My First Week of Solo Travel - and What It Taught Me

I’m now in Week 3 of my Southeast Asia trip, which feels slightly crazy to say.

When I look back at my first week in Bali, I realise how much happened in such a short amount of time. Not necessarily huge, life-changing moments, but lots of tiny situations that made me think, Oh… apparently I’m learning something here.

I’ve travelled solo before, but travelling alone for several months, very far away from home feels different. There’s nobody else to make the little decisions with, nobody to split the fries with, and nobody to tell you that getting on that scooter is probably going to be fine.

It’s just you.

And after a few weeks on the road, I wanted to look back at those first days and share some of the things they taught me.

01 - Apparently, you can be terrified and still say yes.

My first Grab bike ride was terrifying.

I had quickly realised that Bali is not particularly walkable. Google Maps might tell you somewhere is 15 minutes away, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a 15-minute walk. There might be no pavement, random holes, construction, traffic or a road that suddenly makes you question why you thought walking was a good idea.

So eventually, I had to get on a Grab bike to get around in Uluwatu.

I booked one before I had enough time to properly overthink it. When the driver arrived, I suddenly realised I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

I was worried I would fall off. I was holding on for dear life. And then I survived. And at some point it actually turned out to be FUN!

The funniest part is that the next day I took eight Grab bikes. Eight.

Something that had felt terrifying the day before suddenly became completely normal.

Then I decided to add another first: surfing.

I was genuinely nervous before my first surf lesson. We had maybe five minutes of practice on land before I was in the ocean, with the instructor holding the board and asking:

“Are you ready?”

My brain said no.

My mouth said yes.

I fell on the first wave. And the second. And quite a few after that. But I also managed to stand up and ride some waves all the way to the beach.

My knees were bruised afterwards and definitely had some thoughts about my new hobby, but I had so much fun.

Looking back, I think this was one of the first things I really took from the trip: I don't have to feel ready to say yes.

Sometimes I can be scared and do it anyway.

02 - I think I found freedom on the back of a Grab bike.

On day two something funny happened.

The thing I had been so scared of became one of my favourite experiences.

One evening, I was riding through Bali on the back of a Grab bike, on my way to having sunset dinner by the ocean.

Uluwatu was passing by around me.

And I remember thinking:

I don't think I've felt this free in a while.

I wasn't driving. I wasn't navigating. I wasn't checking the map.

I was just there.

It was such a simple moment, but I think I'll remember it for a long time.

It also made me realise that sometimes the journey really is the best part.

03 - I came with an itinerary. I'm learning to ignore it.

I like plans.

I like knowing what I'm doing and having some structure around my day.

So naturally, I arrived in Bali with an itinerary.

Yoga. Pilates. Beaches. Tours. Exploring. Places I wanted to visit.

And then my body had other ideas.

I cancelled some plans because I was feeling sick.

One day, I spent a couple of hours at the beach, but it was busy and I realised I was actually feeling more drained than relaxed.

So I went back to my accommodation.

Instead of finding another activity to fill the afternoon, I sat by the quiet pool and read for an hour.

That's it.

Nothing productive. Nothing planned. Nothing to tick off.

And it was exactly what I needed.

I'm travelling for three months. Of course it's very tempting to try and see EVERYTHING that's recommended on Social Media, Google or by people who have been.

But I realised I don't need to see every beach, do every class and make every day “count”.

I don't need to explore 24/7 and I don't have to make good use of every minute.

There will be another beach.

Another yoga class.

Another sunset.

I'm learning that sometimes the best plan is the one you cancel.

04 - Bali is teaching me patience. Slowly.

This one is still a work in progress.

Bali has a very different relationship with time than I do.

Food takes longer. Traffic takes longer. Getting somewhere takes longer.

And sometimes Google Maps tells you something is 15 minutes away, and Bali very politely disagrees.

Here, sometimes you just wait.

You sit in traffic.

You wait for your food.

You take the longer route. Or sometimes the very dodgy short cut with your Grab Bike.

And eventually, you get there.

A few weeks in, I'm definitely better at accepting that not everything needs to happen on my timeline.

I'm not saying I've mastered it.

But I'm working on it.

Slowly.

05 - Solo doesn't mean lonely. It means nobody steals my fries.

Before leaving, I wasn't particularly worried about being lonely. I've always been quite comfortable spending time on my own.

But I was curious what it would feel like to make that the default for such a long trip.

So far, I really like it.

I can eat alone. Go to the beach alone. Sit in a café alone. Spend an entire afternoon doing absolutely nothing.

And then, if I feel like company, I can go find it.

There are people everywhere, and it's surprisingly easy to meet people when you want to.

Also, in Bali, you're never really alone anyway.

There are dogs.

There are monkeys.

There are Grab drivers.

There is always something happening.

I'm learning that being alone and being lonely are two completely different things.

And honestly, having nobody steal my fries isn't a bad bonus either.

But always watch out for the monkeys. ;-)

06 - CEO of absolutely everything.

I don't think I realised how many decisions you make when you travel alone.

Where should I eat?

How do I get there?

Should I walk or take a Grab?

What time should I leave?

Do I actually want to go?

Is it safe?

What am I doing tomorrow?

There is no:

“What do you want to do?”

“I don't mind.”

“Well, I don't mind either.”

And then 40 minutes later, you're still standing there.

It's all me.

Every tiny decision, all day, every day.

I'm basically the travel agent, navigator, restaurant finder, photographer and decision-making committee.

It can be tiring, but it is also strangely empowering.

Because you start realising that you can make a decision, trust yourself and deal with whatever happens afterwards.

Even when you have absolutely no idea what you're doing.

07 - There is no backpacking police.

I also had to let go of what I thought travelling around Southeast Asia was “supposed” to look like.

I'm travelling for several months.

But I'm not travelling with a giant backpack. I have a spine condition, so I'm "suitcasing" instead.

I'm not staying in hostels. I need a private space somewhere to take coaching calls, so I'm staying in Airbnbs and hotels. And if I want to treat myself to a beachfront villa for the weekend, I'll do it.

So this is my version of backpacking.

And I've decided that's completely fine.

I think we put so many rules around experiences.

Backpacking has to mean this.

Solo travel has to mean that.

Travelling for three months has to look a certain way.

But there is no backpacking police checking whether you're doing it correctly.

Your trip, your rules.

08 - Apparently, I only needed 24 hours to feel at home.

My first day back in Bali was overwhelming.

The roads. The traffic. The scooters. The food. Figuring out where things were. Working out Grab. The humidity. The mosquitos.

There was definitely a moment of:

What have I done?

And then, somehow, it changed.

I figured out how to get around.

I knew where to get food.

I started recognising the area.

Grab became normal.

The streets stopped feeling quite so chaotic.

And suddenly:

I could actually live here.

Apparently, I only needed about 24 hours.

Now, a few weeks into the trip, I've noticed this happening again whenever I arrive somewhere new.

At first, everything feels unfamiliar.

Then you find your coffee place.

You figure out the transport.

You recognise a street.

And suddenly it doesn't feel so foreign anymore.

Maybe we adapt much faster than we give ourselves credit for.

09 - My only daily appointment: sunset.

Somewhere during that first week, sunset became my one non-negotiable appointment.

My Bali calendar is looking very different:

6pm - sunset.

No other meetings accepted.

Everything else is flexible.

Plans change. Things take longer. Some days I want to explore. Some days I want to lie at the beach. Sometimes I want company. Sometimes I don't.

But whenever I can, I want to find somewhere to watch the sun go down.

I think I like having one little constant in a trip where everything else is changing.

And there is something very nice about an activity that requires absolutely nothing from you.

You just sit there.

Watch.

And enjoy.

Looking back at that first week

A few weeks later, none of these things feel particularly dramatic anymore.

The Grab bike isn't scary. When I travelled to Java for a few days and came back to Bali after 5 days without riding on a bike, I actually missed it.

Eating alone isn't awkward.

Changing plans doesn't feel like failure.

Getting somewhere slowly is just part of the day.

And I don't spend quite as much time wondering whether I'm doing this “right”.

I think that's probably the biggest thing I'm taking from those first days.

I'm learning to trust myself a little more.

To listen to my energy.

To say yes even when I'm nervous.

To say no when I need to.

To make my own decisions.

And to not take the whole thing too seriously.

I'm also just incredibly grateful.

Grateful that I get to be here.

Grateful for the people I've met along the way, the kind Grab drivers, the random conversations, the beautiful places, the dogs and monkeys, the sunsets, the quiet afternoons and even the slightly chaotic moments.

There is still a lot of this trip left.

And I'm sure there will be plenty more lessons, funny stories, questionable decisions and probably a few more bruises along the way.

So this is just the first little update.

More to come.

Namaste, Sarah x