Drinking my beer at Cafe Helo Helo in Pasar Oleh Oleh, a small marketplace in Bintan Island...
The music transits out and the DJ spoke. A familiar sweet voice. It's 987fm's Kimberly with the topic of traveling alone. Would you or not?
Personally, for me, it's a definite yes! (In fact I'm having one like right now? haha) I don't see any issues with it and I picked up additional skills as I go about achieving that.
Here are some of the skills I hone along the way:
Planning
Planning isn't as easy as you thought it would be. You need to source your accommodation given your tight budget, find activities you can actually do at your destination. How do you travel within your destination and what should you bring along etc. etc.
Being Independent
When you travel alone, you can't rely on anyone. Thus, you need to be responsible for yourself. Do your necessary preparations and take care of yourself. If you happen to fall sick or gotten lost, deal with it. There's no one else you know to help you! It could be really frightening but well, brave through it!
Socialize More
This might sound contradicting with traveling alone. But yeah, you talk to people more. You would certainly need to ask for directions. Roam around town and you might chat with the local finding out about their lives. Or bump into another fellow visitor from the same country and you just hit right off!
Reflect More
The world open your eyes and you realize things you didn't. I would eat my you tian dipping it in soy milk but in Taiwan, they wrapped it with a layer of flat bread and called it shaobing. The villages have much simpler life going at a slower pace. The people there are contented and friendly. Sometimes, it makes me wonder how lucky I'm really am!
Being Alone
You might not always find company and in time to come, people part. Thus, you learn to be alone; Finding you own fun and entrainment out of it. You might be alone but not lonely!
On top of these you get benefits like you get to do whatever you want! Go for activities that you like and not caught up in a situation debating over which destination to visit, what food to eat etc. Feel tired? Take a nap. It's also easier to find a seat for one. No need for advance bookings. You have all the attention when you converse with another.
However, you have your cons too. You find it hard to try a wide variety of food when it comes to dining. Hailing a private cab for tour is expensive. You bear the full cost of hiring the cab.
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