The story begins from a dream…
Everyone has a dream. Dream of having a good job, living a good life, owning a house and a car etc. I once had a dream too when I was 16, I dreamed of traveling around the world.
I quit my job five years ago in pursuit of my dream. I wasn’t acting on a whim, I was stuck in a rut, I felt like I was living in a repetitive cycle, without much exciting stuff happened around, just a monotonous routine life, if you ask me. I wanted a change, so I decided to make a move by applying for a working holiday visa for my new chapter of life in New Zealand.
The idea of living abroad was completely new to me, given the fact that I am an Asian, cultural wise is totally different from the West. Before my journey started, I thought I knew myself well not until I ventured out, did I realise how little I know myself and the world. I didn’t know the other side of me not until I arrived and lived in this beautiful country for nine months. Living in a foreign country gave me a chance to explore the world and myself.I got to know myself more and for once, I was cleared that what I really want in life. There’s an adage that says, you will never know till you try! During my four years wandering around the world, I tried things that I wouldn’t have tried if I were to live in Asia. For that, I have to thank New Zealand for giving me a chance to expose myself to the world and embark on a journey that I would never have had thought that I would ride in.
I was a complete novice solo traveller back then. The reasons why I like traveling solo is I get to meet people from around the world, share our stories, get to know each others’ culture and language and even go on adventures together. Did I tell you that you will even experience something that none other travellers will ever experience. Not to mention some travellers I met during the journey invited me over when I visited their home country. To literally feel how the local lives. The only downside of travelling solo is when loneliness strikes, it strikes hard.
Traveling solo taught me how to live with myself, how to deal with certain situations when things don’t go my way. You might feel daunted at times, but eventually you would become resilient and more open minded. There might be a million reasons that thwart you from travelling alone, my advice to you is don’t let those million reasons deter you, you will not know how much you missed for one wrong decision made.
If I am being honest, that was a decision that I will never ever regret!