HERE’S TO THE JOURNEYS AHEAD (AND THE STORIES WE’LL TELL)
Well hello there! It seems you have ventured onto my pet project and I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been planning travel for my friends and family for years and they’ve all told me “Rachel you should do this for real”. Of course, in typical Rachel fashion I always just brushed it off and didn’t think anything of it because the thought of me stepping out to do something like that on my own was terrifying. I was supposed to just stick to the script and not overstep my comfort zone. But in reflection I realize that through travel I overstep my comfort zone all the time. And I enjoy it. Even the scary parts (emphasis on scary, I didn’t say dangerous). I would rather travel the world to different places where I know no one and don’t speak the language then give a presentation at school or work to people I know.
I’m writing this intro on myself and my travel page from the balcony of the Westin Lagunamar Ocean in Cancun Mexico. I’ve never been to Mexico before today even though it’s right next door to the US, where I’m from. I’ve jumped across the pond to Europe and Africa though many times but haven’t even ventured to my neighbor to the south. Anyway we’ll dive into this trip a little more later. Back to what I was saying…. I had started a blog back when I was doing study abroad in 2014 about my European adventure and it was fun giving updates to my family and friends. They also demanded proof of life since I was over there for months all by myself but I enjoyed capturing my travels and telling them about it in a fun way instead of just texting them pictures. If you want to give the old study abroad blog a peak you can find it here. I’m not a writer so it was all in my own tone of voice, sarcasm, jokes, and typos, which hopefully translates into a black and white written form on the internet but hey we’re bringing it back! Still not a writer, still just winging it. But now I’m trying to share it with more people!
Some quick things that solo traveling has taught me:
-How to advocate for myself. As a solo traveler there’s literally no one there to do it for you. Thankfully we have the internet to teach some key phrases and words in other languages. The amount of times I’ve had to search for phrases to ask for help, listened to the translation to say to someone, butcher it completely, get laughed at a little (and humbled), and then received assistance is way more than I can remember. But it also made me realize people are generally nice and appreciate you trying.
-If you take the language out of it, we all generally want the same things. I remember being on a train in Europe and I couldn’t understand what the mom was saying to her kids who were asking out but I could summarize that she was gathering them to get it together and act right and once the kid sat down she hugged him and it was back to being a chill family moment. Or the times I watched my host sister hang out with her friends and just laugh. I didn’t speak Catalan but I could pick up on the vibes.
-the world is naturally a very beautiful place. I like to go on hikes when I travel. Being in nature after being in a hustling, bustling city all the time is literally a breath of fresh air.
All that to say I’m going to pick back up on blogging about my experiences. Food. Hotels. Attractions. Observations. How I booked my travel. Likes. Dislikes. All the things. Even some of the precarious situations I might get myself in (sorry mom and dad, you can skip those posts!).
The next post will be about how I booked a $20,530 trip to Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore for only $1,978 out of pocket. You’re welcome to subscribe and join for the ride!
