Are you like me and many other wandering souls of the world, desperate to be on the move and experiencing life outside our hometown?
Left with the urgent desire to embark on a new journey after each destination we visit. Longing to feel the warmth or chill of another country, to plant our feet into the earth as if we are setting down roots. But never for too long. Eager to dive into pools of emerald water or trek up pathways to be nearer to the clouds. That’s us.
Or do you prefer to indulge in the charm of a vibrant city, soaking up the sounds of excited bystanders? Perhaps you are drawn to the music spilling out of restaurants and bars, the toll of church bells and the transport that permeates the city.
Either way, travel is an essential part of life that enables us to appreciate one another’s culture, cuisine and surroundings.
Solo travel, whether it is for a weekend away or months, particularly encourages self-growth and an appreciation for oneself that you might not have expected. For me, although I always considered myself to be fiercely individualistic, my first solo adventure provided me with new ways to explore my independence.
This decision to travel solo came from seeing an opportunity to volunteer with elephants and visit the ‘James Bond Island’ in Phuket – following in the footsteps of Roger Moore. I planned this trip for a few months, before booking my flights to Thailand. Not long after my 19th birthday, I was off to Bangkok and spent several weeks allowing myself to savour every moment and push aside any anxieties.
The adventure was so momentous that I am still discussing it now, almost four years later. As people say, you never forget your first!
So, we come onto the reason behind this blog. I wanted to create a space where I could share stories of solo travelling from myself, along with others too. It will feature interviews, destination highlights, photographs, itineraries, reviews and advice on different aspects of travel.
For example, what steps to take if a foreign cash machine swallows your bank card when you are out of cash. As you probably guessed, this did happen to me. Spoiler alert, the lock to the ATM was on an entirely different island!
With this content in mind, I hope this blog will help to encourage those of you with solo travel insecurities to step towards your fears and jump into your adventures!
Additionally, there is another reason I wanted to create this blog. Whilst I had the privilege to experience this trip and others too, it made me think about how I behaved and the decisions I made as a tourist. In particular, how I was incorporating ethical travel and sustainable tourism.
Ethical travel is about being mindful when you are on your adventures or trips. It means being aware of your impact as a traveller when you explore the wonders of the earth – taking into consideration the environment, the wildlife, the residents, and their economy too.
Sustainable tourism is very similar, if not the same. It focuses on ways to maintain tourism on a long-term basis, without causing lasting damage to the environment and the cultures that people have created. It means seeing the value within our natural resources and preserving them by re-focusing how we act as tourists.
Therefore, this blog will also discuss ways to adopt a more sustainable approach to tourism. Now, I understand that it is sometimes difficult to be eco-friendly when you are abroad. You don’t always know where the recycling bins are or the best place to fill up your water bottle. But hopefully, my suggestions will give you an insight into how to be an eco-friendly warrior during your travels!
If you have read this far, thank you for reading my introduction! Now it’s your turn. I would love to hear any comments, feedback or content suggestions that you have. You can do this by filling in the form on the ‘About’ page. Alternatively, you can drop me an email or message me on social media!
Enjoy the rest of the blog, stay Globetrotting!
(After lockdown of course.)
Globetrotter Gem 