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How do you prepare for a trip? Do you list all the sites you want to see, and then make sure that you see all of them? Or do you just plan as you go along?
The faces in Bayon Temple are nice, but it was nicer still to talk to the locals there.
As a solo traveler by choice, I’m the second type of traveler. I like going with the flow when I’m traveling, and it’s not as easy to do when you have someone with you, especially one who is very conscious about following any itinerary previously planned. I do check out what’s been written about a place I’m about to visit, but I’m not compulsive about it. I go with the flow, I listen to what my body is telling me, and I admit that I prioritize the getting there part rather than the destination itself. For me, the journey itself is the destination and not just the means to go somewhere.
Sunset at Jesselton Port, Kota Kinabalu
When I went to Kota Kinabalu in 2010, for example, I had so many things lined up. I wanted to do some island hopping and go see the rafflesia in the Kinabalu National Park. I wanted to visit the Butterfly Farm and go snorkeling in one of the islands. When I arrived in my hotel, however, I met a Couchsurfing member who wanted to go whitewater rafting in Padas, and instead of sticking to my itinerary, I chose to go with her and had a really good time. Later on, I had a choice of staying up all night with a few locals to watch the final game of the World Cup, or sleeping early to go island hopping the next day. I chose to be with the locals.
For me, then, the essence of traveling is not just ending up with jumpshots in front of famous landmarks. What’s more important is how I got there and who I met along the way. It’s my interaction with the people and my experience of the events that make my travels memorable. I may not be able to remember how many temples in the Angkor Archaelogical Complex I had visited, but I do remember the kids who sold me souvenir items, especially the girl who had exchanged her Mickey Mouse dangling earrings with mine. Those are memories I treasure, not the sites itself.
I enjoyed the corn with the vendor in the border of Cambodia and Vietnam.
Some people want to travel just to see immigration stamps on their passports so that they can get bragging rights that they’d been there. While this goal is as valid as any other, I would rather have the experience than the stamps. For example, this year, I went for the first time to Beijing, Pattaya, Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur—and while I can’t say that I’ve seen all the sites that these places are famous for, I can tell a hundred and one stories of the people I met while I was on the road.
That’s what traveling is for me. What is it for you? Do share!
Aleah Taboclaon is a location independent writer, editor, and the travel blogger behind Solitary Wanderer. She's partial to slow travel, and prefers extreme adventures like hiking and caving over sightseeing. She likes running (completed one marathon, training for the next!), diving (PADI open water diver), and traveling with her Kindle. Follow her on Instagram and Pinterest!
Latest posts by Aleah Taboclaon (see all)
- Verona for One: A Solo Traveler’s Guide - March 6, 2025
- What To Keep in Mind Before an International Flight - February 12, 2025
- Visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding - May 20, 2024
20 Comments. Leave new
@ Yeye: Hi! I stayed in Ponloue Angkor. It’s walking distance to the Old Market and Pub Street, very cheap at $8/night, with wifi, free breakfast and own bathroom. Google mo site nila:)
Hi Aleah!
great blog 🙂 where did you stay in Siem Reap? any recommendations?
salamat!
@ Kimberley: Yes, it can be a good bonding time with the family!
@ MGL: Yeah, solo travel can be so liberating. Everyone should try it sometime hehe
“the journey itself is the destination and not just the means to go somewhere” <– very nice.. i am a solo wanderer as well.. wife, friends, relatives, brother, sister can delay your plan, so it's way better to travel alone.. para bagahe lang ang bitbit.. hehe..
Traveling is our family’s way of bonding. Great post!
@ Christian: Merry Christmas din! And congrats on your Lakbay Norte win!
Merry Christmas Aleah!
I wish you more travels to come! 🙂
@ Kara: I agree 100% that you get to talk to other people more when you travel solo. That’s one of the things I like about solo travel too.
@ BertN: Merry Christmas Kuya. Safe travels to us!
@ Mitch: True, true hehe
@ Renz: Mahirap in the sense that you have to do everything. But that’s also what I like about it. 🙂
I’ve tried traveling alone, pero dito lang sa PH. Mejo mahirap siya compared to traveling w/ friends, pero tulad ng sinabi mo, it’s liberating.
For me, essence of traveling is enjoyment. What’s the use of traveling alot if you are not happy and of course the experience, wala ng mas gaganda dun! Whether you’re in a group or by your own, you must willing to experience and to learn something for a particular trip. btw, gusto ko rin yung byaheng malayuan, esp when I am with my loveone! Tarush!
Your idea of travel is mine as well. Keep on traveling!
Hi Aleah. I’m glad you were able to submit this post in time for the blog carnival. It really captured the essence of traveling. I love what you said about traveling is “not just ending up with jumpshots in front of famous landmarks” and how the journey and the people make all the difference. 🙂 Actually, it’s when I travel solo that I really get to engage with people on the road. I’ve noticed whenever I travel with people I know, I don’t really make an effort to get to know the other people I meet.
@ Sumi: It can be scary sometimes, the not knowing aspect of it. But it feels very liberating too! Just try it sometime 🙂
@ Christian: I love bus rides too. The motion of the bus is sooo relaxing.
@ Gladys: It’s also through traveling together that you really get to know someone. Right?
@ BPS: Some travelers are like that. To each his own ika nga hehe
That sunsent in Jesselton is really amazing! Bummer I haven’t been there during those hours!
Nice sentiments, my general impression before about travelers is that they just go to places to be photographed. Meeting backpackers through their online blogs make me understand them more, and the purpose of their journey. I can say that this year, I developed my newfound respect for backpackers. 🙂
great post! though i haven’t travelled alone, i value the time i spend with friends when travelling. it is through travel that we all have gotten close. all the places i’ve been to became memorable because i got to spend it with them 🙂
what i really love are long bus rides, kaya minsan nababaduyan ako pag plane trip, saglit lang nandun ka na agad 😛
This is such a nice entry.. I haven’t traveled alone yet and I feel like it’ll take some time before I’ll have the courage to do so. But I love traveling, unfortunately though, I always travel with people who love planning and sticking to an itinerary.. >.< I hope one day I'll be able to do as how you travel, just going with the flow and see where your feet can take you 🙂