Travelling Solo

Travelling has been in my list of things to do for since probably the start of high school, but it took me years after I finished school to get the courage and get my anxiety to a level that for the main part that I can cope with or at least deal with it. 

Many people around me have taken up the adventure, for the majority of them, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Although New Zealand is somewhere I do want to go to some day, I wanted to go somewhere where I wasn't likely to bump in to someone that lives on the same street as me, many many miles away. 

Canada. I always imagined Canada as the picture perfect place. Lakes, Mountains, Forests, Wildlife and just lots of greenery. Another factor for going there is that I don't really get on well with heat and sun, so really Australia is out, although Canada does get hot, it's the ideal heat and although some days it was really too hot for me, I dealt with it. 







Before going, I had planned to go with a friend, which I thought at the time it had to happen that way. I had never been travelling before, never been on a plane and before of my anxiety if someone was there with me I would feel a lot better knowing that I had someone and if I had an anxiety attack then someone to look after me. A few months before I was due out to fly, the friend backed out, now I had already booked the flight and a couple of days at a hostel for when I got there. Panic set in and I didn't know what to do.

Although I want to see the world i'm not an adventurous person, I love my home comforts and a safe surrounding in which I know. I don't know if that's to do with my anxiety or just the way that I am from being brought up in a small village and not travelling/going on holidays with my parents.

Taking the leap to go by myself really was like jumping off a cliff and not knowing where I was going to land. I finished work a week before I was due to start travelling and the weekend before my flight, mid week, I had an event so I kept busy right up until I had to go, which for me, was the best opinion as I didn't have time to really think about it and start panicking more than I was already.

To be honest the first few days are all a blur, after I got over the jet lag it was then the time where I realised I was by myself, in a other country, not having a clue where anything is or what is around. But then I realised it's Okay, I didn't need someone else, I could go at my own speed, go wherever and whenever I want. I felt free, I mean I was still scared but it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. 

Travelling alone, is the biggest accomplishment of my life so far. I met so many different people from around the world, so many stories they had to share about places they've visited, activities they've done. No one is ever short of conversation. When your on your own it focuses you to talk to people that you probably won't talk to back home, as when you're with someone else or a group of you, you might just feel comfortable talking between yourselves. 

There were however I few times when I would have been great to have someone you actually probably know with you when your experiencing some amazing things, and not someone you met yesterday. But it makes for brilliant stories for when you are back at home or next time you chat. 

I did have a few panic attacks when I was out there but the majority of travellers are amazing and they will try and help you in any way that they can. 





Rules/tips for travelling (just a few I found helpful);

• Write a diary, theres so many different things just happening in a day, which some could be forgotten. For me, I don't want to forget. The good and the bad made the experience. 
• Take photos, where you've been, the people that you've met, adventures you find your self in, its so good to look back 
• Stay in touch, for the people back home they will be worried, no matter how old you are, even if your in a group. It helped when I was feeling alone and people back home will be wondering where abouts you are and what you've been doing. For me, I liked to know what was going on back at home as well.
• Don't be scared to ask questions
• Yes, you can eat alone without people thinking you're strange. Trust me no one will really notice you are by yourself. Take a book, organise what you're doing next, think about your day. 
• Be scared, for most its a horrible feeling but think about what you'll feel like after you've do it. For some people its bungee jumping for me it was just travelling 
• You will be fine

Travelling alone taught me so more about myself and what am I doing with my life, I had time to reflect and sort my head out. It really is an amazing feeling. 

Good luck for all those that are going travelling or doing something new. You will be brilliant. 

Until next time, 

Sophie 

Reality of your 20s

When you reach your 20's people say that it's the best years of your life, whoever said that is lying. Yeah there are good times but the struggle, its just a constant struggle, well for now.

How come early in my teenage years I know exactly what I wanted to do, what I wanted both personally and professionally and how to get there, and now, I am so lost and confused. There are times where I feel like a four year old that lost in a supermarket, with everyone rushing past and no matter where I walk to it all looks the same and I can't find a way out. 

It seems like from people i've talked to and know, that there are two very different groups people in their 20's. The group that I include myself in the 'just want is going on' group, where one or more of these apply;

• Confused
• Unemployed
• Working in a job that doesn't interest you or are just in it to try and reach the job you're actually wanting to do 
• Single (either happy to be or not)
• Renting a house with not so great housemates
• Or living with your parents

The other group however;

• Successful job
• A job that they have reached for and maybe not the position they want but they are on their way to getting it 
• Engaged, Married
• Having kids
• Own House 
• Settled 

Now either of these groups are that bad and i'm sure there are people that fit in to both groups which would be a great thing, not that being in just one of these groups are a bad thing and many people will be going through exactly the same thing.

For me though, I still don't know what I really want to do with my life, so i'm trying a number of new and old things, moving all over the place, going to new places but then when I look on social media, there are people that are getting engaged, married, having kids, have got the job they have always wanted and these are the people I went to school with. I'm not saying I want that I want all these things, well maybe I do but not right now. Right now I just want to be settled.

You soon realise yours 20's aren't want to expected them to be but that's alright. We are all our own person and it's us that make something happen, we have our own goals about what we want for our life and we are all different.

In your 20s its time for change, and change again. Most will go through many rubbish jobs, will get a bit too drunk and realise they aren't a student any more, you won't be able to handle that much alcohol and lack of sleep as you once were just a few years ago.You will lost friends that you thought would be there when you're both old and grey believing you would still be the same, you'll make new friends that are just as confused as you. Exercise, the thing that you used to do occasionally or do through stages of doing becomes something you have to think about often because all that junk food you used to eat and didn't make any difference to your body in your teens will change. You go through being poor, paying off debts that you now realise you can easily get in to, not being as social as you once were, although saying that if you're single, no kids, not a stressful job that keeps you up at all times of the day. Go ahead and drink, be social. 

These isn't for everyone and i'm in no way a professional, this is just me opinion, but the best thing about being in my 20's although there are a lot of down points and things that could go wrong its the time to make mistakes, have regrets not about the things that you haven't done but the things that you have, not bad ones, well I mean things like, going out drinking far too much and regretting it for a few days later. It's really in the time to change, change jobs, change where you live, who you talk to, who your friends are, change how you push yourself, go bungee jumping, do things that scare you. If you never do it then you most likely won't ever do it and it might help you find out what and how you want to live your life.

Discover who you are!!