Travel now not tomorrow

Poor environment, bad weather or dismal economic opportunities can all lead someone to pack their bags and push off to a new life.   When this happens, we leave with optimism for change, opportunity, sunshine, the good things of life. Sometimes, we believe that leaving home will somehow change us. This is not uncommon after a loss such as death, divorce or redundancy. In this situation, we often travel alone. There are no compromises to be made when you travel solo. This type of travel is about escaping, changing surroundings and our daily schedules and gaining freedom from whatever we feel chains us. However, we can be pulled towards the new, because that is where we want to be. Escaping in the name of adventure. Heading out to an airport, train station or long-range bus terminal can give some of us a thrill. Escaping to where no one knows your name.   Oftentimes, we are warned against this type of journey. However, as Paul Coelho points out: “If you think adventure is da...

 Going it alone Why travel alone? Well, why not? Sometimes our friends or family don't want to go where we want to go. Often they have an excuse like they need a new car, a new garden fence or they don't like foreign food. Sometimes, you have only two choices - you stay home with them or you go off and do it alone. I will not pretend that this is an easy option. It will be lonely at times, you might get lost, approached by suspicious strangers, robbed. But let's face it, these things could all happen at home. Suspicious strangers don't just live in foreign lands, we have plenty of them around our own territories.  As for loneliness, we have to learn to deal with it. It often feels worse when we're out for dinner alone and around us are tables of people lit up with laughter. My advice is to learn to enjoy their laughter, it will make you smile despite your loneliness. Watch them to find out who is the clown, who is the serious one, who doesn't want to be there, w...