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Masterclass about solo traveling by Liesbeth Rasker
Have you ever let that special trip or that cool festival pass you by because no one can or wants to join you? From now on not anymore! Liesbeth Rasker, experienced solo traveler, explained in the 4th masterclass of this year that you don't need anyone to discover the world. In a 45-minute power talk, she shared her own experiences, removed prejudices and other obstacles, gave tips & tricks and explained why traveling alone is the best gift you can give yourself.
Why you should travel solo at least once in your life
According to Liesbeth, there are two simple reasons why everyone should travel alone at least once in their life. Firstly because it is great fun and secondly because you learn so much from it that you will benefit from for the rest of your life. Solo traveling gives you a certain degree of independence that you can apply to everything in daily life. For example: If you manage to make sense of the bus or metro network all alone on the other side of the world in a busy city, then you can also go to that birthday on your own where you don't know anyone. Or if you do get that annoying taxi driver with bad intentions to turn on the meter, you can also talk to your boss and ask for a raise. Traveling alone brings several situations where you learn to stand up for yourself. This allows you to better indicate where your boundaries are with friends, family or colleagues at home.
Being happy alone
In addition, the experience of traveling solo teaches you that you don't really need anyone else to be happy. If you are somewhere in the jungle in Indonesia or on a deserted island in the Philippines and you know how to enjoy yourself, you will never again depend on others to do what you like. Is traveling alone to a faraway country still too big a step for you? In that case Liesbeth gives you the advice to start small by, for example, going to the cinema on your own. After that, step a little bit further out of your comfort zone; go out to dinner alone, to a birthday or to a festival alone. Ultimately, you feel strong enough to travel alone. From Terschelling to Thailand; the world is literally at your feet!
Tips & Tricks
During the masterclass, Liesbeth shared various tips & tricks and answered all questions the present Student Experience residents had. The most important tips that Liesbeth wants to give every solo traveler are:
- Never go to the beach alone at night. Why? While you are skinny dipping, your money and ID gets stolen from your pocket or backpack.
- Come up with a financial plan in advance. If you decide to ignore the advice above or if you are robbed in another place, make sure that you never lose all your financial resources at once. Withdraw a little cash every day, create a paypal account, get two debit cards and leave some of your means of payment in the safe of your hostel when you go out.
- Don't be held back by the fear that other people will think you are pathetic and alone. When you see other people traveling solo or do something on their own, don't you also think 'Good for you'?
What is your next destination?