2O2 ELLE.COM/UK Nove mbe r 2O19
Additional words: Sophie Everard, Joasia Haniewicz, Christina Simone. Photography: Gett y Images.“ THE WORLD WAS
THERE FOR the
TAKING –
I COULD GO
ANY WHERE.
IT was L IBE R AT ING ”MandalaThe House, BaliELLEExplorethat was way too much fun to leave. My
friends went home as planned, but I stayed
on, waitressing to earn money to island hop.
When the cash ran out – and my first term at
university beckoned – I meandered back to
the UK, donating blood in Athens to pay for
a train to France, then finding grape-picking
work to fund the rest of the journey home.
This was my first real solo adventure, and
it was exhilarating. There were no group
discussions about where to go, no arguments
about changing plans. Having been at
boarding school from the age of nine, and
growing up as one of four children, being alone
was something of a novelty.
Knowing I could do what
I wanted, instead of having
to consider everyone else’s
wishes, was liberating, and
being able to earn money
en route so easily made me
realise that lack of funds
need never clip my wings.
For the next 1O years
of my life I roamed Europe,
Asia, Latin America and the Middle East,
picking up jobs in bars and cafes, au pairing,
teaching English, managing youth hostels,
herding cattle with gauchos... whatever it
took. Yes, I got robbed and ripped off a few
times, took (too many) risks and did haveseveral potential #MeToo moments. But
nothing terrible happened, and so, in that
way you do when you are blissfully naïve,
I thought nothing ever would. I marched with
blind confidence across the world, which is
probably what kept me safe.
You can, of course, make yourself feel
more confident by following a few simple
precautions, such as booking a room for the
first couple of nights (first-timers in a new city
are safer somewhere with staff); not arriving
after dark, doing your research so you don’t
inadvertently wander into no-go areas, and
dressing to fit in – avoiding attention is key. The
more you blend in, the safer you will be. And
above all, walk tall and look confident.
Solo travel is not about ‘finding yourself ’
says Vyas, ‘but seeing aspects of your
character take shape in a totally different
setting to everyday life. Open yourself up and
see where solo travel takes you.’
It’s the putting yourself out there that is
the key. Longing to learn to surf, or have a
weekend in Berlin, or just fancy a beach
break and have no one to go with?
No problem – just do it. Your dreams don’t
need to be restricted by other people’s
diaries. There is nothing more liberating
than waking up in a strange room, all alone,
in the mood for an adventure, and thinking,
Now, where shall I go today?I
Portofino, Italy
Athens, GreeceGenerator AmsterdamTHE ACCOMODATION
From Generator’s chic
hostels to the Mandala
Group’s decadent
villas, there’s an option
for every budgetTHE PURPOSE
Travelling alone
allows you to
discover more about
a new place – and
yourself“ YOUR
DRE AMS don’t
NEED TO BE
RESTRIC TED by
other P E OP L E ’S
DIARIES ”know all about impulse. The first
time I travelled alone, I was only- I walked out one midsummer
morning to spend a month in a pretty
lakeside village near Munich as part
of a school language programme. I wrestled
my luggage up to Heathrow Airport in an
unexpected heatwave, overdressed in my
idea of what a sophisticated traveller should
wear: a new (rubberised, as it turned out)
trench coat and wool-mix trousers.
But even the ill-advised outfit couldn’t
dampen my excitement. I may have only
been flying a couple of hours across Europe,
but there was the thrill of
heading into the unknown,
to stay with a strange
family with a different
language, culture, food,
and all the possibilities that
entailed. When I reached
the airport and saw the
departure boards flickering
with so many different
destinations, I realised that
the world was there for the taking. I didn’t
have to depend on anyone else: I could go
anywhere. It was a revelation.
Four years later and I was interrailing
with two school friends, ending our four-week
blast around Europe at a youth hostel in Corfu