"You're not actually going to China alone are you?"
"Yes, I am."
And I did.
The trip that changed everything. Little 20-year-old me went to China all alone with a tiny backpack and came back feeling bigger, stronger, and more independent. It was just the beginning.
Summer 2010: It was the year I had started studying Mandarin at Bordeaux university, I was becoming more independent and felt the need to get out there and challenge myself.
Writing this post six years later is giving me the opportunity to look back and realise that this decision to travel alone in China is a big part of who I am today.
After working in a supermarket the whole summer before and doing shifts at a restaurant between my classes for months, I had for the first time ever managed to save money. I booked my ticket, bought a backpack, got a big fat Lonely Planet and I was good to go.
The best parts about traveling alone
I interacted a lot with locals, being a solo western female traveler got me so much attention from locals and made me practice my basic Chinese.
"You're only 20! Where are your parents?"
"Where is your husband?"
"Here, take an apple"
" My nephew is single"
"Aren't you afraid alone?"
"You're so skinny, you should eat more!"
"Come and eat with us"
"Oh France is so romantic!"
Oh and the classic "You're so pretty, can I take a picture with you?"
When you travel with someone or in a group it's harder to chat with other people, when you're alone you can take the time to meet and get to know locals.
I enjoyed my own company, spending more time alone and out of your comfort zone or in nature helps you to connect with yourself. It's just you, your mind and your thoughts. You make your own opinion about what you are experiencing with no outsider's point of view interfering with your initial feeling.
I became my own best friend. I grew up with two brothers and have always been surrounded by friends. So this was a good time to learn how to enjoy being alone and this applies to my life now, I can be alone anywhere without ever feeling bored.
I learned how to just go with the flow, when you're traveling alone, you can plan things day by day. I had a guidebook which gave me an idea of all the possibilities around me in each place and then I just adapted to what I could do, rather than what I desperately wanted to do.
I started to love getting lost, some of the best things happened while I was 'lost' like ending up in the prettiest village or meeting an adorable person who invited me for tea, which I wouldn't have experienced if I had arrived to my destination without getting off track.
I was never really alone, Staying in hostel dorms and couchsurfing made me meet new traveling buddies with whom I shared beers, stories, adventures and even got to travel with for a few days when our plans matched.
I changed, I worked while I was studying, saved up, prepared everything myself and went to the other end of the world alone. It was a real changing point in my life. I gained confidence, and since then I feel like I can do whatever I wish to do.
I am so grateful to all the kind souls that I met during this journey, who made me feel safe and welcomed. I am also grateful to mother nature who surprised me with her beauty.
And I feel blessed that my plan became an adventure, and is now a beautiful memory.
