In the summer of 2016, I proposed an experience to travel to England on my own as an addendum to a family trip to Ireland. I had about six days in the country to fit as much in as I saw fit. I mostly stayed in London, but ventured out to Grantham to visit an old country home (The Belton House) because of its appearance in the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. The Jane Austen classic is one of my favorite books and it was really meaningful for me to put myself in an environment that was –in some way- connected with the story.
This trip was the first time that I was completely on my own in an unfamiliar foreign city. I had the advantage of speaking the native language which definitely worked in my favor. The trip could’ve been made easier by not traveling north to Grantham, but it was something that I will not soon forget. There was a unique sense of pride that I found in navigating unfamiliar modes of public transit in a new environment to get where I needed to go on-time.
This made the idea of traveling on my own to other countries much less intimidating. I see travel as an important part of my life, but no longer as a big deal. Just recently, I arranged and completed an extended-weekend trip to New York City to visit a friend. I had no issue getting from the Newark airport to his apartment in the middle of Manhattan. It took planes, trains, automobiles (and the subway), but I got there without issue. The world feels much more accessible now that I am competent with getting myself around independently.
This trip also gave me the opportunity to learn to be comfortable passing time alone. It was interesting to have such a large percentage of time to myself. While I still prefer to travel with 1-5 other people, there were aspects about independent travel that I found enjoyable. I didn’t have to consider anyone else’s needs or desires other than my own. I set my own schedule at had complete autonomy of the events of the day. I could change the course of the day whenever I felt like it. I had plenty of time for reflection in my journal. This was the best way for me to pass time between activities and while at lunch or coffee shops, for example.
This trip was the first time that I was completely on my own in an unfamiliar foreign city. I had the advantage of speaking the native language which definitely worked in my favor. The trip could’ve been made easier by not traveling north to Grantham, but it was something that I will not soon forget. There was a unique sense of pride that I found in navigating unfamiliar modes of public transit in a new environment to get where I needed to go on-time.
This made the idea of traveling on my own to other countries much less intimidating. I see travel as an important part of my life, but no longer as a big deal. Just recently, I arranged and completed an extended-weekend trip to New York City to visit a friend. I had no issue getting from the Newark airport to his apartment in the middle of Manhattan. It took planes, trains, automobiles (and the subway), but I got there without issue. The world feels much more accessible now that I am competent with getting myself around independently.
This trip also gave me the opportunity to learn to be comfortable passing time alone. It was interesting to have such a large percentage of time to myself. While I still prefer to travel with 1-5 other people, there were aspects about independent travel that I found enjoyable. I didn’t have to consider anyone else’s needs or desires other than my own. I set my own schedule at had complete autonomy of the events of the day. I could change the course of the day whenever I felt like it. I had plenty of time for reflection in my journal. This was the best way for me to pass time between activities and while at lunch or coffee shops, for example.
Below is a slideshow of a few of the photos that I took during my trip. To reiterate, I was by myself, and I do not like to take selfies, so there are very few with me in them.