The Introduction

Hello! I’m Joel. The blog was originally created to create clarity around solo travel but more importantly, encourage individuals to take the leap of the faith and attempt to communicate the importance of travel - something which I did not have.

The aim was the create a tone of voice which is basically a word form of myself - conversational, calming but with clarity and insight. In order to reach the people I wanted to, the angle of being a trusted source and one who is relatable was crucial in the development of the content.

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The idea is now a seed in your mind. You cannot shake it. You cannot delete it. And yet, you also don't want to remove it. Nervousness, apprehensive curious, anxious; it's all part of the parcel.

When I first thought of going solo travelling to South-East Asia, these were my exact same feelings. I had no clue what I was getting myself in for. Despite standing tall at six foot two, it felt like little me being alone in such a huge continent.

I was convinced it'd be the same scene as when Kevin McAllister in Home Alone 2 ends up wandering the streets of New York (and I didn’t have my parents credit card to check into a fancy hotel either.)

How would I wash my clothes? What if I get lost? Do I have enough money? Will I make any friends? What are hostels like, will I like them?

It was just a never-ending cycle of questions which made me extremely fearful at the prospect of going, so much so that I was very close to cancelling the whole trip purely due to fear of the unknown.

The thought of potentially leaving home and the bubble we all find ourselves floating around can feel overwhelming. Embarking on an adventure on the other side of the world and see sights you can’t quite imagine or comprehend, though you’ve heard and seen on Instagram that they’re pretty cool.

It’s a huge decision to make, one which many of your friends and family may never understand which can be another deterrent into leaving. It takes strong willpower and courage, but most of all if just requires you to just do it.

Just take the leap of faith.

Whilst I was pondering about booking my flights, one day I just hurriedly booked without giving it too much though and suddenly, everything was booked in an instant. Within that moment, I felt alive.

Knowing that I couldn’t go back on my decision (well I could but it would've been expensive) was an immense feeling of pride knowing I’ll be entering into the unknown - solo - having never been anywhere outside of the United Kingdom alone prior in my entire life.

Scary!

Having now experienced everything I did, meeting some incredible people from all walks of life and experienced unique cultures, I now wonder what took me so stupidly long to book the tickets.

So, having reflected on my journey I wanted to create a blog which covers the many questions and doubts people having before committing to going solo and what to expect.

It's something I hope you can relate to use to ease any worries or doubts which start to creep in before pulling the trigger. It's time to turn the feeling sof nervousness into pure excitement for the journey ahead.

I hope you enjoy!

Joel