To The Girl Who Is Too Scared To Travel Alone

The world is waiting for you. Everything you’ve been told to fear, every what-if that holds you back, leave it all behind and let go. Go. Because as you venture out into the unknown, you’ll see there’s so much magic waiting to happen.

There are dances under starlight with brilliant green eyes and ear-drooling accents. There are jumps off fresh falls with lifelong sisters you met yesterday. There are zippy scooter adventures to naked beaches and ancient relics— both which are far more beautiful than anything you’ve ever double-tapped on posey Instagram feeds. There are spicy noodles, juicy fruits and chewy who-knows-what that will make you melt like vegan cheese on a meaty mushroom burger. There are impromptu conversations over lunch with purple dragonflies who teach you about life’s true purpose. There are sweet snarls and snuggles with salty pups roaming for last-call at sunset. There are new tongue-twisting ways to say hello, s’il vous plait, and gracias. And everywhere you turn, there are fresh takes on life that will fill your tank with empathy and charge you up with gratitude.

It won’t always be candied roses and shining penny moments. There will be sad goodbyes, disappointing encounters, missed flights and lost belongings. There will be shady characters, wrong turns, and impulse decisions to get tattoos in places you’ll probably regret when your laugh lines start smiling back at you. There will be hours or days without meaningful chatter and beds that feel more like slabs of concrete. And there will be heaving belly-aches from lip-smacking iced drinks with fancy bamboo straws, or the longing for a familiar hug. There will be hungry children you can’t feed, screaming kittens you can’t save and desperation so raw it will make you hurl out to the heavens: ‘WHY!’. There might be hour-long tear-drenched skype calls questioning the entire trip and lonely mornings when you just want to pack up everything and go back to the souls that fill your cup.

But know this— you’ll survive. No, you will thrive. Because in those moments when things don’t go as planned, you’ll own your power and your weakness equally. You may fall and endure the bruises and scrapes, but you will rise again, claim your independence and do your very best to get through it. You’ll find new parts of yourself that were lost in the safety of your bubble back home. You’ll face limitations and accept them with greater compassion. You will confront the most vulnerable parts of your being, and either love them wholly or leave them behind. You’ll move with the ebbs of sadness or sickness, and flow back into happiness and health. You will heal. You will awaken the whispers of your heart that gently guide you away from red flags that flail in the breeze on a cool afternoon. You will also perk up when that inner voice invites you to heart-opening dance parties in the jungle— capturing highlights and selfies that hang on your fridge with 10-dollar souvenir magnets long after it’s over.

You will ask for directions, utter silly questions, seek help from kind strangers. Through it all, you will learn that the world was never as scary as you once imagined. That most people want to help, that most souls, no matter where or how they live, are loving and generous. That means you will learn to trust that the world is a safe place. So even with all the ups and downs, loves and learnings, you would do it all over in a heartbeat. And you will grow, flourish into a more whole, confident and authentic self, overflowing with so much radiance that heads turn.

So I say it again— Go. Book that solo adventure. Feed the hunger in your heart craving exploration. Light the fire in your belly to experience more life. Quench the thirst for the wild in your heart. Honour the calling for connection in your soul. Because none of us are promised tomorrow. And at the end of your life, you will never regret that moment you decided to live, to love, to learn, to feel and to travel. And when fear creeps in to halt your plans, just remember— A journey into the unknown is really just a journey into yourself. Trust, breathe, go.