How is solo traveling empowering to me? - Medhavi Davda

This blog shares a personal journey of discovering solo travel after repeated failed plans with friends. What started out of frustration turned into a life-changing experience over 5 years. Solo traveling not only broke common myths but also helped in building confidence, trusting instincts, making independent decisions, and understanding oneself better.

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Introduction

I always knew that I was passionate about traveling, but I’d never thought of solo traveling as an option for me. I didn’t even know it existed back then. Solo traveling happened to me after countless failed travel plans with my friends due to various reasons which are familiar to all of us - finances, leaves, enthusiasm, compromising sleep on weekends, errands, family, etc.

Frustrated with all sorts of excuses that I received from them for not traveling, I set out alone and I would confess that it was the best decision of my life. I’ve been traveling solo for 5 years and the kind of person that I’m molded into in these years feels empowering to me.

Breaking Traveling Myths Felt Encouraging

• Why would anyone travel solo?
• Isn’t travel meant to be enjoyed with husband/family and friends?
• How could I live alone in a hotel, when it’s not for work?

I was bombarded with these questions for a very long time by my friends, family, and people I met on my travels.

Initially, I felt uncomfortable answering these questions. But after traveling solo for 5 years, I feel proud that I’ve broken these myths. Today, my friends, family, and others actually look up to me when they think of traveling solo or even in a group.

I Learned to Trust My Instincts

During my backpacking trips:

• I never book accommodation or logistics in advance
• I only book flights and decide everything after reaching

I walk around, feel the place, and then decide.

This taught me to:

• Understand people and situations better
• Listen to my instincts

If something feels wrong, I avoid the risk. I’ve started applying this in my daily life as well, and it has made me feel happier and more confident.

Traveling Solo Made Me More Confident

• My initial trips were to tourist-friendly places
• Slowly, I started exploring remote regionsI:
• Trekked solo in mountains
• Drove solo in the Himalayas
• Lived with locals in small villages

Each experience built my confidence step by step. Now, I don’t hesitate to take up new adventures.

I Learned to Be Dependent Only on Myself

While traveling in remote regions and foreign countries:

• Language barriers made communication difficult
• Sometimes I couldn’t even ask for directions

This taught me:

• To be prepared for anything
• To make quick and smart decisions

At the end of the day, it was my journey, and I had to navigate it on my own. This realization felt extremely liberating.

Decision Making Became Easier

Earlier, I used to:

• Depend on family, friends, or others for decisions

But during solo travel:

• I was cut off from networks
• I had to rely only on myself

This helped me:

• Understand myself better
• Make confident decisions without external validation

Now, I trust my own judgment more than ever.

I Discovered Myself Better

They say: To know a person better, travel with them.

For me, solo travel did exactly that.

I discovered:

• My strengths and weaknesses
• My dreams and passions
• What truly makes me happy
• What doesn’t matter anymore

This clarity helped me take strong decisions and commit to my passions.

About the Author

Medhavi Davda is an ex-Techie with 9.5 years of experience in Software Development at multinational companies.

She is:

• A high-altitude trekker
• An advanced adventure scuba diver
• A trained dancer
• A badminton champion
• One of the top travel bloggers in India

She quit her corporate career to follow her passions and experience life across different places in the world.

Currently, she has been living in different parts of Himachal Pradesh for over a year and shares her travel stories on RavenousLegs.

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