Today, 4th October 2023 marks 1 year since I boarded my flight from Manchester to Vietnam completely solo with absolutely no plan.
Firstly, I have no idea how it has been a year since I set off on this crazy adventure.
Secondly, I did not know it was possible to do this much in just a year!
1 year ago today I said goodbye to my family and boarded my 1 way flight to Vietnam completely solo.
Since that flight, I have completed my dream backpacking adventure around South East Asia and couldn’t be more proud of myself.
Everyone back home thought I was crazy going completely solo and couldn’t understand how I wasn’t scared. The truth is that of course I was scared! I was nervous and ultimately terrified that I was actually about to do this.
However going travelling has always been my dream, there is so much out there I have always wanted to experience and I didn’t want to wait any longer! Plenty of other people do it solo, therefore why couldn’t I?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone
My intentions were always to be back in time for Christmas however that soon went out the window and I only came back home in March!
Coming home for Christmas would have given me three months backpacking. It’s crazy to me now that I thought this was a long time and that I would see everything I wanted to!
Now I’ve dipped my toes in I don’t even think I’ll be finished in 3 years!
My experience was so much more than I could have ever imagined and even after completing 6 months, I am at home, saving up and counting down the days till I go back.
The travel bug is real and I’ve very definitely caught it.
To think that it has now been 365 days since I sept on my first flight is crazy.
It is the best thing I’ve ever done. By far. I still sometimes can’t believe I actually made it happen!
In my 6 months backpacking Asia I visited 8 countries and took:
- 33 Buses
- 14 Ferries
- 13 Flights
- 5 Trains
- 1 Ambulance
All whilst over 9000 miles away from home.
I visited Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Each country offering something different and added another culture to experience first-hand. I learnt something new every day, I learnt so much about myself but more importantly about the world and how much life differentiates across it.
I fell in love with every aspect of solo travel.
Looking back now, as much as this adventure is by far the best thing I have ever done, I will not hide the fact that solo travel is not always easy.
There were many parts of my adventure I did not prepare for or expect to face. It’s safe to say I faced my fair share of ups and downs along the way.
One of the biggest things I found about being on my own is that the highs feel that bit higher but unfortunately the lows feel that bit lower. The lows are part of this crazy adventure and overcoming them is always rewarding.
Social media can very easily make everything look perfect and we must all remember, no one’s life will ever be 100% perfect behind the screen!
It’s so important to see both sides of backpacking. In the TikTok I shared today I could have so easily left the tears out but that’s not the reality! Even with the tears and the a week in hospital the trip as a whole was the absolute best.
All the emotions are part of the rollercoaster and trust me it’s beyond worth it!
Since March in the last six months since being home, I have been working full time to replenish my savings pot as quickly as I can. However, in all my free time I have been spending time with family and friends and prioritising things I love.
As cliche as it is, solo backpacking changed my outlook on life.
I have spent endless days in the Lake District and been on multiple camping trips on my own! I have learnt to love my own company and embrace the adventure even at home!
Catch up with my last blog post for everything I wish I knew before coming home.
I’m counting down the days until January to put my backpack back on and do it all over again. Excited is an understatement!
I can not imagine how much more I will have experienced and what I will be recapping by this time next year.
In the meantime, I’m sharing everything I’ve learnt from this past year on this blog! The good, the bad and everything in between so we can all learn together!
Love Zo x