Solo Trippin'

I finally did it. I finally went on a solo trip!

This yearning to travel solo started years ago. But for many different reasons, I kept pushing it to the back of my mind. Reasons like it wasn't the right time, money, being scared and nervous, and loads more. But one thing I was sure was it would be Melbourne. I don't know why but I was always drawn to visiting Melbourne.

This year, it finally felt right. The timing and where I was in life just finally clicked, and so I did it.

I got a good deal on the flight and hotel accommodation, it was like it was meant to be. :)

Here are my train of thoughts when I was booking my flight...

Hmm, when would be a good time to go?

Oh, how about May? Date wise looks alright, nothing big going on that time of the year.

5 days seems alright. 

Okay cool, 5 days in May. Done. Booked.

5 Days is not enough, as I soon found out once I started researching on where to go. Haha. So I had to extend my flight. 8 days it was.

I think the best thing that happened prior to my trip was all the excitement and encouragement my friends gave. Like wow, they were as excited for me as if they were the ones going! It was amazing. A lot of the members at OTF were so happy for me and kept giving me recommendations on places to visits, restaurants to eat and etc. That really helped built my own excitement and anticipation for the trip. Everyday I researched, everyday I yearned for it to come quickly!

Honestly, NOBODY had any bad things to say about Melbourne. All of my friends and people that lived there previously had amazing things to say! And my trip, in a way, was a chance for them to rekindle and relived their memories of their trip to Melbourne.

The whole time I was planning it, I was just bubbling with anticipation! Anticipating the adventure, the unknown, the uncertainty, the vibe, EVERYTHING! My god, this was the most adventurous thing I have ever done my whole life, I feel like a strong, empowered woman who just can't wait to feed her wanderlust and to explore new experiences!

The days leading up to the trip was, what I feel, some of the best parts about traveling! The countdowns, the preparation, the research, talking to people for feedback and recommendation, the straight up fantasizing, I could go on! I remember booking the trip back in February so when 1st of May finally came, I told everyone I could finally say, "I'M GOING TO MELBOURNE THIS MONTH! OMG! " #cheaptrills

Aside from the excitement from my friends, I also received lots of concerns and worries, especially from my family. Which was justifiable since I was traveling by myself for the first time. Truth be told, I was a little nervous too!

The most common feedback I got was, "Go back to the hotel early! There is nothing open after 6pm! It gets dark early, nothing is open, it's dangerous so eat early and go back and hide before darkness descend or you might get eaten alive by monsters of the dark!!!"

Not to that extent but you get what i mean.

A week before my trip I chanced upon this article (13 Travel Tips Every Adventurous Singaporean Girl Needs To Know) and what it says really hit home for me. The one sentence that really struck out was the writer saying that the world is generally a good place and not everyone is out to mug or murder you.

How true is that. We see so many bad things happening around the world and we become so quick to judge people in the worst way but, most people are just regular joes like you and I! I'm not saying there's no bad people in the world and you don't need to exercise caution but I believe there is more good than bad people out there and if all of us could just use more heart with people, this world will be an even nicer place :)

Stay tuned for a more detailed, day-to-day recount of my Aussie trip! :)