Around the World in 15 Days

At the beginning of this year I returned from an epic trip which involved completing a significant life challenge and personal quest that I’d been wanting to do for a long time. I successfully went around the world, full-circle, by myself, in just 15 days. Now, if I had it my way entirely, I would’ve extended this trip by several more weeks, but as a working professional not quite ready to jump aboard the nomadic lifestyle, this wasn’t an option and being crafty with limited PTO was necessary (OK, there’s also that little money factor).

My original desire was to spend two weeks in Asia, visiting Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. After a travel buddy of mine notified me early last year of a flight pricing error, my trip randomly became JFK-Milan and Prague-Bangkok (with an extended layover in Paris) for less than $500. With a price like that I’d have been a fool to refuse, and I figured I’d work out the return and in-between details later. This route at least got me to Thailand and enabled me to spend time in Italy, which I’d never visited before either.

Fast forward several weeks post ticket purchase. It’s early summer and I’m in a relationship. While we aren’t the perfect couple, and don’t have a whole lot in common for that matter, I’m happy and enjoying sharing my time with someone. He tells me he wants to join me on this trip. I’m surprised considering that he’s never traveled abroad before, but excited to share the experience with him and witness him seeing the world for the first time. I realize this skews my plans of solo travel but at the same time embrace what could ultimately be a really nice, romantic vacation. The only catch is, to make this work, we have to stay together through the end of 2014.

More time goes by, and we aren’t getting along very well. It gets to the point where I know in my heart I will not be happy long term with this person, and if you aren’t happy, why waste more of your time? We end on pretty bad terms in October and I experience the typical post-breakup blues for the next several weeks.

At this point, most of the trip had been mapped out and booked. I make a few rearrangements which include canceling the Thai islands portion of the trip and switching it to north Thailand to volunteer with elephants, something I’ve always wanted to do, and I switch all the hotel accommodations to hostel dorm rooms. While I was bummed to miss the beautiful beaches, I convinced myself that I can always go to Ko Phi Phi another time. Also, I have plenty of years as an older adult to do the quiet hotel room with my significant other… nothing sounded worse to me than staying in a hotel alone on this trip. Bor-ing!

Finally, it’s December and I’m counting down the days to my trip. The big day arrives and I head to RDU airport for my very first flight, the trip up to NYC. Sitting on the plane, they announce that it’s a full flight and to make room for your seatmate. The plane fills up and I’m wondering who will take the seat next to me. They close the gate and we prepare for departure. I stretch out, chuckling at my luck for the empty neighbor seat I’ve been gifted. Then it dawns on me. That was my exes seat. This was a crucial moment of clarity for me as I realized I had completely forgotten that he was even supposed to be there in the first place. What an amazing revelation to start the trip off with: I bought the tickets alone to start, I end up traveling alone, and most importantly, I was SUPPOSED to be alone. This realization truly set the trip off on a positive note and I continued the journey with my head held high and happy. I had a f*$%ing blast because of the way things panned out.

In summary, my route became Milan for Christmas, 3 days and nights in Rome, an overnight in Paris, an overnight flight to Bangkok, 3 days and nights in Bangkok (including New Years Eve), 2 days and nights in Chiang Mai, 1 night in Ho Chi Minh City, and 1 night in Tokyo. I saw more than I ever thought possible in that time span. I met amazing new people and reunited with old friends, I ate some of the best food I’ve ever had, saw beautiful, historic, and interesting sites, and navigated through all of my travel logistics almost flawlessly. I even made it back to work literally less than 24 hours after being in Tokyo. That part was terrible, but I did it :p

What did this trip teach me? That I can and am completely capable of doing anything I want on my own. I was originally nervous about two factors; first, the social aspect (being forced to meet people on my own), and second, the logistics aspect (I figured surely I’d miss a flight or two). What it boils down to is that with minimal effort, it’s extremely easy to befriend random people or get assistance from a stranger if you are lost. Because I had mapped *almost* everything out ahead of time, I rarely wasted time or extra money stressing over details. And I hardly ever felt unsafe. In addition to nailing these factors, I totally loved traveling solo and feel like I really thrived in it. Having the ability to do whatever I wanted, move at my own speed, skip a meal altogether or sit lazily for two hours if I preferred… every decision lied in my own hands. All in all it was a very special and unforgettable experience that will stay in my heart forever. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and adventure alone, because believe me, the gains are worth it.

Have you ever traveled solo? What did you gain from the experience? Leave a comment below!