sense of being safe and secure. I cannot thank my family enough for letting me do the solo trip to London. And a million thanks to my buddies, without whom the trip could not have happened. – Rajini Sachin
Travelling alone makes you discover your inner self. I love going on solo road trips with my trusted and battered bike to the Western Ghats in India. I travel light, but I make sure I carry a good book and a camera during all my trips. It helps you think in silence away from the usual cacophony of modern life. I have met wonderful people, experienced a myriad of cultures, photographed nature at its silent best, and have always come back wonderfully refreshed. Solo travelling makes you realize that little things in life are what that matter the most. – Vamsi Chaitanya Varma
While pursuing architecture, I’ve been to many study tours and travelled a lot in groups but after my graduation I decided to go on a holiday alone to Kashmir.
Everyone opposed this idea, considering Kashmir not being the safest place, but I wanted to see Kashmir, I wanted to see what heaven looked like and I wanted to do it on my own with complete freedom and no compromises usually made because of the group.
I strongly believe that to have a proper experience you have to live like a local and that was my plan for coming week. My excitement knew no bounds when I landed in Srinagar. I had a proper itinerary and bookings made accordingly, now was the time to put plan in action. I explored the local market, relishing the Kashmiri food, shopping and just wandering around observing people and their lifestyle because that’s the fun of solo travelling, you make your own decisions. My next stops were the Dal Lake boat house, exploring the snowy mountains in Gulmarg and seeing Sonamarg’s greenery and waterfalls.
Everything was so perfect, the morning walks to the lake, sightseeing or the evening strolls every moment was a joy in itself and the fact that it was my holiday made it more blissful, doing everything I want and not worrying about other’s plans. While solo travelling it’s your decision to pause in a place, feel the surroundings and listen to things you usually miss in other’s company. So the two things I learnt from that experience are there is nothing more soul-satisfying than solo travelling and Kashmir is truly heaven on earth. After that trip I’ve been travelling alone a lot. It gives me happiness and I feel content in life. – Shimaila Moquddam
Getting a US visa is hard and is took me years to get one. Once I got it, traveled there alone. After few days stay with my relatives, I alone again flew to San Francisco to meet my best friend from high school after 35 years. I felt so nervous but excited as I have to take the “red eye” flight.
I have gained my confidence and wisdom with the determination if ever I have to travel alone again. And as I flew back to Dubai after 10 days, I have surely “not left my heart” as I have taken all the memories I will dearly keep and treasure. – Ma Teresa Sanchez Edpan
I come from a protected home environment and being one of the two girls at home, we were constantly under the prying eyes of our parents and therefore travelling alone was something we had not ventured into. Then came the turn in my life when I was married “off” to this wonderful person in the Gulf and had to make my trip as a new bride to Dubai.
I remember the lonely flight journey from Bangalore to Dubai not knowing what to expect. I was terrified as I had no idea of the place, people, culture, rules, dos and don’ts. That journey, which lasted for three and a half hours, was one of the longest one undertaken.
Today when I look back at the journey that I embarked upon all alone with anxiety and fear, I am convinced that it was the best thing that happened to me as it surrounded me with a loving family, great friends and a comfortable life in a new place. – Lini Shivaprasad
My solo travel experience dates back when I appeared for my 10th Standard Exams and was awaiting the results. There was a long vacation and my father had gone to Ahmedabad for an audit. I also wanted to go there to see the historical and a big city. I had stayed in a small city for most of my life. My mother opposed the idea as she dreaded my travelling alone but because of the support of my father I embarked upon the journey. I boarded the train, which took two days to reach the city.
At that time there were not mobiles, so I called my father from a STD booth. My father informed me that a Jeep had been arranged and was on the way.
I was looking at new things outside the station, the hustle and bustle on the road and the “Shaking Minarets” across the station. But suddenly the scenario changed – people started running here and there in panic. All the shopkeepers started downing their shutters. I was greatly troubled by this. I asked a passerby and he shouted that riots have broken out and yelled at me to run away.
I ran for about a kilometre and jumped over a wall to find myself in a burial ground. But I thought at that moment that dead people are better than the living who are killing each other. The noise and the fire and people shouting went on for two hours and after that it was dead silence with only police sirens being heard. It was dark and I was tired and I fell asleep on a grave.
The next morning when I woke up, I touched the grave with reverence as it had saved my life. People are afraid of graveyards and graves but here they were my saviours. I mustered courage, came out and called my home. The caretaker told me that my father was at the police station trying to locate me throughout the night. But the news reached him and soon he came to pick me up and embraced me, that embrace was a memorable one both for my father and me. – Kovid Ranjan
How can I ever forget that day?
It was so memorable for me to begin with, my son surprised me with an Emirates ticket, business class all the way from Dubai to Chicago. He said, ‘Mum, you are travelling alone for the first time to meet me, I want you to be treated like a princess all the way to Chicago’.
I was so enthralled and looked forward to the travel. When I boarded the flight, I was surprised to step into an environment that had been enhanced for flying enjoyment.
I was greeted very politely by the cabin crew and before I knew my bags were whisked away into the overhead cabin, something that I had never experienced before. With calm LED mood lighting I sank into relaxation while enjoying a cocktail and a selection of nibbles. The premium dining experience and the selection of movies on my personal screen elevated my mood. While I lay down in the comfort of a completely reclining bed getting ready to sleep, I could feel myself being tucked with a warm blanket.
Wow! A home away from home, that’s the feeling I experienced and while I cheered my way to the destination I realized that it was time to land ready to be warmly greeted by my loving son. – Sylvia D’Souza
One of the most enriching experiences of my life was my first solo trip to Siam Reap, Cambodia – in my mid-50s.
The weekdays of my two months in Siem Reap were spent teaching English as a volunteer at an orphanage and night schools in adjacent villages. Weekends were for exploring the temples in and around Angkor Wat, the Buddhist monasteries, the local markets, watching folk dances, learning to speak Khmer and improving my culinary skills with Khmer cookery classes. Laughter and chatter filled my evenings, when I would meet volunteers from various countries working with different NGOs.
The memory I cherish the most is my interaction with the local people. Never once did I feel unsafe as a woman or a stranger. In fact, the locals made me feel as a special guest in their town – be it the couple at the guest house where I stayed, the monks at the monastery, the children and the adults I taught (I would say they taught me much more), my tuk-tuk driver or the street vendor at the Sunday market. Their humility, gentleness and warmth is etched in my memory.
I have travelled across India and quite a few countries with family or friends. I realized that when one travels alone, you walk that extra mile to reach the heart and soul of the place. I made lifelong friends of all ages, from various strata of life and from different countries in one trip. – Mitra Mohanty
One hot summer morning in Dubai, for the 100th time, I checked if I had my passport.
All excited and my hands trembling, I handed in my passport at check-in. I was to take a flight from Dubai to Delhi, proceed to Dehradun on a domestic flight and reach my destination by road.
My family hovered over me, one checking to see if I had my phone, one instructing me to change the SIM card as soon as I landed in India, and another holding on to my hand as if not wanting me to go. Finally, it took a lot of courage to wheel my bag through the long travellator and bid my family bye and wave until they were out of sight. Although I didn’t express it, I was also anxious about my first long journey alone.
No – I’m not a 12 year old travelling as an unaccompanied minor, but a 50-plus lady travelling alone to Rishikesh for some ‘me time’. Although this was probably my 400th flight, I was travelling for the first time without my family, friends or students and that in itself was trip to remember. – Bala Sadasivan
One solo journey that remains vivid in my mind dates back to 1993. Those were the early days of my career as an engineer, a young man of 22 chasing his dreams. I was working with a computer firm in Chennai and frequently made trips on business assignments to neighbouring states, one of the destinations being Hyderabad. The trips to Hyderabad became so much a part of my routine that I could almost sleepwalk to the suburban train station at St Thomas Mount, from where I had to board for Chennai Central terminal to catch the inter-state train to Hyderabad – or that’s what I had thought until that eventful day.
On this particular day, destiny had chalked an interesting course for me. Due to a technical glitch the suburban train was delayed, and for the first time I missed the Charminar Express to Hyderabad from Chennai Central. The situation at that moment didn’t seem grave to me. I spoke to every fellow Indian brother around. Most seemed more than happy to dole out advice on alternative means to get to Hyderabad. The most appealing suggestion at the moment seemed to be the one given by a convincing gentleman. So, I quickly rushed to the nearest bus station, where I expected to find a bus ready to kick off my journey to Hyderabad. However, disappointment stared me in my face as I found no direct bus to Hyderabad. Again, after a spate of dialogues with many helpful people, I decided to reroute to Hyderabad via Tirupati.
After a three-hour journey, I finally got off at the busy Tirupati bus station overlooking the hills and the famous Tirupati temple in the distance. Then: Tirupati to Nellore, Nellore to Vijayawada, and finally Vijayawada to Hyderabad – a journey of over 24 hours. After many fateful breaks, long bus rides through snaking picturesque routes on five different buses, interesting conversations with fellow passengers and some savoury and sweet street food, I finally reached Suresha hotel near Paradise junction in Secunderabad to be told of the enquiries about my disappearance, which seemed to have caught momentum as there had been absolutely no news of me at home or at my workplace. That experience definitely left me a lot wiser about travelling solo. – Jojo Scaria
Travelling solo is not my thing. I am not adventurous, I am always scared of losing my belongings, and as for my sense of direction, it is so poor to the point of being ridiculous – far beyond what most people mean when they say they often get lost.
I had gone to Germany on a family vacation and we were based in Wiesbaden.
Wiesbaden is a quaint city steeped in history and the perfect combination of tradition and modern lifestyle with plenty to see and hence there was actually no need to venture forth.
However, I decided to travel solo to Cologne on a whim – just about three hours away, so what could possibly go wrong? Was I mad or what? I am a horrible traveller and I know it, so this was unadulterated insanity.
I am extremely claustrophobic and the journey by bus was a disaster in itself, me being seated in the last row and feeling suffocated and nauseated for the entire journey. The driver tried to liven proceedings by playing music that was more like a dirge but which my fellow travelers seemed to enjoy, so who was I to object.
As we reached Cologne, I stepped out resolutely, overcame a giddy spell and opened the map with directions given to me by my daughter. I could have been staring at a complicated flowchart it made no sense to me whatsoever.
I was advised to walk from the bus station to the hotel – supposedly, a 15-minute stroll that turned into an hour’s trudge in cold damp weather while dragging a trolley over cobbled streets.
My two days in Cologne were a mixture of losing direction repeatedly, trying to communicate with people who seemed to know no English, eating food that I could hardly stomach.
I hardly understood what I was ordering until it arrived. The menu had names that were tongue twisters – Spätzle, Bratwurst, Currywurst, Bratkartoffeln, Sauerbraten, Maultaschen and Schnitzel. I often ordered and hoped for the best.
I spent my time buying beer mugs (which I collect) and visiting museums, which I enjoyed. I made sure I found my way back to the hotel before dark as I am terrified of getting lost or mugged in a strange city. I then sat and stared at a small TV, which only (obviously) played German TV.
My proposed four-day solo vacation ended in half the time. Never again. I need company. – Michael Guzder
