How I Spent 6 Months Solo Backpacking Across Europe
Learning More About Myself, One Trip at A Time
I’ve always struggled to put words to this experience, it inspired, it refreshed, and recentered me in ways I never knew possible.
“Cover the earth, before it covers you.” — Dagobert D. Runes
In 2019, before the madness that was covid, I spent 6 months backpacking Europe. My first-time solo traveling.
How Did That Happen?
I was 24, single, and for the first time in my life, I had both time (before my first job) and money (saved up from a great internship).
I would like to say that travel as an option came naturally to me, but it didn’t.
Before this, I had never left the country alone, had few friends outside of Singapore and was honestly really fearful of how safe I would be as a solo female traveller.
In my friend circle in Singapore, I had an acquaintance on Instagram that packed up, left Singapore with €1,000 to her name and couch surfed her way through Europe for 3 months.
Taking inspiration from her, I reached out with 999 questions I decided that I’d walk in her footsteps.
I took a mad leap of faith, told my Asian and over-protective parents I was travelling with a long time high school friend and booked a flight to London (with a 1 week stopover in Ethiopia).
Driven by fear, I channelled my over-planner german side and planned every bus, hostel, Airbnb, flight and path for 3 months. Not sure how I did that.
Also bought a security pouch (link for the laughs) that I carried with me in fears of getting robbed. #paranoid
What was initially a 3 months holiday, turned out to be a whirlwind 6-month backpacking adventure.
A Short Summary of My 6 Months
Spent my first week in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa (the first time I’ve been to Africa), with shitty internet only present at hotels to food poisoning on my last day.
Flew to UK (cheapest flight available, thank you Skyscanner). Where I discovered Techno music and my love for it. Shoutout to Blawan, the first techno DJ I listened to live.
1 week into the solo leg of my trip (post UK) I decided to YOLO and extend my trip from 3 months to 6. Paying a hefty change of flight fee.
I then zig zagged through Western Europe, baulking at the prices.
Couch surfed for the first time in my life, writing desperately to hosts to see who would take me and met inspiring female hosts.
Stayed in a hostel for the first time in my life in London and found a hostel fam in Berlin that I held near and dear with constant meetups throughout different cities in Europe.
Met up with old friends, made new friends — in hostels, my hosts, and on the street.
I went on walking tours and shared fun facts about Europe through my Instagram stories, doing my best to share how rich in culture Europe was.
I shed layers as it transitioned from winter to spring to summer.
I realised how unnecessary it was to book accommodation and transport 3 months in advance and cancelled most of them and missed some flights. Oops.
With the initial plan to leave Europe after 3 months, I pushed myself into a corner with my last stop of Western Europe in Portugal.
Lo and behold, my Schengen visa ran out and I had 2 days left to leave Schengen for good.
Put my trust in Google flights and Skyscanner searching skills to the test and found the cheapest flight out of the Schengen zone!
At the 3 month mark, right when I was heading towards Croatia, the travel lows hit and I was uncertain as to what to do next.
I met the right person at the Zadar Airport in Croatia that inspired me to continue and all the doors opened.
In Croatia, I met 2 fellow backpackers who I would go on to travel for 1.5 months with.
We moved through the Balkans for the next 3 months, doing without mobile data because it was too much of a hassle.
Midway I flew back to Singapore for 2 weeks for my graduation ceremony and decided let’s just fly back to Europe because why not.
In the second leg of my journey, I took it ultra-slow, spending longer at each city and going off the beaten track to cities that those we met recommended.
I ended off my trip in Romania, flying back to Singapore feeling as though I’ve come back a different person.
All the Best Parts (And Some Bad Ones)
I’ve had run-ins with the police in Slovenia, sexual harassment in Bulgaria, sleazy couch surfing hosts in Italy, got bed bugs in Macedonia.
I’ve met travel soul mates and best friends on this trip, people I’ve stayed up to 7am chatting by the sea without even knowing their names.
I’ve surrounded myself with the most beautiful nature in Slovakia, went on 10km walks in Slovenia, paraglided in Budapest, hitchhiked in Serbia.
I’ve kept in touch with people I met via Instagram to meet them 10 cities later and catch up like we’ve never been apart.
I’ve crashed hostels to stay in Spain for La feria when every single hostel and hotel was booked out.
I’ve had the luck to be in Milan through Milan Design Week and Piano City.
I’ve caught a billion sunsets and sunrises and seen enough churches and castles to last me for a lifetime.
I ate myself silly in Italy with pasta and tiramisu and had a crazy goulash obsession in the Balkans.
I went on a 3-day hike in Albania from Theth to Valbona.
I visited La Sagrada Familia, Alhambra and the Vatican.
I Loved, Learned, Lost and Found Myself
Some people travel to find themselves and others travel to run away from their problems, but this wasn’t me this trip.
I can’t put into words how special this trip was and how much it changed me for the better.
Solo travel is food for the soul for me because it taught me independence and freedom like no other.
- I could wake up at 10am/12pm without wondering if I’m late to leave, I could ditch flights, busses and change plans at a moment’s notice with no accountability to anyone.
- I could do things that I liked, be it spending money on coffee or deciding to cook a shitty meal because I was too broke to eat out.
- I could skip museums, or go to 2 walking tours without feeling like I’ve missed something on a checklist.
- At the end of the day, I made all plans and ruined all plans, no one was to blame but myself.
- With no baggage or expectations, I could bring my true personality to each conversation
The biggest takeaway for me was that I found my travel style, I realised that I genuinely like travelling to meet people, that I don’t care for “must-sees” and I don’t mind hanging in cities for 1–2 weeks if it vibes with me.
- I would invite everyone to join a party, go to a new town or visit an attraction
- I would meet people on the road, in the streets, at cafes just because
- I would make friends with everyone at the hostel, learning about their cultures and listening to their stories
I learned to appreciate my country more, I’ve been to over 45 countries and I can say I love Singapore wholeheartedly more.
- I’ve learned to look more critically at the flaws of my country too, understanding that the way we “got things right” economically might have messed some things up
- I’ve learned to also accept criticism about my country but also push back at how there is a divide in views of what is right in the west vs east
- I’ve also been more accepting of alternative views and ways of thinking that are vastly different from mine
Travelling has also helped me find a deeper meaning in life.
- Living with just my backpack for 6 months has taught me that I don’t need much to be happy. I’ve shed most of my material wants.
- I’ve never been surer of what I want for myself and the type of people I wish to surround myself with.
- I’ve also been able to re-evaluate what happiness means to me and the life I wish to lead while I have age on my side.
I’ve also realised that I want to inspire others to travel. Travel changed me for the better and I would love to give anyone waiting on the fringes the push they need.
- Singaporeans have one of the strongest passports in the world and unlike others, we have the ability to travel to most countries.
- I’ve met many people that have the heart, passion and desire to travel, but just the wrong passport.
- Travel is always daunting and sometimes we need some inspiration to get us going.
Solo traveling has also taught me that
- Things have a funny way of working out in the end — no matter how much something seems like a crisis at the start (missed flights etc).
- There are no such things as missed opportunities but rather new/ different ones.
- You’ve always got your own back.
Hopes, Dreams And Fears
I know what they mean when they say “Youth is wasted on the young”, because with each passing day I hope that I can somehow make travelling full-time a reality for myself before it is too late.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” — Helen Keller
Traveling to a new place is always a bit of a step out of our comfort zones. My guiding principle has always been this quote by Nelson Mandela, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
If there is something out that we want to do, I hope we have the courage to seize the day and pursue it.
The world is our oyster and it’s ours for the taking.
This is my first personal story that I’ve posted on medium. Big thank you to those that have read it.
Let me know what else you’d like to read or any questions you have!
I usually write about Business, Self Improvement and Personal development.
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