Many of us in this generation have had this question pop by at some point in time. The older generation will often discourage such acts as they worry that being a girl especially, makes you all the more vulnerable to the unknown.
But still, against all odds, during the Jubilee weekend, Scoot threw a 50% huge promo discount in celebration of SG50, and then I booked the air tickets..
In total, I paid $236 for my two-way ticket to Taiwan. I flew to Taipei and departed from Kaohsiung. Initially threw in a 3D2N mountain climbing trip, but decided to cancel just one night before departure as it was really not the suitable season to be doing that.
I planned to explore Taipei -> Taichung -> Tainan -> Kaohsiung in 11 days, and there were quite a few changes in my intended itinerary while I was on the road trip. Very exhilarating, always full of surprises every day! I would put up the link here once I am done with all the blog posts in the different parts of Taiwan! Stay tuned for my future posts!
So, the 5 biggest takeaway from this trip.
1) Learn to Step Out of My Comfort Zone and Take Risks
I have always been someone who overthinks and then end up not taking any action at all. This trait of mine has often left me beating myself up as I lamented that I could have achieved this, I could have won that, after everything has cast into stone. After this trip, I could proudly exclaim to myself that yes I stood out of my comfort zone and explored one of my favourite parts of the world alone.
I was always busy at work, and leave office at around 11pm on average every single day. Work to me also means sacrificing the weekends, for 8 hours and beyond for one of the days. And.. When my illiterate parents and auntie asked me questions on using Whatsapp and Facebook when they manage to catch me at home, I got frustrated that my little alone time is disturbed and would tend to reply them in a hasty manner. The trip made me miss them so much, as there was no one to nag at me to eat my meals, sleep early or even rubbed my back (hee hee) when it felt like breaking. Home is always the best <3
3) Independence
I feel really independent after this trip. I planned my hostel stay, the places of interest I want to go to and my flight. I made use of Google Maps and the kindness of the locals to roam around foreign cities and walk through alleys to find the shop I want to go to. I hiked up a mountain alone even when the dark louds loomed menacingly, making a continuous rumble. It felt awesome doing things alone, when you know that, you are finally not a little girl anymore.
4) Meet New People!
This is the best part of a solo trip! I went there alone, but I made a great deal of friends at the end of the 11 days. I stayed in dormitories/ hostels, where 8 of us girls will sleep together on bunk beds. Every night, after we are done with exploring outside, we would return to our nests and chat! You can meet people from all walks of life; I have made friends from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and so on! Besides meeting friends in dorms, you can make friends on the streets as well! People are just more receptive to you when they know you are travelling alone :) Thank you Taiwan :)
So many stories to tell! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, and this is something you will only do while you are still young. I hitch-hiked a stranger's car, I slept in a stranger's house, I got lost in an unknown town, facing unknown street peddlers, and...I survived!
Take this trip while you are still single, with no liabilities nor burden. The trip will change your perspective of life. The trip will grow you. The trip will egg you in making the right decision for yourself. I would urge everyone to travel solo at least once in your lifetime :)
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