I Used All My Savings at 21 to Travel Solo — Was it Worth it?

I got richer after spending all my money.

When you come from a large country, living in Europe for a year (for university) is a pleasant surprise. It feels like the world is 2 hours away from you. I was living in Manchester which wasn’t in the heart of Europe, but a return ticket to another European city cost less than $100.

I had a chunk of savings in my Indian Rupees which quickly squeezed when it converted to Euros. What did I do next?

I sat and planned a solo trip for 19 days across 6 countries. I printed out the map of Europe, drew my plan with a pencil and kept a tracker of dates, accommodation, travel, and costs.

The costs equalled each penny of the savings I owned.

They say never put all your eggs in one basket, but here I was determined to do something which excited and scared me at the same time.

How often do you hear of an Indian woman travelling alone? We hardly go alone to a different city! Our society doesn’t tell us to ‘live your life and conquer the world’ but to be aware and take care of yourself.

The 21-year-old me went ahead with this plan anyway, knowing there will be no more extra money to shop or do something fun.

Fast forward to today, I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that I came back as a different person. 2 years later these experiences have built the person that I am today and I’ll tell you why.

Every prejudice you have read and heard is wrong.

People told me the Brits are rude and the Germans aren’t friendly. They told me Paris is overhyped and the French are unkind to those who do not speak their language.

My bubble broke when I experienced exactly the opposite.

The Brits are rude? I haven’t ever heard so many ‘thank yous’ and ‘apologies’ in my life which I did in a year of staying in England.

A German couple walked me to my destination instead of being ‘rude’ or simply explaining to me where to go.

Meet people with a blank slate in your head. It will change your life.

Let your experiences be the colour to this blank slate instead of your preconceived notions.

You are not what you’ve always been told.

I don’t know how many of you were bullied or struggled with confidence. Even if this doesn't apply to you, we all have certain beliefs of who we are.

These beliefs are a result of our environment and our thoughts. They are not real.

You think you’re too fat, too skinny, too soft-spoken, not good enough — all because of what you tell yourself.

But when you’re out in the world all alone, you meet people who appreciate things about you you’ve never even noticed. We humans are famous for criticising ourselves.

I never knew that dark brown is a beautiful eye colour because its the only eye colour in my country, and then on a train in Berlin somebody told me that it’s a beautiful colour.

I was shocked, and then he told me blue and green are seen everywhere but brown is rare for him. I have been brought up thinking that coloured eyes are beautiful (because they are rare).

Appreciate the tiniest bits of yourself and uncover yourself with awareness.

Experiences where you are pushed out of your comfort zone often help you discover yourself.

Your beliefs are challenged.

When we’re in one environment, we grow with and around it. We have a preference for certain things, people, food, habits.

I have always thought that getting a degree and working hard is how you create life. But when I travelled, I was full of thoughts and wanted to create a different life for myself.

You ideate, think and dream.

You suddenly think you are more than what you’ve been told and there’s so much you can do.

You brain is exploring these thoughts coming from origins it hasn’t tapped into before. Instead of looking at problems which we usually think of, it turns into a solution designing mode.

“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.”

— Tony Robbins

Letting yourself free in an unknown place can tell you a lot about yourself which has been unknown to you.

Humanity is very much prevalent.

Honestly, fuck the news which is bought by institutions to fulfill their personal agendas.

The world is not full of cruelty and everybody you meet does not want to harm you.

I was often asked, “What if you get kidnapped? Haven’t you watched Taken?”

I can also be kidnapped, raped, or trafficked in my own country. Why do the chances increase only when I am away?

People are kind and helpful. They want to be nice to people visiting their country and fellow travelers want to explore and create memories with you.

Humanity is still prevalent, it’s just hardly covered in news.

The learning curve is unfathomable.

What you learn from academics is one thing and what you learn from books is another. What you learn from listening to stories and experiences is makes you get goosebumps and lives with you forever.

I heard about the struggle of a Syrian refugee and also about Kiwi woman who was driving around Europe since 2 months all alone. I heard hundreds of stories and realised how our life and realities are strikingly different.

You need not even listen, just wait…the world will offer itself freely to you, unmasking itself.

— Franz Kafka

I mentioned I heard hundreds of stories but previously, I also attached myself to the words ‘introvert’ and ‘underconfident’. Somebody who is unable to speak to new or unknown people.

I guess travel teaches you and moulds you along its course.

Spending all my money on travel did not make me broke but made me richer. It gave me the courage to take big steps and the courage to detach myself from existing beliefs and believe in myself.

It made me richer with experiences and bonds. It made me richer with ideas and creativity. In my opinion, this is the only thing which is glamourised by social media and is actually worth it.

I hope you lose and find yourself at the same time.