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
Feeling
alone? Trapped? Lost?
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!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082P8W1BD/
books2read.com/u/meBM8g
Aaron Hodges was born in
1989 in the small town of Whakatane, New Zealand. He studied for five
years at the University of Auckland, completing a Bachelors of
Science in Biology and Geography, and a Masters of Environmental
Engineering. After working as an environmental consultant for two
years, he grew tired of office work and decided to quit his job in
2014 and see the world. One year later, he published his first novel
- Stormwielder - while in Guatemala. Since then, he has honed his
skills while travelling through parts of SE Asia, India, North and
South America, Turkey and Europe, and now has over a dozen works to
his name. Today, his adventures continue...
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