As I chanced upon blogs and forums about Pinays who travel solo, I cant help but be impressed. Those Pinays must be really so gutsy to do that. It never crossed my mind to travel alone but in an instance, my heart began pounding for a solo travel too.
And so the plan was born.
I crossed out Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Baguio in my options. I've already been to these places, besides I dont find any thrilling adventures on these spots. I wanted to risk more and enjoy more. The one place that stood out for me was Sagada. It's not an easy breezy chillax travel destination. I've never been there. I dont know anyone from Sagada. It's a 12-hour bus ride from Manila, and the adventures are only for the strong-willed. Sagada is just perfect for my 1st ever solo travel.
Sounds easy? Trust me, it's not.
Everything was set, but up to the last minute I admit I wanted to back out. The thought of being sick, being in danger, and being helpless while being away from everybody who knows me freaked me out. I just wanted to cancel everything I planned. I was scared.
And so the plan was born.
I crossed out Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Puerto Galera, and Baguio in my options. I've already been to these places, besides I dont find any thrilling adventures on these spots. I wanted to risk more and enjoy more. The one place that stood out for me was Sagada. It's not an easy breezy chillax travel destination. I've never been there. I dont know anyone from Sagada. It's a 12-hour bus ride from Manila, and the adventures are only for the strong-willed. Sagada is just perfect for my 1st ever solo travel.
Sounds easy? Trust me, it's not.
Everything was set, but up to the last minute I admit I wanted to back out. The thought of being sick, being in danger, and being helpless while being away from everybody who knows me freaked me out. I just wanted to cancel everything I planned. I was scared.
to go or not to go?
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Im still hesitant on the day of my Sagada trip. I knew I dont have to prove anything to myself and to others- but I badly wanted to experience this now else I might regret this big time. I know I may got sick, be in danger, and be bored, but I wouldn't know all of these unless I pursue this trip.
Fast forward.
I closed my eyes, prayed, took a deep breath, and left our house. Took a bus and arrived in Sagada. Survived the 6-hour Cave Connection in Lumiang + Sumaguing, trekked the mighty Bomod-Ok falls, saw the Echo Valley and Hanging Coffins upclose, learned their rich culture, and tasted their most raved specialties.
see my 2-part Sagada adventure hereI was never the adventurous type. But my being alone taught me not to complain and throw tantrums at all (who would care anyway if I do? Im alone!). I was never fond of talking to locals too. But in this case, I was forced to. That made me understand that traveling is more than just seeing the beautiful spots. It's actually allowing yourself to learn and be part of the place.
This solo travel gave me the chance to discover about myself more, interact and immerse with the locals, appreciate the quiet-me-time, and remind me that my happiness must never be dependent with anyone but myself.
as my souvenir shirt says:I survived Sagada alone!
So if you're to ask me what are the hardest parts of my 1st solo travel?
1st, it's convincing myself that everything will be just fine. 2nd, stepping out of our house while erasing all the paranoia in my head.
..and nothing more.
After Ive overcome these, I traveled alone to Ilocos, Vietnam, and Cambodia too. Looks like Im not a hesitant solo female traveler anymore! ^_^
..and nothing more.
After Ive overcome these, I traveled alone to Ilocos, Vietnam, and Cambodia too. Looks like Im not a hesitant solo female traveler anymore! ^_^
This post is my contribution to the Pinoy Travel Bloggers' Blog Carnival for the month of April with the theme Thoughts of a Solo Traveler.
Compilation will be hosted by Philippine Blog Awards Best Travel Blog Winner of 2010 - Nina Fuentes of Just Wandering.
74 responses:
Give yourself a learning, fulfilling, priceless, and memorable trip of your life- very soon! Try to travel alone! =)
hi chyng.ako din nakapag travel na alone legazpi at may susunod pa soon! nice blog..iba talaga ang pinay!
Gusto ko rin mag-Sagada mag-isa hehe i might just do that after my bday :D
pinagdedesisyunan ko din magtravel alone. Pero the sched and the confidence is barely there. wahahaha. hopefully, im not yet old to do traveling alone.
I've been always impressed with women doing something out of the ordinary.. (don't get me wrong here.. ) and travelling alone is one of them.. Hat's off to them (kasama ka na rin Chyng.. :D ) for seeking an adventure out of your comfort zone..
Weeeee... Congrats Chyng! :D Ako ang first solo travel ko e SG last year. :D *apir!* Nice to experience it din di ba?
.. i have often travelled alone for work but it is very different if you're going for a solo leisurely trip.
.. i have done it recently, loved it and will do it again. :)
the only "solo trip" i did was when i went to palawan via super ferry. my friend that time was waiting for me at the port in puerto princesa, but the ride, i consider it a solo trip. i was only 20 years old at that time and i braved the 22-hour boat ride alone. i wanted to experience riding a passenger boat that's why. kakatawa lang kasi ang palabas sa tv that time eh titanic. perfect for a boat-virgin like me...hahaha...the experience was different, and it was a nice time to contemplate and to experience diversity! kudos to you chyng!
still keep your eyes peeled when traveling alone and always listen to your instincts.
Hay sis Chyng, you never fail to amaze me talaga. Nung nagpaplano palang ako na mag Sagada last year, ang dami ko din fears pero nung nabasa ko yung blog mo, lumakas loob ko at nainspired talaga ako. Until now. Pero dapat magkaroon muna ako ng life insurance haha! I'm a big fan sis, No Kiddin'! :)
"Soloing isn't just a different way to travel---it's the ultimate way. Undiluted. Totally in the moment. Undistracted. Just what you want, how you want it, and when you want it so you can experience all you can. You will have more freedom and meet more people." Lea Lane (author of Solo Traveler)
Kaya kita IDOL e... Pinag-hahandaan ko din ang pagtatravel alone. Salamat, Chyng!
God bless. :D
Kudos to solo travelers! :)
Lalo ako na-excite ms chyng .. gusto ko na din kumawala sa aking kahon.
naniniwala ako sa sinabi mo na once na-subukan mo nang maglakbay mag-isa, wala ka nang kataakutan pa.. bagkus maghahanap ka pa ng masmabigat at mas challenging. :)
nice! sana ako rin. napanod mo na yung 127 hours? katakot yung ganun noh? hehe....gusto ko matry mag solo trip bwahahaha....kool yun, mag iipon muna me hehe
if you can.Bakit di magagawa ng iba.
I traveled on my own so many times, pero medyo hesitant ako pag sagada. havent been there for the last 10 years at masyado kasing tahimik sa gabi.
I was never fond of talking to locals too. But in this case, I was forced to. >>> definitley one of the most important thing about traveling solo. bilis mong nagpost. sana makahabol pa ako. hahaha...
di ko to malimutan kasi ito talaga simula ng mga best series mo.
Hi Chyng! Binasa ko naman post mo pero di ko alam kung magkano nagastos mo...hehehe...gusto ko rin kse sana punta dito kaya lang di ko alam kung pasok sa budget. Salamat ng marami! Galing-galing!
You're such an inspiration to me.. (sh*t ang keso! hahah!) seryoso. Kaya I decided to plan a few solo trips this year kasi natutuwa ako sa mga adventures mo. Let me re-phrase it... NAIINGGIT ako sayo girl. hahah! Way to go!
a-tapang na babae, a-ganda pa.nice view about solo travelling =)
congrats! nice shirt :) na-mimiss ko na ang sagada.
This is one thing I don't know if I can do it... It's quite hard for me to do this trave-alone thing... but sometimes its hard to get travel mates to join with you in a place you want to visit that makes you think of this option
ang galing ni Chyng! (rhyme ba?) Hahaha!!! ako twice pa lang nakapag solo travel.. Albay and Negros Occidental,... Will do more this year... =D
ang dami dami ng napuntahan mo...
ayan! ayan ang gusto kong magawa! :D
traveling to another country alone is one thing i would like to do. dun ako naiinggit sayo na nakakayanan mong gawin yun.
good job chyng. i'll take note of your pointers. :)
tama ka chyng, the hardest part is taking that first step. but when you do, tuloy tuloy na yan! :)
ako basta asa pilipinas feeling safe pa ako....pag lumabas na, ayun. takot ako! he he! sana magawa ko na din magtravel ng solo outside the philippines.
dinako pwede sa solo travel kasi alam mo na double na so double din lagi expenses. I believe kasi na you have to go through the usual destinations muna, then pag satisfied na ---out of this world trips naman este--off the beaten paths ika nga.next level. ako---dipako over the 1st level so puro comfort travel muna. diko alam kong aabot pako sa next level like u-di ako kasing bold mo. iba na talaga me 2 life insurance diba.lols
much love, chyng! dapat ganyan din ako soon.
grabe. sagada! two thumbs up! mabasa nga post mo din dun.
hi chyng, you never fails to amazed me,really. ang galing galing talaga ng pinay! (not to mention a bicolana,hihihi ^_^). ako din,gusto kong magtravel alone, kaya lang, sa ngayon parang gusto ko nang bumuntot sayo,hahaha! Galing galing mo chyng.
kudos! gusto ko gawin uli ang Sagada! I'll never forget your Ilocos trip though, yun ang tumatak sa isip ko. Keep exploring Chyng! =)
dati akala ko ang paglalayas ay gawaing masama, hindi naman pala...
yun ay kung babalik ka rin naman, lalo na kung may dalang pasalubong :D
Ms. Chyng, ang galing! I admire your courage... ako rin po nag travel ng solo sa Camsur and Legazpi...mga nag siback out kasi mga kasama ko. May susunod pa ako Davao, wow garabe na ito, Mindanao ito..sana kayanin ko...hehehe!
During my solo trip, I somehow enjoyed it because I had a great time to explore the places with myself, I had the time to think…reflect. I was able to survive as a solo traveler. Along the way of my trip I’ve come to realized that I’m still lucky enough compared to other people.
Of course nothing beats a trip with companion but somehow there was an achievement to yourself that you can’t explain.
Kudos to the solo traveller.
Sis, I think in any kind of journey, travelling alone is scary. I feel you are really gutsy like all those who have traveled alone not knowing what's in store for them. I think that's how people should be in life - self-reliant and hoping for the best. :)
lam mo nung unang nabasa ko yung post mo na yun, nainggit talaga ako sayo.. adventurous type of person na ko pero hindi ko pa maisip kung kaya kong mag-travel ng mag-isa..
maybe i should place this on my bucket list.. hehe..
natatawa ako sa tantrums and no one will care. hahahahaha you're very funny. oo nga naman, kasi traveling solo... you travel at your own pace. walang gisingan ng maaga kung inaantok pa at walang tulugan ng maaga kung gusto pa pumarty! he he
hi chyng! been planning on doing solo travel this vacation, using your solo travel stories as reference... tnx tnx!
Great job Chyng! :) Ang lakas talaga ng loob mo at Sagada ang first solo travel mo. Sana ma-try ko din mag solo travel balang araw. ^_^
A friend from the office just had her solo trip two weeks ago...and I recommended your site and Gael's for inspiration. She had fun alone and took a lot of photos...and more photos of her in a two piece bikini. Got to saw some of her photos privately (I regard it as my prize for recommending your very encouraging sites. Kidding). Self timer is her new best friend.
Idol ka tlga Chyng! Sana mk-travel din ako ng solo. I still lack the courage eh! Nwei, out of topic, but can you please update my site feed on your blogroll. N-tanga kc ako eh. Thanks :)
Chyng I'm so glad you did it! You crossed over to the awesome world of female solo travel. I like the photo montage by the way.
magkano po nagastos nyo? :) thanks!
i must agree traveling solo is fulfilling! love the independence too.
congrats chyng for your solo adventure in sagada :-)
@chyng....kaw na ang solo pinay traveler.....^_^
idol for solo traveling! i can still remember when i first read your asia travel, i was really amazed that you traveled solo and i kept bragging it to my friends about this pinay who traveled alone...pretty amazing. thanks chyng for inspiring women to conquer their fear in traveling alone
Go for it... I hope you find time to travel alone and share more adventures!!!!
galing talaga chyng. dumadami na talaga ang female solo travelers. I refer people to this site whenever they want a detailed itinerary to places with great pictures to match! :D
Tama ka Chyng, we will never know unless we try.
You are definitely one brave women! Only a few Filipina are as brave as you to travel SOLO. :)
* Woman pala
dumami ka tuloy. hahaha
first time i travelled solo medyo hesitant ako kung itutuloy ko ba o hindi. di ko rin kasi choice noon na magsolo, nagback out nga lang ang mga kasama ko. nagdadalawang isip na itutuloy ba o hindi, im glad tinuloy ko. dahil din sa pagsosolo ko noon doon din nagsimula na lumakas ang loob kong sumali sa mga group tours at doon ko nakilala ang mga travel friends ko.
ngayon bihira na akong magsolo travel. di dahil takot pa rin ako kundi marami na rin kasi akong nahahatak sa gala.
thumbs up sa lahat ng mga nakapag-solo travel na at sa mga hindi pa try nyo kahit once lang. iba rin kasi ang saya pag gumala nang mag-isa
thumbs up, Chyng!
I've traveled ALONE in Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangkok and looking forward to more solo travels. The experience is very fulfilling and enriching. I learned a lot of things and made new friends along the way. It gives you a sense of independence. Super achievement ang dating! :)
I've always been told that I'm very gutsy and brave and I would reply "No guts, no glory". hehe.
I think people should learn to conquer their fears. :)
i always enjoy reading your story and i must say that your adventurous solo travels are truly inspiring. :)
go pinay :)
astig talaga itong trip mo, chyng =) I packed for Sagada via Baguio recently but I chickened out and explored Baguio alone instead. tsk. I initially thought of pushing through Sagada to just eat and chill minus the spelunking but what's the point? Haha. One day, one day =)
"that my happiness must never be dependent with anyone but myself." - so true!
If ever I do get to travel alone, I'll go back to Sagada even if I've been there twice na. The place is still such a charmer for me.
Pero bahala naaaa natatakot pa rin ako magtravel alone. Buti ka pa na-overcome mo na fear mo! COngrats Chyng! :D
if i can turn back the hands of time, i will do what you say - to travel alone. i also believe that we need special time with ourselves. but now that i am a family man, that thought would be too hard to consider. i always put my family on my top priority so traveling wherever and doing whatever almost always involve them.
happy easter to the risky-buwis-buhay- pinay travel blogger. that's you chyng!
astig! I am not afraid to roam around places alone... what I am afraid isthe thought of sleeping alone in a room... (yes I am afraid).
-Cherry
I so love your Sagada trip. I'll use this as reference when I go there. Solo adventure is more than fun.
hi Ms.Chyng, sobrang bilib ako sa inyo ni Ms.Gael ng thepinaysolobackpacker...ang galing nyo, dream ko na magawa ko rin yan balang araw sana madagdagan pa yung lakas ng loob ko...thank you so much for sharing your blog...very inspiring and informative...
I really get inspired whenever I read stories like this. Honestly, may paranoia din ako but whenever I read the solo escapades of fellow pinay travelers, it makes me realize na kaya ko din mag-travel ng solo. I hope ma-try ko din to soon. Thanks for the inspiration Chyng! :)
Si Lovely nga pala to. I don't why pero yung google account ko yung lumalabas at hindi yung wordpress id ko. hehe. Anyways, thank you for sharing this story :)
Uy parehas pala tayo ng first solo travel destination =)
'happiness must never be dependent with anyone but myself' - couldn't agree more. solo traveling can really be an eye-opener. :)
Your Sagada trip is my second favorite post of all time next to that "emo "Ilocos trip of yours :) Way to go girl, you really inspire many readers and I'm definitely one of them.
Uy panalo ang bagong layo out ah!!
Ay teka di pala Sagada first time solo travel ko, Vigan pala hehehe nakalimutan ko na =P
after reading blogs of soloist travelers especially women .. i myself napapaisip of trying to travel alone too .. ive been blogging for some time yet its just now that i decided to make a new blog which i can open to public .. and with my work i cant really travel as of now for some far places so i decided to try within manila alone .. for a start .. ill start with communicating and dealing with people first .. keep it up .. you inspire me .. cheers!
there's fear in traveling solo if you'll do it first time but afterwards, it'll feel like an accomplishment.
and I might do it again for the bragging rights!!!! hahaha
Good job! My first solo travel was last December when I randomly picked a place and thought of Bulusan, Sorsogon. I thought it was just in Zambales that requires 2 - 3 hrs only. When I bought the bus ticket, i founnd out it was 12 hours to Sorsogon and 2 more hours to Bulusan haha
I traveled on my own so many times, pero medyo hesitant ako pag sagada.
Hi Chyng! I am a fan of your blog and I've been a follower since God knows when. But it is just now that I came across this topic - You traveled alone in Sagada for the first time! I am impressed! I was browsing online for a solo DIY trip to Sagada and I've found this. I've done my first ever solo trip to Davao and I was skeptical as well of stepping out of the house the day of my trip. It was the most liberating 5-day-DIY-trip of my life. Now, at this very moment, I am about to embark for another solo trip and this time, in Sagada. I am scared of the thought that I'll be going to Sagada alone as I find Up north very unfamiliar. Now, I am tossing between going solo to La Union as I feel safer, not to mention that beach vibe always provides me a comforting feeling or stick with the original plan of heading to Sagada. Whoooaa! We'll see where my sole leads me tonight. :-)
^ hi joy,
Hope you're back from Sagada! =)
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