One year ago, I left New York City on a one-way flight to the Galapagos, kicking off my year of solo travel. 12 months, 73 locations, 12 countries, 4 continents later - I’m back! To be honest, whenever I try to write about my experience over this past one year, I get overwhelmed. It’s really hard to summarize such an exceptional year into one blog post. However, I think, the bigger reason is that I don’t want my solo travel year to truly end. But I’ll try my best!
I. 12 countries in 12 months
Ecuador, Peru, Japan, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, and the US.
First of all, I am glad to report that I didn’t lose my passport again (I’ve already gone through that nightmare in Mexico four years ago).
In the past one year, I picked up 4 1/2 new skills: outdoor sports rock climbing, nitrox SCUBA diving, yoga, Cuban salsa, and a failed attempt at free-diving (apparently I can't equalize upside-down, although I've never had any problem doing it right side up when SCUBA diving!).
I scaled mountains on five treks (Cordillera Blanca, Arthur’s Pass, Mueller's Hut, Kepler Track, the Drakensberg). I also hiked down into the Colca Canyon (Peru) - and hiked all the way back up again.
I went on an ATV ride - which is basically a more dangerous, flimsily-strapped roller coaster - on a desert in Huacachina (Peru), and filled up my water bottle at a stream of melting ice at Franz Josef Glacier (New Zealand).
I saw the sun rose on the mountains shining its magnificent orange gold rays (on multiple hikes), and saw the sun set in a purple and pink clouds over a sleepy beachside village in Alor (Indonesia).
Above water, I came really close to giant tortoises, sea lions, marine and land iguanas, Sally lightfoot crabs, penguins, blue-footed boobies, magnificent frigate birds, all in the magical Galapagos. Underwater, I dived with three marine animals that I had been dreaming to see: hammerhead sharks (the Galapagos, Ecuador), whale sharks (Tofo, Mozambique), and thresher sharks (Malapascua, the Philippines).
I lived outdoors in a camper van for one month straight and celebrated my 3-year anniversary with my boyfriend, Tristan, kayaking the Doubtful Sound (New Zealand).
I ate all the ceviche, sushi, ramen, braai, green tea ice cream, and nasi goreng that I came across on my path.
I had my camera in my hand almost every single day. I took photos of people and wild animals, landscapes and portraits, street photography and abstract patterns, plus everything in between. Overall, I snapped close to a hundred thousand photos, the equivalent of 6 terabytes of data. I have made more pictures than I know what to do with them.
I got paid to take photos for a campervan company. I collaborated with two Kenyan start-ups, which brought me deep into the countryside to photograph farmers harvesting their potatoes, where I was invited for lunch of steaming sweet chai and home-cooked potato stew afterwards.
My favorite experiences are too many to mention (I will do a separate post on it), but I would highlight two. First, through a series of serendipitous events that started from a Cuban salsa class, I ended up being welcomed into a close-knit Cuban family. I was invited for a home-cooked Cuban dinner, and salsa-danced through the night until 5am the entire week.
Second, I snorkeled and played with several sea lions, and came eye-to-eye within a few centimeters with an especially playful juvenile. It swam fast towards me, held my gaze, and a split second before our faces collided, turned a hard left and continued pirouetting in the water. That was one of the most memorable animal encounters I've ever had.
Now let's talk about some of the things I learned on the road.
I learned that a 65L Osprey backpack could fit everything I need on the road. Although I also learned that being a photographer - with my DSLR, 2 big lenses, a GoPro, a MacBook Pro, 3 external hard drives, and its associated batteries and chargers - meant that my camera bag weighed more than my 65L backpack.
I learned that a cheap $2 lunch at a mom-and-pop shop gave me more of the warm, fuzzy feelings than a proper restaurant.
I learned that US$1 got me 2500 trips (!!! - you saw that right!) on public buses in Havana, Cuba.
I learned how easily travelers form bonds on the road. Some friendships were just meant for the moment, but precious few turned into real, lasting friendships. Both are much treasured nonetheless.
I learned that solo travel came to me very naturally. My thorough planning (a real useful skill from seven years of management consulting) led to an overall smooth journey with almost no hiccups. Even when things didn’t go according to plan, I was always calm and in control.
I knew I loved the outdoors, but I didn’t quite realize how happy nature makes me feel until I embarked on this trip.
I learned that despite all these great experiences, it’s possible to get sick of traveling. Especially when there’s a rooster screaming right beside your thin bamboo-walled room at 4am in the morning. I just wished I knew how to skin a chicken right there and then.
II. What's next?
Now that I’m back, what's next? First off, forget what I said on my last paragraph. I miss traveling and I wished I was still on the road! Hahaha.
But in all seriousness, what am I doing next? That’s a very good question, a philosophical one that I’ve been thinking deeply about. I’m slowly coming to an answer, one that is complex and nuanced, and I’ll try explaining it.
In short, I want to continue living authentically. That much is clear. But what does that even mean? And how?
On my travels, I crossed paths with so many interesting individuals with out-of-ordinary jobs (at least ones I came across in my corporate circle). To name a few:
I became good friends with a Malaysian female traveler who quit her job as an engineer and was backpacking South America on a motorbike, alone, working as a photographer and also published a book along the way.
I was introduced to an ex-management consultant who built her own consulting practice, and now specializing on social impact projects which allowed her to work on projects she truly cared for and travel around the world at the same time.
In Peru, I met up with another Indonesian female solo traveler, Trinity, who inspired so many Indonesians that her life is made into a movie.
I met an army veteran who rented out his property in California, and used the leftover proceeds to travel and learn new languages.
And there are more: A rock-climbing campsite owner. Conservation photographers. A glacial hiking guide. Yoga teachers. Lots and lots of really cool divemasters and rock climbers.
I learned, through real life examples, that you can craft a life and a vocation that is authentic to your identity.
Having met so many people who have out-of-the-box professions who were truly passionate about what they do, I am inspired to find a job that I’m genuinely interested in. But what would that job look like? And what about the practical necessities like money? To resolve these contradictions, I had many days and nights examining my own principles and priorities.
One of the hardest things to examine was, how do I know whether something is truly important for me, versus me unconsciously internalizing society’s expectations? This was a tough self-reflection. At one point, I even felt depressed because I felt I couldn’t create a tidy package of self identity that allows me to embrace the multiple different sides of me. I wanted too many things, and I was forced to focus and prioritize. Still am.
I learned that a meaningful life cannot be created instantaneously, but instead made one step at a time with conscious reflections. At this stage, I decided that I’m going to pursue roles close to my passions and interests, while still leveraging the skills and knowledge that I’ve built over the years. This would be positions at social enterprises, outdoor, or travel companies, or joining a team that focuses on social impact or sustainability within a large company.
At the same time, I will continue working on my photography (in keeping with my “out of office” identity 😉). Photography remains one of my biggest passions in life that allows me to be in a state of flow with my environment, and I want to continue doing it. I was worried if I'd have enough time, but not doing so would just be taking the easy way out, and being inauthentic to myself. People I met on the road taught me that we can work on more than just one thing at a time anyway.
It IS very hard not to compare, to look at my friends and colleagues and be in awe (and feel insecure, to be honest) of where they are right now. Many with MBAs, co-founder roles, Forbes 30 Under 30 titles.
And then I look back at myself, and be reminded that hey, I’m not doing that badly either. I am progressing on my own path towards living authentically, which is to me, the most important yardstick of whether I’m living a good life. And of course I have all these amazing experiences, which I've been incredibly lucky to have.
I may not be formally solo traveling full-time anymore, but I promise to myself that my life adventures will continue!
PS: It's impossible to write everything I've experienced during my solo travels in the past year, so this post isn't meant to be comprehensive. There will be more posts in the future, slowly, after I find my next job. :)
PPS: Let me know if you know of a cool company/role that you think would be a good fit for me!
