Solo travelling

Just over two years ago I was traveling in Spain.

It has always been a dream of mine to go overseas and travel on my own.

Despite my parents’ advice to rather travel in a group, ask a friend to come along or to book a Contiki or Topdeck tour- I was adamant that I wanted to do this on my own.

With the reluctant go-ahead from my parents, I started to plan my trip.

My Pinterest homepage was flooded with "what to do’s" and "Top 10 things to see in Spain". Planning, budgeting and booking a trip on your own is almost just as exciting as the trip itself. (Well not completely, but it is empowering nonetheless.)

August is a busy time of the year at audit firms, as some of our clients have June year ends, and normally have to report during August. The weeks leading up to my trip included many late nights, Nandos dinners and tight deadlines (like I mentioned in my previous post).

It was a running joke within our audit team that I will have to cancel my trip to stay behind to finish the engagement. Despite all the jokes, my manager did let me go, and finally I got to fulfill the dream of travelling solo. (A further post to follow on the experience at work, maybe in a few years' time.)

Spain is incredible.

The Gaudi architecture in Barcelona is enchanting, going to the beach is a must and I felt like a local exploring the small streets and corners.

Visiting Montserrat, a monastery on a mountain just outside of Barcelona, and video calling my grandparents who have never video called before, is still one of my favourite memories.

Seville, with its gardens, palace and Plaza de Espana pictured below, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Strolling through the gardens, with no one waiting for you to go to the next museum or to have supper somewhere gave me a feeling of freedom.

Being able to decide what I want to do, when I want to do it, was liberating.

In Madrid I met up with a friend and we got to explore the capital city together.

The paella and sangria are really as good as everyone says it is! We travelled to Toledo where we climbed many stairs and ate market food on the steps of a quaint church.

Spain offers a diverse mix of experiences that left me wanting to go back.

While my trip to Spain, and doing it alone, is still one of my fondest memories, I also know that it is not something that I want to do on my own again.

Those breathtaking moments where you look at something in awe, or enjoying a meal at a cosy hidden gem, are memories that you want to be able to relive with someone years after the actual experience.

I travelled on my own for various reasons.

The sense of independence.

Being able to decide what I want to do, and when I want to do it.

Dealing with my own thoughts and ideas.

Experiencing different cultures.

Exploring a new place.

Learning that our world at home is unlikely to change, but that it is okay for me to change.

I would still encourage everyone to travel alone at least once in their life if it is possible, but for me, I am happy for my next travelling experience to be with someone that I can relive the memories with a 100 times over.