The Lone Traveller

The trip to Thailand during the Chinese New Year period next year was called off because the friend whom we were planning to meet has to be on standby for a project during that period.

I’ve been toying with the idea that I could still make the trip alone because the promotional airfare is quite tempting. But I would need to grab my ticket by this month…or this week, knowing how 'kiasu' Singaporeans are when it comes to cheap airfares.

I do want to discover other parts of Thailand like Yeesan, Hua Hin, Cha Am, Sukhothai, Trang, Krabi etc. But I do have several considerations now…one of which is whether I’ll be broke by the time I return from my Europe trip! Yup, that is very likely to happen if I need to pay $6 for a cup of coffee in Scotland!

Why travel alone, you may ask. By going on a trip alone, I do not need to consult anyone on the dates, the itineraries, the airline to take etc. I just decide, book my ticket, hotel and go!

Isn’t it boring, lonely, scary to travel all by myself? My answer is, yes. When you’re doing everything alone, you have to take care of everything and I mean everything on your own! There’s no one to help keep an eye on your baggage while you go to the washroom, no one to wake you up should the alarm clock fail to work, no one to help you find your way around when you lose your orientation. Basically you just need to be 100% independent.

So why do I still choose to travel alone? My friends, every now and then, I do like to be a lone traveller not because I don’t like to travel with friends…but because it’s just essential for me to be quiet, alone at times. We live in a very noisy, chatty, stressful environment so moments of silence are luxury to me. When I’m alone, I learn to discover myself and get to know the real me. I get to see clearly my likes and dislikes, my fears, my tolerance and adaptability levels.

Don’t get upset if I don’t invite some of you for a trip sometimes. But if I’ve agreed to take you with me to my favourite destination…Thailand, you can be assured, I will definitely keep to my word.