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Category Archives: sometimes adventure
Table For One: The Joy Of Travel Alone
As I sat on a boat headed out to the caves along the Algarve, a polite and intrigued man smiled awkwardly. Possibly confused and definitely wind swept by the salty breeze blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, he plucked up the courage to ask me what seemed like a dreaded question. For most, “Who are you travelling with?” seems like a normal query however at times, like when answered with an “Oh, just myself” type answer can leave a strange silence. Expecting a further explanation by this stranger, I highlighted that in fact, traveling alone had its rewards and that I had made friends. Reflecting on my response later, I laughed about it with the other solo travellers in my hostel who had experienced similar.
Self-reflection and sheer convenience are just a couple of reasons to travel alone. I could also imagine that watching ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ would be spur on a one woman (or man) escapade. For me, it’s the fact that I get to spend lots of time alone. I’m an introvert at heart and although, I love people and feel confident, I get my energy from spending time alone. This means that I recharge my batteries by listening to music, blogging and travel (to name a few). Upon observation over my thirty one years, I can recommend at least some alone time for everyone- at home or abroad.
For those wannabe loners, listen up! it doesn’t have to be a challenge to plan a lone-trip and it certainly doesn’t need to be expensive. To get started on the trip of a lifetime (or short-time), the internet and stores are full of the resources you need.
All of the main booking applications such as Ryanair.com, Booking.com and Hostelworld.com allow for solo bookings (crazy, I know). They are also full of cheap offers so that you don’t need to carry heavy prices without someone to share them with. Moreover, they make it easy to navigate, should you feel overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go when I booked Portugal this month. All I knew was that I needed sunshine and a beach. Hey presto, I used my one vote to choose flying to Faro for less than 170 euro (booked one week in advance). To avoid being a total loner for my trip, I went for a hostel – costing 25 euro per night. Winning, right?
If you’ve got a bigger budget and you’d prefer luxury then AirBnB have amazing offers everywhere. You can have the space and location choices just like hostels but without loads of bodies in your space. Just be sure that you’re choosing accommodation in a central location so that total isolation doesn’t happen. I said alone time is good for you but you’re going to want to meet humans at some stage.
Being alone means reaching far outside your comfort zone. Bobbing along beautiful beaches and perfect cities is fun alone however after some time, it might be time to consider reaching out. Hostels are the perfect way to connect at any time of the year and you can meet friends for life. Couch surfing is also useful. I started using this site back in 2013 when I was in Chile. Not knowing many people and actually not wanting to sleep on any couches, I browsed the local Couchsurfing page for fun activities. Thankfully, I saw that an American girl had just arrived and wanted to explore. To this day, we’re still close friends and we had a ball together in South America and more recently, in Ireland. Likewise, I spent one night drinking Sangria with new friends I met via Couch surfing hangouts in Portimao.
Got some tips and tricks when it comes to traveling solo? Post them in the comments below or across social media.
Adult Hard Or Hard Adult? Ignoring My NCT
An adult you say? Those people over the age of eighteen with more responsibilities, higher expectations and extra hair to shave. They’re the ones that check their bank account everyday to ensure they can pay bills they keep forgetting they have. Their income becomes a motivator as, each month and its agenda revolve around that sweet sweet payday. All the while, pretending to like the likes of kale and clean-eating makes up the time between weekends when cheat days happen.
Friends tell me that at aged thirty one, adulthood is inevitable. At this stage, I have to agree.
Last week, I went for my first NCT. For those unaware of what that means, it’s the national car test here in Ireland. I’ve had my car just over a year and love it dearly. Really though, I’d do anything for it. Anything except bring it for the NCT apparently. Four weeks had passed and I could see that the disc was getting more and more out of date. After a dodgy tyre meant I needed to visit the garage for repairs, reality struck. I booked in the NCT and passed six weeks out of date. I’m not going to lie. If the centre had been anywhere more than five minutes away, the procrastination would’ve been longer. Alas, it was not and I look forward to the great NCT of 2018.
For now though, I ponder what it all means and how I can be a better adult. Next time I let something slide, perhaps it can be nipped a bit earlier? Instead of telling myself that I’ve got better things to do, I should turn off Netflix and focus on my to do list. Or, I could give myself the fear about letting them slide into oblivion?
In any event, the lesson is that it needs to happen eventually. When I tell myself that something’s a pain and that doing it will stunt my creative streak – perhaps I need to face the facts. While there are plenty of things I could be doing, I’m not actually doing them. Those holidays I’d like to take, they’re not happening. As for all those books I’ve talked about writing, yeah I haven’t started.
The truth is that getting what I need to get finished will happen. Why not hurry it up and (dare I say) get it out of the way. There are plenty of upsides as far as I can tell.
Firstly, there’s the feeling of satisfaction and getting it ticked off. Love to do lists? Yeah, me too. Care to join me in ticking them off? Ticking off a list of completed items works wonders for the mind. Trust me.
While we’re at it, there’s a little reward scheme. I had a bunch of college work to do last year. It took lots of time and felt like adult life on steroids. I treated myself to new make-up upon completion. It felt amazing and I got the work done. Now I associate finishing the task with a great feeling and not the stress I (sometimes) felt. It’s a win win.
The rest of adult life isn’t without its procrastination. It’s just about choosing your priorities whether you want to or not.
Need Inspiration? Here Are Three Motivational Events In Ireland In 2017
It’s already June and the number of events that are popping up across social media and filling inboxes is off the charts. There’s the option of webinars, Tedx Events, Facebook lives and Twitter chats galore. Everywhere we look, someone wants to inspire us with their version of success and to be honest, it can be overwhelming both on our minds and bank accounts.
Time is precious so choosing where to go and what to listen to is kind of a big deal. For me, constant research and subscribing to a variety of speakers means I have more options to choose from and some of which I actually buy tickets for. Not sure which ones are for you? I’ve put together a list of three below. Maybe see you at some of them?
- Tedx Talks take place in Dublin on the 17th of June. Inspiring experts in their field, speakers will take to the stage to educate on their topic of choice. As an avid fan of the Ted app and general videos on YouTube (there are thousands), it’s safe to say I’m pretty excited about this one. Already sold out, it’s possible to join the waiting list for this highly anticipated event.
- Pat Divilly will return to Galway with his mindset workshop on the 22nd of July. This is a mixture of lectures on personal development and activities. The focus will be all about reconnecting with your best self, finding more clarity and managing your energy. This is a more concise version of Pat’s past workshops.
- Feeling empowered? Well even if you are already, Women’s Empowerment Summit will take place in October 2017 (later than Summer, indeed) and will comprise of a variety of talks from strong, empowering women. The likes of broadcaster Sile Seoige and best selling author Donna Kennedy will share their stories of success for a day long event in Citywest.
Don’t have the funds? No bother. There are several other options to support you in your personal development this year and thereafter.
*Crack a book open. Seriously, there are so many inspiring options out there that will cost you no more than 20 quid (less if you go for second hand). I’ve got a bunch of recommendations from last year (PM me for many more).
Aside from reading, social media is jam-packed full of inspiring pages, videos and events. Just this week, I stumbled across Heal Within where Linda runs weekly meditation and mindfulness Facebook lives.
Finally, I’ll be sharing weekly tidbits and sources of inspiration across my blog, social media and newsletter. Be sure to sign up so you can get content to your inbox first!
