Honest Truths About Traveling Alone

People usually gasped anytime I said that I was out there (wherever I was at the time) backpacking by myself… And even more gasps and fake faints upon the realization that I was traveling by myself – as a woman.

I get it, but at the same time, I don’t.

What are we all really afraid of? Is it because, as women, we are prone to more danger than men? Is it because we are really perceived as the weaker sex – that we need people around us to protect us all the time? Or is it because of just the mere fact of being by one’s self that we fear? The loneliness… The being alone part?

Well, do you want to know the truth? 

In my experience… When you’re traveling by yourself, you’re hardly ever alone. Not really. Unless you want to be.

I was gone for over 18 months. The trip was mine.

And most of the time, I was only really ever truly alone while I was traveling from one place to the next. On the plane, the bus, the train, or the car. Yes, there were moments when I chose to wander off somewhere by myself, but I think a little isolation is part of the experience.

If I weren’t visiting my family or my friends, I was either Couchsurfing, Voluntouring, or staying at hostels.

ACCOMMODATIONS = LOTS OF PEOPLE

Couchsurfing

When I Couchsurfed, I was very lucky about the hosts that I stayed with. They were very accommodating, generous with their time, and I ended up either hanging out with them, or with the other couchsurfers staying there, same time as me.

This is my Couchsurfing host, Karen, and fellow surfer, Dulce :)

Work Exchange/Volunteering

When I was “voluntouring” via Helpx and Workaway, I was working with other volunteers, and I usually found voluntary employment in hostels or B&B’s. I was constantly surrounded by people, and constantly meeting new travelers!

This is how we did lunch while I was working for a hostel in Italy

These were my fellow volunteers working for a luxurious B&B in Umbria, Italy

This is us, folding sheets, while volunteering at a hostel in Tel Aviv, Israel!

When I stayed at hostels… well, this is when I had to get a little smart and creative.

First of all – I chose to stay at hostels that had a really nice common area. I had a tendency to choose the smaller ones with a more homely vibe. I was very diligent in doing my research, and I read a LOT of reviews. It’s just that the smaller ones with a good common area sort of draw people in, and the space invites the guests to hang out… therefore making it SO much easier to meet people.

HBB Hostel in Sao Paulo during the World Cup!

I have NEVER been in a situation where I didn’t make at least 1 friend while staying at a hostel. As a matter of fact, the acquaintances usually start right at the moment when I check in. If someone there sees you with a backpack, it’s automatically – “Hey! Where u from? What’s your story?” And BOOM. Instant best friends.

Instant besties at our hostel in Lisbon, Portugal

Second – when you are by yourself, and people see that, they usually are the ones to approach you anyway. I’ve always believed that people, in general, are kind. And if they see that you’re alone, they’ll reach out and include you. 

Instant Friends from our hostel in Rome!

So if your excuse is that you’re shy --- then tough luck. You can’t wiggle your way out of this one because people come to you regardless. They introduce themselves to you, they invite you to tag along with them… Trust me. There’s usually always at least ONE person in the whole hostel who will act like the host/ess, or the glue that will turn the whole joint into an organized (sticky) group tour. And most of the time, if you’re lucky, that person is me.

Obviously it helps if you have a more outgoing personality, and making friends with strangers is second nature to you. But even if I think of myself as one, I do have moments when I get a little shy or embarrassed to start up a conversation. I learned though, that sometimes even just a little smile goes a long way. Or a stupid question like – “Do you know where the toilets are?” or “Hey, what kind of currency do we use in this country?”

Once when I tagged along with these Danish girls to go and get all muddled up in the Dead Sea! This mud is magic, BTW

One time, I bumped someone on purpose and said, “Omg I’m sorry! HEY! Nice shirt! Where are you from? I’m Eartha.”

Lame. I know. But we ended up being friends and traveling together for 3 days!

Just remember that most of the time, they are just as scared as you are when it comes to these things… you know, like meeting strangers. But keep in mind that strangers are friends you just haven’t met yet!

TOURS BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Another thing that I did quite frequently was go on Free Walking Tours, or random city tours and excursions. These usually lasted for about 1 to 3 hours long, and about 80% of the time, the whole group ends up having lunch, dinner or drinks together afterwards. Instant buddies in a strange land!

Friends I've made on a walking tour in Athens

I went on a Greek Hiking Tour once and I was in Santorini by myself. On the boat on the way over, I met a few groups of girls, and we all just sort of ended up in a little pack. We exchanged emails and we basically hung out with each other the whole time I was there. I even ended up traveling to Mykonos with one of them randomly, and her and I became really good friends.

My ladies in Greece! We are still friends :)

DANGERS ARE EVERYWHERE ANYWAY

OK. When I look back on all the places I visited, I think I was on my guard the most while I was in Argentina, and Rio. I was heavily warned by both travelers and locals, mostly about pickpockets and such. And I did see and feel danger while I was there… that everyone was just wary of one another.

My bag got stolen when I was in Buenos Aires. It was a rookie mistake. I was in a very posh area of the city, having lunch with a friend. I usually do not let my purse leave my body, but on this occasion, I put it on the ground next to the wall and I was stepping on the strap. Sadly, it was still swiped from under me without me even noticing it. I regret being stupid. But then again, I was having lunch with this gorgeous Uruguayan model and I think anyone else would have been just as distracted.

He is a real person. His name is Fernando. Dangerous.

In Rio, during the 2014 Carnival, it felt like the dangers were a lot worse. So I didn’t even bring anything out with me. My money and my lipstick were stuffed in my bra, and I had nothing in my hands. I hardly even brought my camera out. I relied on others to just send me the photos they took.

Trying to protect my dignity in Rio!

But in all of these instances, I always had my wits about me. I was smart. I never walked alone in the dark by myself, and I never allowed myself to put myself in dangerous situations. I always had a keen sense of awareness, and I always carried my pocket pepper spray!

In hindsight, I was very lucky that in all the traveling I did – getting my bag stolen from under my nose was the worst thing that happened. And I’d like to think it’s because I put my adult hat on and took care of myself pretty well.

THOUGHTS ON BEING ALONE

During the moments I was actually on my own (pretending he's beside meee...), it wasn't so bad. The thing is, when you are in some form of isolation, you really end up learning a lot about yourself.

For instance, I learned that when I'm by myself, there is a LOT of internal monologue going on. I talk to myself constantly, and I narrate as if I were telling myself the story of what is currently happening to me. 

For example... "Oh... I can see that there is hail. Right. I am right in the middle of a hailstorm and I am freaking out. It sounds like someone is shooting a machine gun at my car. Oh my God. What shall I do? I will stay calm and keep driving. Just keep driving... Just keep driving driving driving.... Oh look, a rainbow!"

Is that weird?

Yeah this was my drive during the internal monologue you just read above.

One of the most significant alone times of my journey was when I was driving through the North Island of New Zealand. It was during the first leg of my trip, and I was driving through the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in my life, on a right hand drive car, up and down a mountain. I was completely out of my comfort zone in a completely strange land, populated by mostly sheep.

Meh-eh-eh-eh-eh!

I felt completely isolated - and with that, came a little fear, but that's okay... Because along with the fear came a little courage, and a very strong sense of self awareness. I realized that as I was talking to myself... comforting myself through this whole process - I made myself laugh. It wasn't so bad learning that I actually liked my own company -- and THIS is very important self-love stuff.

One of very many "scared" selfies I took, driving in NZ on my own

Your location plays a lot into the experience too, because it's hard to achieve a good sense of solitude when you are surrounded by the noise of the city and society.

But when you are in a place as beautiful as this....

Gasp.

...things become really clear. Outward silence bring inner silence, and it is usually then that you learn your life's greatest lessons. 

I remember feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be at that exact moment. I remember feeling grateful that I made the decision to take a leap of faith. And I remember thinking to myself, that I must always remember that when I am alone, I am not necessarily lonely. 

All I know for sure is that I felt more alone when I was living in LA than I did when I was traveling the world solo. And while I was out there, I learned a great deal about myself that I never would have known had I stayed in the comfort of my old life... trapped in the four walls of society.

These experiences of solitude tested and challenged me to understand who I really am and what I really wanted out of my life. And because of this, I am a better and happier person. 

AND SO

Now that I have experienced both traveling by myself and with a partner, I can definitely say that there are perks to doing both. It's great to travel with someone, yeah... But it's equally satisfying going on a trip by yourself.

I just think that if you've been wanting to go on a trip of a lifetime but you're putting it off because you're still waiting to meet that one person to go and travel with... Well, you may as well toss that suitcase out because I think you may end up waiting a very veeerry long time.

Don't postpone these kinds of adventures because of the fear of being alone. You're never gonna get to do anything if you keep giving into those reasons why you shouldn't do it.

Believe me, if you go, you'll end up having a great time, make a ton of friends - real ones, and I bet --- you're probably even going to meet someone special while you're on the road. It's happened to me a few times... and trust me... A little romance never hurt anybody ;)

I heard someone say that the "You only live once" quote is false. "You only DIE once," is more accurate. And I completely agree. You do only die once - but you live EVERY DAY. 

So let's make it count. 

Hawaiian Volcanoes And Coastlines

One of the great things about working on my cruise ship is that even if I am frequently unable to get off the ship as often as I would like, there are certain things I could still consider a "Hawaiian Experience" without having to step foot outside the vessel.

Well - 2 things in particular.

1. The Currently Erupting Kilauea Volcano in the Big Island

I believe the term they used to describe the activity was -  "gurgling lava"... which is a pretty cool visual of what is currently going on over there!

So - this active volcano, Kilauea, has been literally ON FIRE for the past couple months. Our ship docks at the Big Island on the Hilo side on Tuesdays, then over to the Kona side on Wednesdays. On Tuesday evenings as we make the sail from Hilo to Kona, we swing by the area where the Volcano is. See image below...

As we get closer to this hot mess, the ship turns out all our external lights to give us a better visual of the volcano.

One Tuesday night, I made the effort to stay up until 9:45pm (I know... wild, right?) to see this visual spectacle. I was told that the best view of it is from the bow of the ship (read: the area of the ship where Rose and Jack did the "I'm the King of the World" bit), and so I sashayed my way all the way forward and braced myself.

www.wanderlustcreations.com

This photo was taken by Carley, our photo manager... and she used her telescope-like lens to be able to capture these images. My phone, unfortunately does not have the shooting power to match these. I honestly didn't even bring my phone. I went up there purely for the experience.

This photo was taken by another one of our photographers, Sierra Schmidt :)

OK - seeing the erupting volcano from the ship was pretty cool. Yeah, it's an experience for the books, not many of us can say we've approached an erupting volcano from the ocean in a powerful vessel... But that evening, what made an impression on me wasn't the volcano - but the stars.

There was hardly any light pollution because the ships lights were out, and so I basically saw a night scattered with a billion stars, as close as I thought I could ever get to them.

It was beautiful...

I'm not gonna lie... I had an infinite moment... Maybe shed a tear or two.

I wish I had a photo to share... But it basically looked like this:

2. The View of the Na Pali Coastline

On Friday afternoons at 5:30pm, as our ship returns to Honolulu from the island of Kauai, we swing by an area where we could get a full view of the Na Pali Coastline. 

The Na Pali Coast is a 15 mile stretch of rugged coastline, most of which is inaccessible due to the cliffs that drop straight down to the ocean... The best way to view it is - you guessed it! From my ship! Yeah, you can hike parts of it... But you won't be able to get spectacular photos like these... which I actually took from my phone!

Isn't it beauuuutiful?

Jurassic Park and World and Pirates of the Caribbean used this beauty in some of their scenes... Oooh and King Kong, too...
It may just look like a random landscape, but it's really *really* beautiful. You only get this view from a ship, and we are really lucky to be experiencing this every Friday!

It was a still day. Hardly any wind.

I look like I've been photoshopped

So that's 2 purely Hawaiian things we get to experience on our ship without having to get off at all! Works out great for Lazy Luna's like me :) 


Whale season is coming up soon. Whale watching from the ship doesn't sound too bad either...

Wish me luck!

Skydiving in Kauai

This is basically a #BucketList post, wherein I share one of the items that I have ticked off of my own list.

Sky Diving is on 90% of the world's population's Bucket List. Not everyone gets to tick it off, though. I'm very glad I did.

Fair Warning: Some photos may be disturbing. Sky diving, which makes you travel a million or so miles an hour, make your skin floppy and flabby, mostly on the face, and they make for very RAW and RIVETING photos.

KAUAI

My ship goes to the island of Kauai every Thursday and Friday. They call this the Honeymoon Island... Others say it's the Adventure Island.

Well, I call it, Grocery Day! Because we've got Kmart and Walmart shuttles waiting for us outside our ship, that run every 15 to 20 minutes! Yippee!

Anyway... Michelle (my boss) and I, booked ourselves to go skydiving at Sky Dive Kauai to celebrate our birthdays. My birthday was in March, hers was in May, we figured that was as good a time as any to do a joint birthday celebration jump! It doesn't make sense, but hey... We went out there and did something!

SIGNING YOUR LIFE AWAY

You seriously do. When you get there, you have to sign a waiver that literally says - "You could be killed"... AND sign a statement that says, "I am voluntarily choosing to risk my life."

Here is proof.

But... We all die in the end, anyway. And I figured... if I died jumping out of a plane, *flying*, like I've always dreamed of doing since I was a child, it wouldn't be too bad.

And so we got ourselves strapped and ready to go!

GOING UP

This was our plane.

It looked like it was severely injured and bandaged.

Not really sure how I felt upon laying my eyes on that.

Luckily, the instructors were kidding... And directed us to an equally small - but better looking plane.

This one looked healthier.

So basically, all four of us (Michelle and both our instructors) were going to squeeze into that little thing --- WHICH DID NOT HAVE A DOOR, I'd like to add... and the pilot was gonna take us up, give us a little areal view of Kauai, and then just dump us out! Simple!

Gulp.

There were no chairs, so we were all just seated nice and snug on the floor.

Michelle was having a blast and was looking very cozy with her man.

While I... Was not.

I was already screaming, and we hadn't even took off yet.

We went up and the pilot sort of took his time hovering around Kauai to give us a really nice view of the island from above. It's really pretty... But to be honest, I was NOT digging the whole foreplay thing.

I did mention that the plane did not have a door, right? So I was growing anxious of what was about to come, and delaying the inevitable was killing me. I was getting more and more nervous, I could NOT enjoy the view, no matter how gorgeous the day was... I kept thinking about the jump, and having to jump out, and the possibility of plummeting down to my inevitable death.

Deep breaths.

"Can we just jump??" I yelled to my instructor.

"Whaaat?" he yelled back.

"Let's just GO! Let's get it over with!" I screamed.

He laughed, and said, "OK! Almost there!"

The pilot took us above the clouds, and got ready, as WE got ready.

I volunteered early on to jump first. Not because of bravery... but because I knew I was going to get even MORE anxious or nervous if I were to witness Michelle jump out of the plane first, and then wait for her to get to a certain height before I could jump out.

No way. I'd rather get it over with first. I don't do very well with anticipation, and I am not a very patient woman.

GOING DOWN

We started to position ourselves by the (nonexistent) door.

You will notice that I am leaning my head up against my instructor's shoulder.

No - I wasn't trying to be cute.

I could NOT look Down. 

NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME. I couldn't look down. If I could have jumped out lying face up like a pancake, I would have. I am not afraid of heights but it's the ANTICIPATION. I was VERY nervous, and if I looked down, I would have had thoughts of backing out - and it was out of the question. So I just kept my head up, and let my instructor count off!

As soon as he said, "READY??"
I started screaming...

3...(Aaah) 2... (AAAAAH) 

1.

Aaaaaaaa..aa.......aaaaa...

And we were falling.

THE SENSATION

So - one of the fears that I had about sky diving (apart from the possibility of my own demise) is the feeling that you get in your navel... You know what I'm talking about? The involuntary jolt that you feel when you fall very quickly... You feel it on those vertical drop rides in carnivals... or when there is bad turbulence on the plane...

I hate that.

It's one of the most icky feelings in the world and it makes me want to either throw up or poop. But I was prepared for it because I figured it was part of the whole experience...

Or so I thought.

I am very happy to announce that you, in fact, do NOT get that gross navel jolt feeling. Not at all.

On the 15 seconds or so of free fall - all you feel is....

Euphoria.

Floppy Skin Euporia.

It is, what I imagine, SUPERMAN feels when he flies. Pure and utter bliss.

I was still screaming - but not out of fear anymore... It was exhilaration and joy. 

So, you know that scene in Superman... when he takes Lois Lane up to fly with him for the first time, and the song, "Can You Read My Mind" plays? Well.... THIS.

I mean, you only free fall for about 10 - 15 seconds (possibly even less)... but those moments are what you remember, because it's what renders the most intense feelings of happiness.

It is fleeting... but totally, TOTALLY worth it. 

ZERO GRAVITY

Before I knew it - he pulled the parachute, and BEUFFFFF!

It was like we were suspended in time and space, and we lost gravity. 

I felt weightless for about half a minute, my senses still confounded from the free fall... 

And then it was just - nice.

Really quiet and peaceful.

beautiful.

I think I started screaming again after a minute, just because my emotions were so high...

But it was great to be just floating up there...

My instructor let me drive for a minute to let me feel what it's like to take control of the chute... It was great - but it takes a little getting used to.

We were up there for a while, just enjoying the nice wind and the view, goofing around with the GoPro...

And then we made our descent.

My instructor and I had a PERFECT landing, planting all four feet firmly on the ground... That is, before my knees buckled from the relief of BEING ALIVE!!!!

You will literally scream - "I'm Alive! I'm Alive" after going through all that. 

Honestly, the wave of relief that swept over me made me realize that I really DID think that there was a huge possibility of me dying! 

Craaazy....

I had a little pensive moment... To think about life and all that...

Life.

And then I got over it, and posed in front of my parachute.

Michelle and I ran in for a big hug when we were both on the ground, congratulating each other for not dying!

It was AH-MAY-ZING!!! And honestly - I cannot wait to do it again!

The worst part is letting go --- as it always is, in life.

Really - it's the jump. Or the idea of jumping out of the plane.

Once you get over that little hurdle - everything is illuminated... Everything that you experience from then on is just beauty... and madness... and euphoria... and love.

There is no pain. Only fun. I promise!

One final selfie with my instructor, and back to the ship we went.

It was a great day. :)

On Traveling Through Air, Land and Sea

Almost 2 years since the last time I wrote. I don't know what to say, as I am a little ashamed of this prolonged absence.

All I could offer as an excuse is that - life happened.
Too cliche'? It doesn't make it any less true though!!!
Friends, I urge you not to dwell on the past and move past this. The past is in the past, and so let us focus on what lies ahead! (See what I did there?)
I am sorry for disappearing... Really... But I am here now. I missed you guys! Besides, I refuse for my post about getting into the cruising industry be the last thing that anyone ever remembers about me... because there truly is a lot more to say... A mountain of stories yet to be told... And I am not done. At least not yet. :)

WHERE I AM NOW

I am writing this in the middle of the forest in Maryland, at a training center for my ship. Yes, I still currently work for a cruise ship, same position as a trainer, but a different ship with a different itinerary. After a brief stint in the Caribbean, I was assigned to our American ship that is primarily based in Hawaii!

Alohaaaaa!

Yes – I have been a Hawaiian for more than a year now. It works pretty well though because I totally rock the Hawaiian look. People think I’m local… And my ukulele? I mean come on. It’s like the mother ship called me home.

I would like to say that all I do is surf on the beach and jam on my uke with the locals all day, grazing around in my grass skirt with flowers in my hair…
Alas… the only thing that is true about that statement are the flowers in my hair. 

BOOM. Tangled, anyone?

Work is still work, and although I enjoy seeing Hawaii whenever I get the chance, I do still work long hours inside the ship.

Every now and then, I do allow myself the pleasure of hanging out with my turtle friends... I mean, come on. How can I not?

I am in Maryland now, assigned temporarily to our training facility that feeds the ship new crew members.  I’m back on the ship in September.

ON TRAVEL

Truly, the best part about my job is the vacation. When I was moved to the Hawaii ship, my contract changed. I now work on a 4:2 rotation… which means 4 months of work, 2 months of vacation – year round. It’s really hard to beat that, don’t you think?

And during my 2 month vacation  (since the last time I wrote, there have been three vacays)  I did travel quite a bit. Of course I did.

I went back to Europe

Hola, Sevilla!

Explored bits of Eastern Europe

That is the glorious landscape of Sarajevo

At one point, I went back to the Philippines

Lalalaaaa....Palawan you're so beautifuuuul...

And Europe Again...

Berlin!

So I’m happy to say that travel is still a very significant part of my life. I think it always will be... just not the same way it has been while I was backpacking.

ON LIFE AFTER THE ROUND THE WORLD TRIP

Truthfully, one of the reasons why I started writing again is because in the past few months, I've started reading my old posts. It's weird because it almost felt like I was reading about the adventures of another person. Isn't that wild? I almost didn't recognize myself. It was only then that I truly got what other people had been telling me all this time... That I was brave. Maaaaan, I had balls of steel!

I mean... my road trip through the North Island of New Zealand where I went through MORDOR was terrifying. Hitchhiking in Israel was pretty ballsy. Getting robbed in Buenos Aires was AGGGGHHH - annoying! And lets not forget, my otherworldly AYAHUASCA ceremony experience that killed me and brought me back to life. That's not even half of the stuff I did.

Reading about all of that was so much fun. I laughed out loud for the majority of them, maybe shed a tear or two for some... But mostly it made me reflect on how much what I did changed me. Going through all of that really and truly changed who I am. I am no longer the same person I was before I started all this.

Yeah, putting myself out there and living through those experiences does sound brave. But when I think about it and remember how I felt during those moments that required me to summon all the courage I had in me -- I realize that as humans, you really just do what you have to do to make the most out of the situations you find yourself in.
It's not necessarily bravery... I think it's just survival. 

No matter how big the fear - most of the time you have no choice but to plow through and keep going. Because otherwise... what's the point? That'st just life, isn't it? If you need to sleep in a basement full of cardboard boxes and dog food for the night to save some cash, or hitchhike instead of paying an exorbitant amount of money on a cab, or scrub toilets and make beds if it meant having a roof over your head and free food for a few weeks ---- You do it. You survive. Not because you want to... but because you have to.

This was my first Couchsurfing Experience. It looks bad but I met the BEST people!

It was my choice to put myself in those situations, and I knew those kinds of experiences were going to be inevitable because I had a small budget. I couldn't afford to be luxurious or picky. However what I didn't expect was how much I was going to gain, as a person, by going through all that. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Now - the question is... Would I do all of that again? Would I willfully put myself in those situations once more?

Ah... the answer is not so simple. Hahaha

LET ME TRY TO EXPLAIN

Reading about the things that I did made me nostalgic. I do miss the glorious RTW Backpacking days of yore. But as I get older - and as I find myself in a completely different personal situation than the past --- I realize that my preferences have changed.

Let me try to explain further.
Working for the cruise ship has afforded me the opportunity to work, earn money, and still keep traveling. I work for 4 months, and travel for 2 months. Remember when I gave up my worldly possessions? My car, my apartment, my stuff... Well, I still don't have any of that back... Still no bills to pay. And so I guess you can say - I work to travel! (Now isn't that just the dream??? Although my father would argue otherwise. Hehe)

Which means that when I do travel - I have a little bit more money at my disposal to NOT stay in a cardboard box, so to speak. And nowadays - I don't really travel by myself anymore (hint hint)... And so instead of staying at hostels, I find myself paying just a tiny bit more, to book accommodations at Airbnb... which is private, but still cheaper than staying at a hotel. 

This is one of my accommodations at AirBnB. Not too shabby, eh? :)

Because of skimping on basically everything when I did the RTW trip, having a little bit more cash now has allowed me to splurge JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, on things like food, excursions here and there, or touristy things. And truthfully, when you're traveling with someone, those kinds of things are fun when experienced together. 

So now,  I am making brand new travel experiences! And I appreciate them as much as I did my old experiences... they are just different.

I am STILL cheap as hell though, just so you know. It's just now - I'm cheap by choice, not by default. If that makes sense.

NOW WHAT?

Now? I keep going. I'm going to do this until my body and mind and soul allows me to. I am still traveling. I am still in a pretty convenient situation where I can keep the lifestyle that I have chosen. I work, and I travel. I'm still in a position that is quite different from the norm - and for that, I am grateful. 

When the day comes that I go back "on land", I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. Life is continually evolving... Things change so constantly, that as human beings, we just do what we can to adapt and keep up with whatever is thrown at us.

But for now, Earth2eartha's story isn't over.  The Round The World Solo Traveling chapter may have come to an end  - but another chapter has been written. All I need to do now is tell it.

Thanks for sticking around... :)