What it’s like to wake up alone in a foreign city
Have you ever felt lost in translation?
Whether it’s a language barrier or a cultural difference you just can’t seem to wrap your head around, one of the most challenging aspects of solo travel (particularly long term solo travel) is trying to feel like you ‘belong’. There have been many cities I have passed through in a mere few days and of course, this sense of belonging was far from achievable in this time. But there have also been cities I have visited for weeks and some I have felt a sense of belonging, others I have not resonated with so well.
Waking up alone in a foreign city is equal parts thrilling and petrifying.
I’m a clear advocate of solo travel. I love it. I love travelling the world and exploring as much of it as I can in my twenties. But it’s important to be real – to be raw – to tell you the good and the bad. So here’s a balanced insight into what it is like to wake up alone in a foreign city…
The good days
Most days you wake up filled with excitement. Adrenaline is pumping through your veins and your mind is buzzing at a million miles an hour as you think of all the things you are going to try and jam-pack into one crazy day hopping from one attraction to the next.
Most days you wake up from the sun shining in your eyes because you were too excited looking at the skyline when you arrived the night before that you didn’t shut the blinds… or refused to because you wanted to fall asleep listening to the sounds of New York or watching the lights of Hong Kong.
Most days you don’t feel alone because you walk out onto the street with a spring in your step, a smile on your face, and a good ol’ dose of optimism to SEIZE THE DAY!
Most days you enjoy the freedom of being alone – walking to the beat of your own drum, doing all the things that you want to do without anyone else to alter your plans…. it’s all on you!
Most days you’re too busy reciting ‘bonjour monsieur‘ to think of anything else.
Most days you only have to think of what you’re not missing out on back home and you realise that being alone in a foreign city is a small price to pay. You’ve now got the world at your feet.
Most days you realise that in the 21st Century being alone doesn’t mean being alone. Friends and family are right there on the other side of your smart phone or computer — not to say they are needed or to stay connected constantly, but if you ever need them you know they’re right there.
Most days you’re too busy thinking about breakfast to realise you’re in a foreign city alone… there are after all, more important matters at hand!
The bad days
But there are bad days, too!
Some days you don’t feel like getting out of bed and there’s no one to drag you out or tell you that you have to get up and moving for the day. These are usually experienced in colder climates where you just want to crawl back under the covers and stay there a while.
Some days the thought of walking hundreds of metres or kilometres for a healthy and hearty breakfast doesn’t excite you and you convince yourself you’re too hungry to move. But there’s just one dilemma: there’s no other way to get food. So you muster up the courage and make a mission of it.
Some days you draw back the curtains and notice miserable weather. All of a sudden those plans to walk around the city all day are ruined and you start to consider the likes of weird and whacky museums you wouldn’t otherwise spend neither time nor money on.
Some days you feel so incredibly alone that you start to wonder how you ended up here? Travel forces you to ask yourself the bigger questions, particularly solo travel. There’s a little voice that creeps into your head and questions your every move in life up until this point and you begin to seriously question yourself, your decisions, and what led you to this point. FEAR NOT! This too shall pass.
Some days you just don’t know how to feel. You don’t know why you’re here or what you’re doing. You know you’re here for a purpose and you know there’s a reason to your existence… but some days you wake up not just alone, but sometimes empty. It’s a rare feeling that can sometimes come over you but it too does not stay for long. There is a reason and purpose for everything – you are here, this is now, make it count.
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