Facing our fears
Despite your best efforts, things do go wrong when you’re on the road for months, travelling the world. But you know what? That’s okay! If they didn’t, I’d be worried, because that means you’re not getting out there, you’re not taking any risks.
And taking risks in life is how we grow, how we come to realise just how much we’re capable of. Before my first trip, I had really retreated into my shell, but during that year I travelled SE Asia, skied through Canada, backpacked down the west coast of the USA, and bused my way through Mexico. And during that time I learned I was far braver than I thought, that I might be shy at times, but that I also love to meet new people, to learn their stories and tell them my own. Heck, during that trip I discovered I could truly be a writer—that’s how I came to be an author in the first place!
It’s kind of an odd comparison, but I’ve often had the Jim Carrey movie, Yes Man, in my head while travelling. It’s the story about a man who decides he’ll say YES to everything that people ask him from now on. Being Jim Carrey, hilarity immediately ensues, but there is a lesson there. We spend so much of our lives making excuses not to do something. It’s amazing how many people tell me they want to travel the world, but that they don’t have anyone to go with, or the time isn’t quite right, or they don’t think they’re capable of it.
I tell you what, after spending months trapped indoors, quarantined, maybe this attitude has changed. I know it sure came as a wakeup call for me. Because who knows when we’ll be able to travel again? Are you still going to say its not the right time when there’s a vaccine and borders begin to reopen? Or are you going to face your fears and say yes, and go see the world?
Because we all know now that tomorrow might not come, that the right time might never come.
I do hope your answer will be yes. And yes, as I said, things will go wrong. I know many people who were caught out by border closures all around the world at the height of the pandemic. I myself was trapped in Argentina. But at the end of the day, things turned out. I made it home. And you know what?
I got a story out of it.
Solo: A Down to Earth Guide for Travelling the World Alone by Aaron Hodges
Time for an adventure!
The bad times won't last forever, and for more than five years, Aaron Hodges has journeyed the globe alone, visiting everywhere from Istanbul to Argentina. Honest and insightful, SOLO is packed with his personal travel tips and humorous stories. Learn about the ups and downs, the triumphs and the pitfalls of venturing off the beaten path. Follow his guidelines for exploring the world alone and be inspired to take the trip you’ve always dreamed of.
Discover the world of solo travel.
Go Solo!
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