22/ Traipsing around the mountains

+ A solo traveling guide

As of today, 21.66% of the year has passed. This is my first edition of the year.

I traveled across select places in Himachal and Uttarakhand for a month (feb-mar), sometimes with company, sometimes solo. Traipsing around the mountains left me with a profound understanding about myself and how I perceive the world, sprinkled with some insights into the human psyche. It’s taking me a while to process those mountain-sized feelings, so I’ll unroll the scroll slowly in the days to come.

View from Rocky’s Cafe, Old Manali

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I made up a solo traveling guide for myself back when I first started, and realised that I never published it.

If you want to start traveling solo, here you go -

1. Try to find hostels that are solo traveller friendly and have common hangout spaces. Zostel, hosteller, GoStops and Whoopers are a good bet. Hostelworld is a good place to find hostels (with common hangout spaces, so you can meet people).

2. My initial plan was to make friends and explore the city with them. But it's always good to have a backup itinerary in case you don't meet anyone right away, which happens when you reach early in the morning.

3. If you’re short on time, make a list of places to see, and the places to eat near them (check reviews). If you have time to spare, indulge in a pre-maps, pre-reviews era; take a stroll, and find a place to eat the old-fashioned (not the whisky) way.

4. You can ask the front desk for activities arranged by the hostel - treks, bonfires, live music and the likes, as well as who the other solo travellers are. They will point you to them.

5. It's a great idea to keep someone informed of your location at all times. Just a text works. Could be parents or friends.

6. Take cash, card, and set up UPI. You never know what might come in handy. Store cash in multiple places - in your bags and on your person.

7. Travel during the day if you're nervous but reach before it gets dark.

8. Definitely carry a power bank.

9. Carry ID proof, and your drivers license if you plan to rent a vehicle.

10. To deal with initial nervousness, make back up plans for every ‘checkpoint’ -

    1. For instance, if catching the bus was my first ‘checkpoint’, then I told myself if I missed the bus I can always come back home.

    2. Another example - In case I felt too nervous to step out of the hostel alone I told myself I can get a book to read and stay in.

    3. Don’t pressure yourself into doing things that seem extremely out of your comfort zone due to FOMO. Trust your gut, with people and with the things you want to do.

I hope that was helpful! If this made you decide to go on a solo trip, write back and tell me how it was! <3

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Future topics I plan to ruminate on (titles are a work in progress)-

1. Adventuring as a Nihilist

2. To be or not to be - a familiar face

3. Post-travel lifestyle changes

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