The decision to travel solo despite all odds. As cliched as it may seem, doing things alone is still a taboo in India. I’ve always challenged this ideology and for me, traveling alone all over the world was a life-changing decision.

There were so many things holding me back when I first began to contemplate travelling solo, but eventually I realised we are what we choose to be and we can always do everything our heart desires. It takes courage, strength, and passion and when I took my first solo trip I felt all of it and much more and since then there’s been no looking back.

There were so many things holding me back when I first began to contemplate travelling solo, but eventually I realised we are what we choose to be and we can always do everything our heart desires.

Why I love to travel

Travel to me has been therapeutic. I believe that a change in space both physical and mental heals you in a beautiful way. I personally travel to not just explore new cities and strange streets but to explore myself as a human and I’ve always returned with one new learning about myself. Meeting new people and experiencing an array of things is an added bonus. In a nutshell, I travel to keep my soul happy.

My travel advice

My one travel advise would be to be a sponge in the sense that you should be willing to absorb everything around you, the places, people, experiences, energy, and the vibe. Open up your heart and mind to feel everything it wants to feel and you’re going to thank yourself for it.

Travel to me in a quote is

It’s a story, your story the universe is waiting to hear, feel and live. Travel is love and life and everything in between!

Emotions that places evoke

Travelling evokes a myriad of emotions throughout the whole journey! My most felt had to be joy, anticipation, a sense of belonging, strength, liberation, acceptance and gratitude.

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My most memorable trips

I had made a pact with myself to explore a new country (minimum one)every year. So I happened to take a trip to Europe where I covered about five countries, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. The challenging part about this journey was that it was my first ever solo trip abroad, after having covered several places within India on my own. It was so full of anticipation and excitement and everything in between. No words would do justice to how thrilling an experience this was, in terms of having covered most places on foot, meeting new people, where strangers turned into friends and ending up in places that eventually felt like home!

I’ve mostly been an ambivert all my life and have always found comfort doing things alone but the catch is to open myself up to newness and a whole lot of change at once. And that is what makes for a real challenge. To simply go around exploring streets, trying out new cuisines, talking to the locals, learning about the history of every single place was the most beautiful part of this experience. The whole journey was so fulfilling in every sense. I definitely came back with memories I’ll absolutely cherish for the rest of my life.

A recent travel trend to have caught up Lately, backpacking/solo travel has undoubtedly grabbed everyone’s fancy. I believe this has evolved over time organically as a result of exposure to various dynamic cultures, lifestyles, and people finding more comfort in doing things alone. Something that was once seen as a “taboo” is now slowly becoming a norm and there’s nothing that makes me happier! Another interesting fact is in the past five years, several unexplored places have been put under the spotlight and I cannot wait to explore them all!

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Yamuna Krishna is a book lover, a writer in the making and a professional dancer. While she is based in Bengaluru, she loves travelling and exploring the unexplored. The views expressed are the author’s own.