1 big adventure!
As I’ve received a lot of questions via DM on my Instagram account from friends and followers about how I packed for my month long trip to Bali, how I plan for a trip like that, and how I work through any anxiety about traveling solo… I thought I would open up about how these things go hand in hand for my travel experience.
1 Bag: Already done several posts about packing- but the long and short is that I will have done this whole month trip with 1 bag: my trusts Osprey backpack. If I can’t carry everything I want to take, I don’t need to take it. Knowing that I can move and be responsible for everything I will need on a trip gives me a lot of peace of mind. Within that backpack, I have meticulously organized packing cubes- making it super easy to fit everything in like a puzzle. When moving between homestays or airports, it’s perfect to know exactly where the bag of liquids is or a chance of clothes. This way the worry of “did I remember everything” or the struggle to find something in my bag is eliminated.
1 Month: Why so long? How is it every possible? My answer to “Why” is that I want the time to experience everything I want and not rush. I want to allow the days when I feel tired to happen and allow myself to rest, without feeling like I’m “wasting a day” of a trip. My answer to “How” it that I planned and made some serious life changing choices to make this happen. If you want something enough (like dropping everything and spending a month traveling), why deny yourself? Instead, take the steps to make it happen. We are reminded everyday that life is short. We live in a culture of #selfcare and “treat yo self”… so why not occasionally do just that and chase your dreams? It takes time to settle and experience, so I gave myself a month and it’s been amazing. There have been days I do it all and days I stay in and nap by the pool.
1 Woman: Traveling as a solo woman can be hard/stressful/cause anxiety/make you answer the question “so it’s just you?” over and over… BUT it’s also (and really more importantly) incredibly rewarding/refreshing/exciting/liberating and gives you that power to answer “yup- just me!”. Solo travel is really becoming a culture all it’s own. When you travel solo you end up meeting so many other people on a similar journey who surprisingly supportive. YOU can call the shots on your schedule, plans, down time. I’ve found this experience to be, more than anything, an opportunity for self discovery and I would encourage every woman I know to take a trip, long or short… near or far, with no one but themselves.
1 Adventure: This whole month is a patchwork of daily adventures. From sunrise temple views to grocery store navigation- it’s all something new, necessary, and never ending. But more then that, it’s setting me up for a year of remaking my life, my goals, my routines… me. And sometimes we have to do it that way, I guess. Leave everything that’s become comfortable, remove things that are no longer serving us, step back and evaluate what really matters and what’s worth the fight– and it’s so much easier said then done! This adventure is only just starting to scratch the surface.
So… where are you in your adventure process? Have you taken that jump and changed gears fast for something you know will fulfill you?
I’m still working on it- and supporting one another is part of the process.
<3always,
Christiane
run.live.love. 