Bara Bungalows, Pak Bara, Thailand (200 Baht/night)
I arrived at the Bara Bungalows in Pak Bara, Thailand, after several months of excitement and anticipation for the grand adventures that awaited me across the sea. But instead of the excitement I was expecting, I found myself feeling utterly alone in my small fan. The accommodation was basic, with dingy cement walls, a poorly functioning TV with only Thai channels, no Wi-Fi, and no lounge area to share stories with other solo travelers. The cold water showers didn’t help to improve the experience, and the lingering musty smell just added to the disappointment. I was in the classic trough period of solo travel, feeling isolated and disconnected from the world around me.
7 Tangible Tips for enjoying solo travel
If all goes according to plan, I will be on the road for another 12 months and likely encountering similar feelings of solitude along the way, so I have begun coming up with ways to pass the time alone.
Solo travel can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it can also be lonely at times. To help combat feelings of isolation, it’s important to come up with ways to pass the time and stay engaged with the world around you.
Here are 7 tangible tips for enjoying solo travel:
- Journal writing – I purchased a travel journal earlier tonight at a local convenience store. Rather than staring at the blank, grimy walls, I will fill blank pages with my travel experiences. Purchase a travel journal and use it to document your experiences. Putting pen to paper can be a great way to reflect on your travels and create a lasting record of your journey.
- Photo and video editing – I like to go through all the photos I take during the day, pick out my favorite, and use the Snapseed photo editing app to make the colors pop. Take the time to go through the photos you’ve taken during the day, and use photo editing apps to enhance the memories.
- Good books to read – Right now I am reading a book my grandfather passed down to me, an oldie but goodie, Washington Irving’s Sketch Book. Pack a book or two that you’ve been meaning to read, or find a local bookstore and pick up a classic or something new.
- Don’t make so many plans – While it’s important to plan for visas and flights, everything else will fall into place. It’s important to be open to new experiences and opportunities that may arise.
- Catch the sunrise and admire the sunset – There are two things on a solo traveler’s to do list each day, sunrise and sunset. Wake up early to catch the sunrise and spend the afternoon scouring and strategizing about the best place to watch the sunset.
- Learn the local language – Some stages of my solo travels have involved weeks without conversation. Simply learning the basics (hello, thank you, how much, basic counting, where are you from, where is the cheap hotel, etc.) are invaluable tools to getting along in a different country. Knowing basic phrases in the local language can be incredibly valuable for getting around and communicating with locals.
- Stay in Hostels on occassion – Hostels are a great way to meet other travelers and make new friends from around the world. If you want to make a quick group of new friends from around the world, use websites like www.hostelworld.com to find reviews and book the best and cheapest hostels.
“In traveling by land there is a continuity of scene and a connected succession of persons and incidents, that carry on the story of life, and lessen the effect of absence and separation. We drag, it is true, “a lengthening chain,” at each remove of our pilgrimage; but the chain is unbroken: we can trace it back link by link; and we feel that the last still grapples us to home. But a wide sea voyage severs us at once. It makes us conscious of being cast loose from the secure anchorage of settled life, and sent adrift upon a doubtful world. It interposes a gulf, not merely imaginary, but real, between us and our homes – a gulf subject to tempest, and fear, and uncertainty, rendering distance palpable, and return precarious.” -Washington Irving
Boat from Pak Bara to Koh Lipe, Thailand (Timetable)
This morning, I took a walk down the beach in Pak Bara just in time to capture the sunrise. The locals were preparing meals and catching sea creatures, while tourists rushed to the boat dock, all en route to Koh Lipe. I was excited for the short yet significant sea voyage that awaited me. I had breakfast at a street vendor, sharing a table with two men from Pak Bara. I learned that plain water is pronounced “nam plao” in Thai and enjoyed some delicious coconut shaving covered treats before departing for Koh Lipe.
Sunrise Beach, Koh Lipe, Thailand
I’m learning to enjoy the inner peace of solo travel and the realization that the only thing I can control is my own horizontal movements to the next scenic vista. I am aware that I have the ability to inspire change simply by changing myself. I am yearning for a Buddhist state of mind, losing my ego and losing myself to find myself. I walked 14,272 steps before noon, and now I am perched atop a comfortable boulder staring into the distant islands. The waves gently drift ashore as I put pen to paper once more.
As I watch couples walking hand in hand down the beach, I can’t help but wonder if I am missing out on something. But the other part of me takes note of how far my mind has matured with regard to solitude since my last Southeast Asia travels. The progress is undeniable. I wonder what passersby think of this man perched atop the rock scribbling away, sweat droplets staining the pages. I am curious about my purpose, but I know that purpose reveals itself in time. I am constantly striving for an ideal state of mind, but I take pride in feeling as if I am exactly where I am meant to be in each present moment.
