solo travel

You've got somewhere to go, but no one to go with; solo travel is the nexus of independence and opportunity.

Every Night I Dream
Throughout my life, I have never had a problem believing in phenomena like déjà-vu or foresight, or some reality just beyond the physical. But even I, with an open mind and love for the mysterious, have been blown away by what has happened. This has been beyond anything I’ve I could have imagined in waking life... So it makes sense that it all started with a dream.
By Stephanie H5 years ago in Wander
Blessed
Even on her deathbed, Benedita’s grandmother was positive and full of wisdom, how she'd always be remembered. “Ask of the universe and you shall recieve,” she used to say, her dark-as-midnight eyes twinkling with something that Benedita couldn’t quite understand, but wished someday she might.
By Hayley Toye5 years ago in Wander
Chinese Culture Shock in Three Easy Steps
I’m alert in the packed line four train. Immediate Culture Shock: A 4’11 woman stands with her forehead buried in my back, as a man’s elbow stabs me in my side.
By Whitaker Lee5 years ago in Wander
Foreign in a Pandemic- Part Four
*For the privacy of the school, staff, students, and program itself, I’m going to leave the region/town names in which I live/work out of these pieces. Despite now living in the largest town in the academy region, it is still a small region with even smaller towns. If I gave even one piece of information, many other things could be uncovered, and I don’t wish to risk the privacy and breach trust of anyone I work alongside. For more notes and stories of my experiences, read Foreign in a Pandemic-parts one, two, and three available on my page*
By J. Lee5 years ago in Wander
A Good Lead
It was springtime on the East Coast, and I had escaping on my mind. I had barely known my great aunt, but now an unexpected twenty grand inheritance from her was sitting in my bank account. This seemed reason enough to buy a ticket, pack a bag, and fly over a big blue ocean. I was now boarding a train in Amsterdam. With a tea tumbler, a camera, and some essentials in my bag, I selected a roomy seat at the back of an empty car. Settling in, I felt the nudge of something under my leg. I fished around and retrieved a small black notebook that was wedged between my velvety seat and the equally plush armrest. Inside were notes, dates, and names of people and places. The notes appeared to be in French, but I could decipher a few words. Inspired, I thought it would be nice to keep a similar record of my travels, and I had seen notebooks in the station’s gift shop. So, while waiting for the early morning train to fill, I hopped off and purchased a similar little black book.
By Annabeth Kress5 years ago in Wander
Christmas In Oakland
The story begins just 10 days before Christmas. This was Queen’s first Christmas away from home, first time in Oakland, and one holiday she would NEVER forget. Tickets to her first winter jazz concert were booked weeks in advance. She checked her email daily as if the virtual tickets would disappear into thin air or “the cloud”. Her outfit was washed, ironed, and ready to wear as her alarm rang to begin her day.
By Kayla Reeves5 years ago in Wander
Whistle of Wind
The air was damp and smelled earthly sweet in the dimly lit study that, considering the looming sun outside, felt surprisingly cool.
By Crystal Paz5 years ago in Wander
Between the Signs
I used to ride public transportation in Los Angeles, in the mid 2010s. I met a wide range of people that way, encountering everything from a die-hard racist who demanded a black person ride a separate bus to a person who went off on the bus driver, screaming and attempting to grab the wheel.
By Joanna Celeste5 years ago in Wander
Singing in the rain
And I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more. Damn song had been stuck in my head for what seemed like hours now. Da da DAH DAH, da da DAH Dah. Even in the pouring rain I had to smile. It was such a damn catchy tune. Not sure of anything else the Proclaimers had proclaimed, but they really nailed that song. “Just to be the man that walked a 1000 miles to fall down at your doo-oo-oor” I sang aloud as I stopped under a large white pine to get a slight break from the relentless patter of rain on my hood. Was a great big tree, to see it in the daylight it probably towered over its neighbors, who were no saplings. Last week I had climbed a sizeable tree and the view was incredible, treetops as far as the eye could see, a deep green sea undulating against the blue-sky backdrop. I leaned against the tree my shoulders grateful to be relieved of the weight of my pack. Lightning flashed and with the momentary light, something about the bark caught my eye. I fumbled under my hood for the button on my headlamp, having grown accustomed to walking without it. The strong beam was bright, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust before focusing in on what I was looking for. There. Three notches. Even in the daylight they would be near impossible to see, they were old and just a few inches long, probably made with a small hatchet. What a crazy random happenstance. My thoughts flashed back to a single notch I had seen on a similar tree this morning. While both finds were intriguing and mysterious, I exhausted and not up to allowing my imagination run wild without some rest and coffee. Grabbing my sleep sack and head canopy, I cozied up under the curious tree, grateful the dense branches offered extra rain cover. Humming Dah dah dadadada da dumm de dumm until falling asleep.
By Amera Striegel5 years ago in Wander
Light Green Sunsets
"One trick that works well for me... throughout the day, ask yourself 'Am I dreaming?' and look at your palms. Look closely. And do this often. 30 times per day, or as much as you can remember. If your hands look normal, you're still awake. It's a good trick, because it's quick and effective, you won't look weird, no one will even notice. There are other methods like hopping from place to place, everywhere you go, all day long, but, that is a little more noticeable. However, if you don't mind the questions, and confused looks, this also works very well. In the realm of dreams, there is no gravity, the physics are different. So if you hop from place to place, and ask yourself if you are dreaming... it will be very obvious. You will be hopping 20-30 feet into the air. And, it will likely be very fun. But, it's important to ask yourself the question, 'Am I dreaming?' Otherwise you just might think, hopping 30 feet into the air is normal, everyday behavior. When you are in the realm of dreams, also known as the Astral realm, and you remember to ask yourself this question, followed by an examination of your palms... you will know immediately that you are dreaming. Your palms will look very different. This is how you wake up in your dreams, and explore the Astral with true awareness. The Astral realm is infinite and once you become lucid the possibilities are truly, truly, endless."
By Joshua Meelo5 years ago in Wander
The Secret
There is an old saying you hear by the veterans of the Camino de Santiago while walking the ancient pilgrim route, “the way always provides.” As I sit in the airport bar in Porto, Portugal, drinking whiskey, my crutches sitting next to me and waiting for my flight back home to San Francisco – I can’t help but ponder over my journey across Spain and the secret I kept along it.
By Clayton Goodwin5 years ago in Wander
THE SECRET LIBRARY
It was growing inside him, he could feel the pulse of a new story waiting to be born. The vision, like lightning striking the earth, sparked a deep yearning in him.
By Joshua Kruis5 years ago in Wander