Solo travel scares me!

Don’t get me wrong I’m really looking forward to starting the trip. I have this curious combination of trepidation and excitement all rolled into one. Now and then it makes me feel anxious, so I’ve worked with myself on understanding what is really behind my fear! Reframing my worries in a positive way and recognising all the resources I have to help me has proved a great way to manage the emotional ups and downs.

So here are my positive statements:

I’ve done this before so I can do it again. In August right before the Alevel results came out, I took a two week trip to Majorca alone. I did it. The first three days I cried, constantly seeing images around me of the holiday I might have liked to have but wasn’t available to. And then, I learnt to scuba dive - I got new skills but I learnt some techniques to enjoy holidays alone.

Including activities in holidays is empowering and provides vital interaction. So when I get to Italy I’ve got a plan. I’m going to replicate that Majorca experience by signing up for Italian language courses in my first and last week. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that my first two destinations are amongst Italy’s best dive sites. Being on a boat with other divers is liberating; you’re there because you love the ocean and that shared passion connects you.

Music really moves me so I’m going to get my playlists ready. In Majorca there is an amazing bus service so armed with my headphones I entered my own private world and it felt amazing! Classic tracks lift my mood and really do make me feel invincible.

I don’t need or want to talk to people all the time. Being in Spain really made me think about how important friends, family and proper human interaction is. I learnt that optimally I need to chat to people daily - not for too long but enough to share a reflection, or observe and share something funny. I won’t lie I was sad when the bus driver who had ferried me to Soller or Palma wasn’t on his shift! But he was always replaced by a different friendly face. This trip I’ll be joined now and then by friends who mean the world to me.

If I hit an emotional speed bump it won’t last long recognising that we all have ups and downs and that’s completely normal can be hard to do. When you’re feeling down you can struggle to imagine it will pass. But, for me, it does. But sometimes, in the midst of it, I forget. Maybe this post can be at my side to remind me of the truth.

Last but not least - this time I won’t be on my own. I’ve got Stanley with me - so happy days.

Learning to dive gave me an amazing sense of achievement

The perfect combination music and Stan!