Almost exactly one month later.
I took so long to take action, waited months after booking for it to arrive, and then it was over in a few days like a whirlwind. Now it had become a distant memory amidst the grind of daily life, almost like it hadn’t happened. Indeed, the excitement in the preparation phase leading up to the trip is legit the best part.
I’m still extremely thankful the trip took place though! Wouldn’t change a single thing about it. Here are a few thoughts I’d gathered afterwards that I thought I’d document for myself.
1. The Importance of Staying Physically Fit
I had this thought when I went to Malacca with my mom and aunt recently. And I had this thought again when I was alone in Taiwan. I had a 15kg trunk to maneuver and in some parts, there was no lift/escalator/slope in place of stairs. That meant physically carrying the luggage up and down flights of stairs unassisted. It occurred to me that in order to be able to continue travelling, alone or otherwise, for a long long time to come, this is the very least I need to be able to do without being a burden to others.
And 15kg is already really light since it’s a short trip. Yet I’m sheepish to say that it hadn’t been a total breeze for me during my stairs climb.
2. Travel As Much As Is Reasonable, As Soon As Possible
I know some people don’t really care that much for travelling, but for people who do, I think we need to do that as frequently and as soon as we can, without compromising on other important priorities in life. And I’m not even going to pull the too-old-to-walk card because everyone knows that already. Pragmatically-speaking, it’s getting more and more expensive to travel to anywhere. Flights, hotels, tours, standard of living in the host countries – they are all escalating so fast! Obviously, holidays are expensive, no doubts about that. But if you put off going somewhere you really want to go to because of the cost right now, it’s only going to get harder to part with that money because it is going to be even more expensive in the future.
I also decided that it is easier to part with $X now while I’m still working, knowing that I can make it back, than to part with $X+inflation in future when I’m retired and unable to (actively) earn it back.
And hey, eventually I’m going to be too old to walk for long distances without feeling like I’d been run over by a truck.
3. Some People Actually Think I’m Kinda Cool
*blush*
I didn’t realise that people will react so positively to someone on a solo vacation. The bulk of my conversations happened while I was shopping or Uber-ing and whenever the sales attendants/drivers hear that I’m holidaying alone, they will be pretty surprised and say something like “哇！好酷哦!” I didn’t think much of it then because I didn’t think much of it in general, so it was only when I came back and had some time to process it that I thought… Hmm… Maybe just a bit.
Obviously there are many more female solo travellers nowadays but they still don’t form the bulk of travellers. So I suppose if I’m very much still in a minority category, then I guess it’s kinda cool?
4. A Level of Emotional Readiness is Optimal for Solo Travel
Optimal, not necessary.
Because of course anyone can solo travel to anywhere at anytime for any reason.
But I have followed a few peoples’ accounts of their solo travel experiences, and some of them reported parts of the process going through feelings of nervousness, worry, doubt, self-consciousness and loneliness. To be honest, I experienced nary a single negative feeling throughout my whole holiday (except the time when I had to bring my 便当 to the toilet). I enjoyed every single moment and relished every single experience when I was there.
If one were to ask me what it takes to have an “optimal” solo vacation, I would say that it has nothing to do with your itinerary or the country you’re going to. Rather, being able to enjoy your own company is of utmost importance. You can still have a good trip if you got nervous/worried/doubtful/conscious/bored/lonely at some point, or you can always attempt to make friends on the holiday. But you will never have a GREAT trip if you keep having these emotions and thoughts along the way.
5. Singapore is Pretty Damn Awesome
I love travelling for many reasons and I think one of the most precious is my renewed appreciation for the things that I have and the quality of life that I enjoy simply because – without any credit of my own – I was born in Singapore. Over time, I tend to forget how awesome my country is and a trip outside will always remind me of this fact. I know many Singaporeans have many complaints, especially post-Covid with inflation and all. I don’t want to downplay anyone’s concerns because I haven’t been in anyone else’s shoes. But as far as I am concerned, I am grateful for what the country has to offer. She may not be perfect, but you definitely can’t say that you haven’t enjoyed some perks in life just by virtue of your citizenship.
Epilogue
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to holiday alone, or to holiday in any case. I understand that it is a privilege, even though I forget that sometimes. When it seems like the whole world is able to afford luxuries in life, we tend to take luxury for granted. But at the end of the day, travelling really is a luxury that people who are struggling with daily necessities will not even dare dream of.
But it isn’t just about the affordability. I am also grateful for the network around me who helped make it easy to take this trip, that I don’t have to worry about the state of events back at home or at work. That at the end of the trip, I was energised and looking forward to coming home instead of feeling sad or apprehensive that my holiday is at its end.
And it was so nice to see M&M welcoming me home at the airport! 🙂