July 2017 – Trekking In Couture

Solo travel is a fantasy many travel loving people have! But not many have the courage to chase this dream. What’s stopping us from taking the leap? Is it the fear of being alone? The fear for safety? Or just the thought of having to fend for yourself alone?. But amidst all this uncertainty that small voice inside you is still screaming out to go on a solo adventure!, trapping you in a dilemma of to or not to! How do you listen to that voice and also get over your fear? How do you overcome the fear of solo travel?

Know that wherever you are in the world you will always be surrounded by humans

No solo travel is actually solo!! Because unless you’re travelling to a region where the human population is near to nil, you’ll always be surrounded by humans just like you, whether it’s the locals or travelers. So if you find yourself in a place where you don’t know anyone, go out, make new friends or engage with locals. By doing so you will get a chance to experience the local culture at a better level and may be even be lucky enough to find a friendship that will last a life time.

Learn a bit of the local language

Yes, it is true that today most of the countries have a thriving English speaking community. But it’s always smart to learn a few basic words from the native tongue, just enough to convey your message and get your work done! Knowing simple words like “Yes” “No” “left” “right” can make a whole difference to how your plans work out. So invest some time and energy in to extending you vocabulary, trust me you’ll never regret doing so!

Read read and read

The best way to overcome your fear, is to read about you destination and get a basic idea before you leave. Get to know how the local culture works, learn about what to do and not to do or learn about the safety side of the country. This will not only help you to overcome your fear but also help you to better plan your trip.

Learn from others mistakes

Here’s where blogs come in handy!! Read blog articles on solo travel, meet fellow solo travelers and dig deep in to their travel experiences and lean from their experiences.

Double and treble check legal documents

This is the ONE rule I stick to and follow through each time!! Make sure you have the most important items you need for this trip to happen- Your passport, visa and money. Rest everything you can buy or borrow!! If you have these three things you can survive on your own and fend for the other items once you get to your destination!

Keep a safety account that you can dip in to in an emergency

This is a way to save yourself the trouble and mental trauma of losing money or spending without knowing! But make a mental note to only dip in to this account only and only if you need it! The temptation to dip in to such accounts are high, but Stay Strong!!

No preconceived notions please

Don’t go in thinking things are going to go wrong or you’re going to feel a certain way! Trust me once you’re on the road you will be surprised as to how capable you are! If you keep telling yourself that the journey is going to be scary, it will. Just stop procrastinating and just think of all the great things you will get to do! And make those dreams come true!

You will never really know until you do

Lastly but most importantly just do it!! That’s the only real way you will ever overcome your fear!!

If your sitting at home wondering whether you should take the leap, know that even though it may seem scary at first, it will be one of the most rewarding things you will do in your life! It can help you to discover who you really are and help you to grow in ways that you never knew was possible!

And if you are a pro at solo travelling, do let others know about your experience and your advice for beginners in the comments bellow! Your words might give the push someone out there needs to take the leap!

Until next time,

Safe travels

Chandigarh was the starting point to our Himachal Pradesh adventure, a small stop before the start of the next lag of our journey. We took a train from New Delhi and reached Chandigarh mid-day, so we only had a few hours of daylight left to explore since we were to leave to Shimla early next morning.

Chandigarh is the capital of the sates Punjab and Haryana and is not well known as a tourist attraction. But if you do go out and explore you will be surprised as to how much there is to see. As we only had a few hours we were only able to see the Rock garden, Sukhna Lake which is close by the rock garden and a little bit of roaming around the city center. The city itself is well planned and clean with astounding architectural Pieces scattered throughout.

The rock garden is without a doubt, a master peace with sculptures made completely with industrial and home waste. Birds made with broken bangle pieces, walls lined up with broken tiles, towers of clay pots and an array of waterfalls dotting the landscape are just a few of the things you will find here.

It is said that the master of this magnificent work of art was the self-taught artist and architect Nek Chand, after who the garden was named. Initially when it was developed it was illegal and was under the threat of being demolished. But the creator was able to obtain permission from the government and was opened to the public. Today it stands as the second most popular attraction in India following the Taj.