AngelaChange your location, change your life.
Taking that first step into solo travelhood can be scary, to say the least. Here are 6 quotes that are not all travel-related, but can be applied to the solo travel lifestyle.
#1. “To Travel Is To Live.” – Hans Christian Andersen
You haven’t truly experienced life until you’ve made your way out of your comfort zone and expanded your mind. Happiness doesn’t just happen. It takes work. Exploring and interacting with the world around you promotes, among many other things, confidence, happiness, and a zest for life.
#2. “To do what you are afraid to do is to guide your life by fear. How much better not to be afraid to do what you believe in doing!” – Jane Addams
It can be intimidating to go somewhere alone, but you’ll find that doing so makes you stronger mentally and emotionally. We risk not doing what’s best for ourselves when we give in to fear. Instead of letting fear dictate your life, face your fears every chance you get. The more you face your fears, the more empowered you’ll become to do the things that matter most to you.
#3. “There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do.” – Bill Watterson
Whether you live to be 50 or 100, life is short. Don’t waste it sitting around living a boring, mundane life or letting others tell you how to live your life. Get up and get out. Pursue your dreams. Learn something new. Live in another country. Find out what makes you tick and feel alive. Live life fully.
#4. “Before the development of tourism, travel was conceived to be like study, and its fruits were considered to be the adornment of the mind and formation of the judgement.” – Paul Fussel
Travel gives you the opportunity to live in the moment and expand your mind. Don’t just go to a destination, be the destination. Immerse yourself in the culture of your destination. Stay for a few days or more. Don’t be a tourist. Be one of the locals. Eat what the locals eat. Stay where the locals stay. Hang out in the clubs with the locals. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on life, yourself, and others.
#5. “Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.” – Ralph Charell
Solo traveling removes you from the normal distractions you’re used to at home so you can free up time to truly think. There’s no familiar external voice in your ear trying to influence your thoughts and decisions. You’re able to put things into perspective and make your own decisions based on what YOU want for YOUR life.
#6. “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” – Mark Twain
No matter if you’re a man or a woman, we’ve all experienced some kind of fear or apprehension of a possible future event. Leaving your comfort zone tends to do that to you. The mind is capable of dreaming up all kinds of imaginary obstacles. As you prepare for your journey, come up with ways to minimize risks to your health or safety and replace any remaining fears with curiosity– What will you learn from your experiences? Who will you meet? How will your life be enriched?
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored by YOU. Don’t let anyone, including yourself, stop you from your dreams of experiencing different countries and meeting new people. Face down your fears and take the leap. You won’t regret it.
