Mar 3, 2015

Reaching New Heights


In talking to my girlfriends I've noticed that they all have dreams of traveling to nice places. But when I bring up the idea to them, they never really commit. I've been wondering why that is. They all love my blog and they love being featured on it but they never want to feed their travel beast like I do.

Granted, we all live busy lives. Working 40 hours a week (or more), job searching, socializing with family, significant others & friends, planning future endeavors, etc. Planning a vacation is far down on the to-do list for most folks. I understand it, I really do because for a long time it was the same for me. Traveling was something I talked about doing but never really got around to doing.

My friend Karis was adventurous and sparked the adventurer in me. She was the one who talked me into taking my first trip alone to visit her in California. So with my friends not being able to commit to traveling and me still wanting to travel and see the world before I get married and have children, I've decided that I want to solo travel.




The only thing that scares me about solo travel is being alone. I'm used to traveling to/with family or friends. I have a few family members who have put scary thoughts into my head about doing anything alone. Before I went to California to visit Karis last year, my sassy, 83 year old grandmother told me, "Nisha, you are not grown. Who said you could go over there by yourself?!" 

Of course she meant it all out of love and was half joking, but I knew that she was worried about me. Which, for a few days leading up to my trip, made me worry as well. My excitement took over the day of the trip and I eventually didn't care anymore.

Knowing how much joy traveling brings me, it really has been the highlight of my life this past year. I am looking forward to exploring new places by myself. To keep me from being too anxious about it all I want to start in America. I would want to get some experience under my belt before I traveled to another country solo. However, I'm sure it won't be long before I am traveling the world by myself. 

Hopefully when my parents read this they won't be too shocked by my new found explorer spirit. I'm my mom's only child so it might scare her a bit, even though she is always supportive of me and my crazy ideas. My dad doesn't much worry about anything but I think this one might be shocker for him. I'll keep you guys updated on their thoughts as well lol.

Do any of you travel solo? Do you have any tips for me? Anything that you think I should do to prepare before traveling solo? Any solo travel stories you all want to share? If so, please do so in the comments. I would love to read them! 

Of course any traveling that I do, I will share with you all. So wish me luck in my quest to traveling solo. Talk to you soon.



Peace&Love
Janisha 


6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey, Janisha! I've never traveled solo before and I've never been out of the country, so I have no tips to offer you, lol. But, I was recently talking about this issue with my best friend who wants to travel and explore the world more. I've been supportive of her taking trips by herself, however, it's not something I'm interested in doing until I'm more financially stable. I just feel that it would be impossible for me to travel anywhere and truly enjoy myself knowing that my savings account has been wiped out trying to travel, you know? I think your plan to start traveling solo in the U.S. is a good one. Also, I suggest checking out Adrienne and Kristen's blog at: www.peachesbeachesandurbanistas.com - they're travel bloggers and might have some posts that may interest you.

Drea | thedreadaily.com

Kristen Noelle said...

@Drea - Thanks so much for the shoutout! =)


I don't know what it is about our culture (especially with black people it seems) that finds traveling alone so taboo. I guess it's just not being aware of how many people really do it, how easy it is (thanks to technology), and how much it can help you grow/discover yourself.

Maybe if you share a few links with your mom/family about solo female travel, they'll have a better outlook on the idea.

I know I just tweeted you AlexInWanderland.com (my absolute favorite travel blogger), and I also stop by AdventurousKate.com too who travels alone. TravelNoire.com has plenty of great articles too of course.

You know I'm so excited to see where this adventurous spirit will take you!!!


xo, Kris | Peaches, Beaches, and Urbanistas

Janisha Travels said...

Drea,
Thank you so much for reading! I am glad that you enjoyed it. I completely understand how you feel about traveling and not being financially stable. But I do encourage you to travel once you are ready, it's so much fun! Kristen is actually a good friend of mine and I love her and Adrienne's blog. Thank you so much for your comment, I really do appreciate it. :)

Janisha Travels said...

Kris,

Thanks so much for always reading and commenting, I really do appreciate it. I'm not sure what it is either. Not to mention you always hear how we as women should always stick together.
I am going to continue to show my mom your blog (which she loves by the way) and I am going to show it to my grandparents too.
Thanks for sharing those blogs, I am going to check them out. I already started reading AlexInWanderland and I am in love! Thanks again love for always being supportive. :)

Yolanda said...

I traveled solo throughout Mexico for three weeks back in 2013. I've also been to Cuba, but that was a study abroad trip. My family and friends were definitely nervous about me going to Mexico. Not to say that I wasn't a bit scared, but my sense of adventure was stronger than any fears that I had. Some tips I can give you are, plan and research as much as possible, but leave room for some spontaneity, get your budget together, be open-minded, use the same common sense you would traveling anywhere you've never been before, pack lightly, learn the common phrases of the language if you are not fluent, a smile/being friendly will take you a long way. Just go for it! Good luck with your travels.

Janisha Travels said...

Yolanda,

Thank you soooo much for your tips! I will definitely use them in my future solo travels. I am sure that being in Mexico for 3 weeks was amazing!

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