Follow on : https://www.instagram.com/soumik_neo/
I was introduced to the concept of solo trips a decade back, but back then it came across to me more as panache than anything else. To make my first solo trip happen I had to overcome the overwhelming question posed by my mind – “What will you do with all the time that you will have at your disposal, when none of your known people are around?” I definitely could not answer this question for a long time.
Once I even made plans, booked hotel and later had to cancel. My mind was hell bent on getting the answer first, before it let me out alone anywhere – It pretended to be caring but was actually timid and not ready to explore the unknown.
But raising this question was important as there are no answers otherwise. Since this question came to my mind, it’s evident that I will have to confront it again someday.
Being an introvert, my interactions were always limited to people I knew I could open up with. Trips were all about opening up with friends – in a fresh place, with fresh air or without. Though I have made quite a few trips with large groups, my interactions were always limited to the few I knew. Initially I never gave it a second thought, but after some years of travelling, I had some realizations. Travelling with friends and known people has its own limitations – The place changed but the conversations did not. The thoughts were same, the problems changed, but the solutions were similar.
After some years I grew increasingly impatient to take a solo trip. Now comes the same question that I chose not to confront before – “What will you do with all the time you had….. blah blah?”
At this point, the impatience in me made me tweak the question in a different way – “What all can I do, when I have all the time for myself?” Answers came pouring as well – Reading books, photography, exploring the local areas by foot, etc, etc.
As I came up with an answer, my mind started grilling me –
Mind - “How many pages can you read from a book? So far you have not even read or completed one book in your life”
Me – “I will try”
Mind – “What kind of books do you like?”
Me – "Ummmm"
Mind – “Will you take photos at night? Roaming around the streets in case you are in a city, else it’s just lonely in hills or jungles”
Me – "Ummmm"
Me – “Let’s talk about these after I come back?”
Mind – “OK, you seem determined, at least don’t be too ambitious the first time”
Parking these question aside but taking the last suggestion from my mind, I left for a two-day trip to Bandipur with a couple of books and my camera.
Driving alone was great and after I reached, most of the day was spent in jungle Safari. The night was calm and peaceful and I did not actually read the books, but got a lot of time to reflect on my life.
The next day morning, I saw a wild tiger in jungle for the first time in my life, while in the safari. After coming back, it was time to leave but I requested the hotel staff to let me stay a little late till the afternoon so that I can enjoy the hammock in the backyard and watch birds all around.
While coming back that day, I felt a sense of achievement. I was very satisfied and peaceful. The irony is that there were never any external restrictions on me to take this kind of trip – I was elated to have overcome the boundaries that I had created for myself.
I fell in love with solo trips and decided to do more of them. After I the initial satisfaction sunk in, I realized that I had not really interacted with anybody during this trip, though there were opportunities to do so. I was still in my introvert cocoon, absorbed in myself, still not sure how to interact with strangers. For a two-day trip, not talking to anybody is fine but this will not fly if the travel is longer. This way I would restrict myself to a few places or a few days of travel.
I had to get over this and that meant another tough conversation with my timid mind, which does not stay timid when it comes to asking me questions.
