10 lessons I learned after traveling alone for a year

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The San Francisco-based photographer was able to travel light for an entire year for $ 33 a day.

Traveling is wonderful. There are so many wonderful places on our planet that it becomes incomprehensible, but how to see at least a small part of them?

San Francisco-based designer and photographer Keegan Jones has made a dream come true for many. He went on a light journey of a year, all alone. And, of course, he shared his experience. He wrote about 10 lessons he learned from his trip. And we pass on his experience to you.

1. You will remember people, not places

If you do not communicate with people for several days or even a week, you begin to experience an acute lack of communication. I will never forget spontaneous conversations with a fisherman, a forester and a stranger in a supermarket in Thailand.

Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with strangers. Many are also curious and adventurous. And a conversation with a stranger is, albeit a small, but still a bright event. Here's a rule I have worked out for myself:

Always be the one who starts the conversation.

Following this rule, I have met many wonderful people.

2. Travel can be affordable

Long-term travel is not at all like fancy week-long tours. The main purpose of such travel is to see the world, and not to spend the night in five-star hotels. My trip was on a tight budget. I tried to spend no more than $ 33 a day on housing.

Halfway through the trip, I was able to cut that to $ 26 a day thanks to Airbnb and HostelWorld. When I had a desire to communicate with people, I stayed in hostels. If I wanted to be alone, I booked a room through Airbnb.

Take the cost of housing costs, add to it your monthly food expenses and divide by 30. You get the amount that you spend on living at home every day. I'm pretty sure you can travel with this amount. You won't be able to stay in cool hotels and dine in expensive restaurants, but you don't need that, right?

3. Travel light

I took very few things with me and tried to be as selective as possible. I want to say that it is a wonderful feeling when you get off the plane with one backpack on your shoulders. I didn't buy a single souvenir simply because I didn't have extra space in my backpack. Everything was planned out.

I became more sensible about acquisitions and got sick with "materialism", realizing that many seemingly irreplaceable purchases are not really such.

You can read Keegan's article on the things in his backpack here.

4. Solo travel is not for everyone

Sometimes I got lonely as hell. You have a tremendous amount of time for introspection and thought. You can get very seriously stuck in your head. Trust me, you don't want to. If you are an introvert, then this trip will be to your liking. If you like noisy companies, and being alone is torment for you, then you yourself already know the answer.

5. Take your time

Moving from place to place every few days is very difficult. In my experience, the location should be changed every two weeks. This time is just enough to see all the sights, communicate with people and understand their culture. During this time, you can also plan your next steps.

6. Travel is a paradox

If you are traveling to get away from worries, this will not work. They will follow you. Moreover, when traveling alone, you will become even more obsessed with your problems. The paradox of travel is that you feel like a routine when you travel for too long. Therefore, appreciate the balance between routine and travel.

7. People are the same everywhere

You won't believe how much we are alike. Everyone wants the same thing: love, understanding and confidence in their future. I have met a lot of people who were making big decisions. For example, in which country to work or live. The bottom line is, none of them had any idea what to do.

Some are just good at pretending like they know what they are doing. In fact, this is not always the case.

8. Home can be anywhere

You can create your home anywhere in the world. Over time, you get used to the local culture and people. It is absolutely possible to buy a ticket to any country, fly there, find a job, a home and make friends. It's not as difficult as I thought before.

A friend of mine has a theory: the easiest way to move is to have $ 5,000 or 5 friends in this city.

9. English is a universal language

I was very surprised how many people know English. But places in which English is a curiosity still met. In this case, I tried to learn the most necessary words and phrases in the local language.

You can also chat without speaking. For example, I once forgot my phone at a restaurant in Chile. I showed the waiter to the table at which I was sitting, put my hand to my ear and shrugged. After 2 minutes I already had the phone.

10. Trust your intuition

Not right away, but I still learned to trust that little voice in my head. When you are in an unfamiliar country, and the phone has sat down, you do not have that much choice. Is it safe to be in the area? Am I walking right? Only instinct could answer these questions.

It seems to me that intuition is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. It's like a sixth sense that helps you read between the lines.

After finishing my journey, I realized that I was incredibly happy. Our planet is large and very beautiful. I also realized that it is impossible to see all of her miracles even in my entire life. But I will try and make another trip soon! Which is what I advise you.