At 28, I decided to take my first solo trip.
It wasn’t something I had planned for years or a lifelong dream I had been waiting to fulfil. It came from a simple realisation. When I looked back at 2015, I felt like I hadn’t done anything particularly exciting with my life.
I wanted a change. Something bold. Something that would push me outside my comfort zone.
So, I chose Thailand as my first solo destination.
When people asked if I was scared to travel alone, my answer was honest:
“Of course I was nervous! That’s what happens when you try something new for the first time.”
The fear was there, but what mattered more was that I decided to go anyway. I knew that if I kept waiting until I felt completely ready, I might never go.
Looking back, that first solo trip taught me much more than I expected. It changed the way I saw travel, but it also changed the way I saw myself.
For anyone thinking about travelling solo, here are some of the things my first experience taught me.
✅ You Will Meet Amazing People Along the Way
Travelling solo doesn’t mean you have to spend your entire trip alone.
In fact, some of the best connections I made were with fellow travellers and locals I might never have spoken to if I had been travelling with someone else.
When you’re by yourself, you’re often more open to talking to people around you. You might find yourself chatting with someone at a hostel, sharing a table with another traveller, asking a local for directions, or simply striking up a conversation because there’s no one else beside you.
Some of these conversations can turn into genuine friendships.
I’ve met people during my travels who shared the same curiosity and excitement about seeing the world. Some friendships lasted beyond the trip, and we continued sharing stories and adventures even after returning home.
That’s one of the things I love about travelling alone.
You start a journey by yourself, but you don’t necessarily end it feeling alone.
✅ You Have to Take Action to Get What You Want
Dreams don’t become reality simply because you think about them. You have to do something about them.
I could have spent months imagining what it would be like to travel alone, but none of it would have happened if I hadn’t actually booked that flight to Thailand.
That first booking was a small action, but it was also the moment everything became real.
It’s easy to keep telling yourself that you’ll do something one day. You’ll travel when you have more money. You’ll start that project when you have more time. You’ll try something new when you feel more confident.
The problem is that there will always be another reason to wait.
If there’s something you really want to do, start somewhere. Book the ticket. Make the plan. Take the first step.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.
✅ Travelling Isn’t as Expensive as You Think
One common misconception about travelling is that you need a lot of money to do it.
You don’t.
During my trip, I learned how to stretch my budget. I looked for affordable accommodation, used public transportation and ate at local places instead of spending every meal at tourist spots.
Travelling on a budget doesn’t mean you have to miss out.
Some of my favourite travel memories have nothing to do with expensive hotels or fancy restaurants. They came from walking around unfamiliar places, trying street food, watching local life unfold and doing things I had never done before.
You don’t need luxury to have a memorable trip.
With some research, realistic planning and a little flexibility, you can travel without spending a fortune.
✅ Be Around People Who Share Your Passion
The people around you can have a huge influence on the way you see your own life.
When you’re passionate about something, it helps to have people around you who understand why it matters to you.
They don’t necessarily have to be doing exactly the same thing. They simply need to understand your excitement instead of constantly making you feel like your dreams are unrealistic.
During my travels, I enjoyed meeting people who were just as curious about the world as I was. We could talk about places we wanted to visit, experiences we had, and all the things we still wanted to see.
The same applies outside travel.
Find people who encourage you, support your ambitions and genuinely want to see you do well.
Your journey becomes a lot more enjoyable when you don’t feel like you have to explain why your dreams matter.
✅ Don’t Let Someone Else’s Negativity Stop You
You’ll meet people who don’t understand your choices.
Some will tell you that travelling alone is dangerous. Others might tell you that you’re being irresponsible, unrealistic or simply wasting your time.
I’ve experienced my share of negativity too.
The important thing is to learn how to separate genuine concern from someone simply projecting their own fears onto you.
Listen to advice, especially when it comes from people who genuinely care about your safety. At the same time, don’t let someone else’s fear become the reason you never try something for yourself.
You are responsible for your own decisions and your own life. Not everyone will understand your choices, and that’s okay. You don’t need everyone’s approval to take the path you want.
✅ You’re Never Too Old to Start
Many people feel like they’ve missed their chance to start something new, especially when they see other people doing it at a younger age.
I was 28 when I took my first solo trip. At the time, I remember thinking I should have started travelling alone much earlier. Looking back, I realise there was no reason to think that way. There is no perfect age to travel, start a new career, learn a skill or try something you’ve always wanted to do.
Your timeline doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. If there’s something you want to experience, you still have time to start.
If you’re in your 20s, 30s, or beyond, you still have time to explore, learn, and grow. Don’t let age be a barrier to your dreams. Embrace every moment and make it count.
✅ Learning Another Language Can Make Travelling Easier
You don’t need to speak several languages to travel, but knowing another language can make a huge difference, especially when you’re travelling alone.
English is particularly useful because it’s widely spoken in many popular travel destinations. Being able to communicate can make everyday situations easier, from checking into a hotel and ordering food to asking for directions or dealing with an unexpected problem.
Learning a few words in the local language is also a great way to connect with people.
You don’t have to become fluent before your trip. Even learning simple greetings, numbers, directions and useful phrases can give you more confidence.
I’ve always believed that languages open doors.
The more you can communicate with people, the more comfortable you can feel in unfamiliar places.
✅ Learn to Adapt and Stay Open to New Experiences
Travelling alone means you have to learn how to adapt.
Things won’t always go according to plan. You might miss a bus, get lost, struggle to communicate, end up somewhere you didn’t expect or realise that the way people do things in another country is completely different from what you’re used to.
That’s part of travelling.
You learn to stop expecting everything to happen exactly the way you imagined it. Instead, you learn to observe, adjust and keep going.
Travelling also exposes you to different cultures, customs and ways of life. Not everything will be familiar or comfortable, and that’s okay. Be respectful. Keep an open mind. Learn instead of judging everything through the lens of what you’re used to.
You might return home with a much broader understanding of the world than you had when you left.
✅ Don’t Waste Your Money on Things You Don’t Really Need
Travelling taught me to think differently about spending money.
When you’re constantly moving from one place to another, you start to realise how little you actually need to be happy.
You carry your belongings with you. You think twice before buying things because you know you’ll eventually have to fit everything back into your luggage.
More importantly, I started to value experiences more than possessions.
I would rather spend money exploring a new place, trying something I’ve never eaten or visiting somewhere I’ve always wanted to see than buying something that will eventually sit forgotten in a cupboard.
Things can be replaced. Memories stay with you.
✅ Travel Addiction Is Real
Once you experience the freedom of travelling, it can be very difficult to stop.
After my first solo trip, I understood why people become obsessed with travelling. There’s something incredibly satisfying about waking up in a place you’ve never been before and knowing that the whole day is yours. You choose where to go. You decide what to eat. You can change your plans at the last minute. You can spend three hours wandering around a neighbourhood simply because something caught your attention.
Every trip gives you another place to remember and another reason to start thinking about where you want to go next.
That first trip to Thailand didn’t just give me a holiday. It opened the door to a completely different way of seeing the world.
And once you’ve had a taste of that freedom, you might find yourself looking at a map and wondering,
“Where should I go next?”
Love,
Auri Duham🌻
