50shadesofbrave

It’s already over a month since I got back from Thailand. Not so long as to have forgotten the details of my trip, but long enough to have settled back into the routine of daily life and processed some of my learnings.

Let’s start at the beginning. This was not my first solo trip – I have been solo but joined a group, and been solo on a short haul / short duration holiday. But this was my biggest and boldest, and my first where I was responsible for all the arrangements and would effectively be totally solo for the first two weeks. Being perfectly frank, there were a few moments between Christmas and my departure date when for two pins I would have cancelled the entire trip. Nerves were really jangling, and I wasn’t sure I could or wanted to do it! By the time I was en route, that had passed. It re-emerged on the first few days in Bangkok, but solid plans helped me to push through that blip. My learning from this is that the anticipation and preparation are what set the nervousness in motion, and knowing that about myself will help me to head it off in the future. The anticipation of being lost/lonely/delayed/fearful is definitely worse than the event.

I have learned a bit about where I need to be in terms of accommodation too… My first couple of nights in Bangkok were not pleasant – the hotel was fine, but the street noise was unbearable. I definitely need a quiet spot to retreat to after full-on days of sight-seeing. Being within striking distance of ‘the thick of it’ is definitely more my thing than being in it! I achieved this in Chiang Mai, and the villa in Phuket was like a little oasis of calm away from the frenetic pace of the resort. I also learned that staying put is better than moving too many times. I chose in Bangkok to be in 3 different hotels, and that was just an inconvenience. Less is more.

That maxim also holds for the type of accommodation. I am definitely not big into ostentation! Having found an amazing deal in a 5* Bangkok hotel, I ended up wishing I hadn’t bothered – I didn’t feel comfortable, and I really didn’t need that level of up-market. I think actually that hotel got it a bit wrong – doing ‘posh’ well surely means that your guests should feel totally relaxed during their stay? The Float Hotel River Kwai achieved this, whereas I didn’t feel the Lebua did. My sentiments around this also extend to food – my favourite meals were the cheap, cheerful but highly delicious street food. Michelin stars certainly have their place, but I really enjoyed plonking myself at a street table, or taking a table for one at a local, authentic and good value restaurant.

I learned a lot about planning, which I will certainly apply to future trips. My Thailand trip was something of a series of shots in the dark around the amount of time to spend in each place. I could have done with more time in Chiang Mai, less in Bangkok, and a reorganisation of the first week so that I didn’t dip out and in again from the River Kwai to Bangkok. In future, I think I will spend more time prepping, and decide the number of days I want to be in a location according to the activities I want to do, rather than fit the activities into the time I have booked. I also need to factor in downtime at each location… my first two weeks were packed, and the odd times that I managed to relax by the pool in Chiang Mai, or go to the park / get a massage or pedicure in Bangkok were very welcome.

That said, I do like structure and I do like to be busy – Travelling solo was absolutely fine, but the days when I didn’t have a plan were less easy. And I also like to spend time with people! I noticed that I saw several of the same faces on my travels – a family who I saw in Chiang Mai turned up in Phuket too, and my Canadian sight-seeing buddy from Bangkok became my dinner and markets companion in Chiang Mai too. I also bumped into people I’d met on trips in the supermarket or in a restaurant, and that’s nice, especially when they stop and say hi.

In terms of trips, you may recall my opinion in Thailand Part 2 – Chiang Mai that the trip I took to Chiang Rai was just too long and too far. I will definitely endeavour to stay more local in future – a 6 hour round trip by road is just too much and wasn’t fun. I also found it stressful because it wasn’t well organised, and that taught me that I could sometimes do with adopting a more ‘zen’ attitude when travelling. Getting worked up about things I can’t influence (such as traffic) is not good for my stress levels!

I have also made a mental note about souvenir shopping… which is always to buy what you want the first time you see it, because you might not see it again! This happened between Chiang Mai and Phuket – I was sure I would see just as many wonderful elephant pants in the markets of Phuket as I had in Chiang Mai… how wrong was I! In fact, whereas the markets of Chiang Mai had buzzed with locals and been a really great experience, the market we went to in Karon, Phuket, was rammed with tourists and not especially pleasant in terms of either atmosphere or goods.

In Phuket, I learned a hard lesson about the reapplication of sun cream, especially to my feet! And that walking a kilometre to the beach requires better footwear than flip flops (they ended up in the bin!)

Overall, however, I’d have to say that my biggest learning from this trip is that I CAN DO IT! I feel incredibly proud of myself for venturing to the other side of the world on my own (and at my age!!), and for having an absolute ball. I can now legitimately call myself a solo traveller, and I know that it won’t be long before I head off solo again.