In the English language, we don't have a word for the opposite of loneliness. "Togetherness" was the closest I got but that isn't quite right. It isn't just the feeling of being "surrounded by people who are all in this together." It's being surrounded by people who build you up and complement you. It's knowing who your tribe is.
I don't travel to run away. No, there's no place on Earth we could run to to get away from the aching of heartbreaks, the anger built up from family tensions, and the frustration of never feeling good enough. But traveling has an incredible power. Traveling heals us.
Some people find a way to get back into the grove of things, some pick up and jet off again in search of those highs. We all find our remedies. We all find our place. But I'm still looking for mine.
#ViajoSola I've been asked countless times "Why did you go alone?" This year I've explored 30+ cities throughout Europe, mostly on my own. So I'm defending my choice to explore the world as a solo female traveler.
While we as human beings have the capacity to do so much good in this world, that same capacity can also enable us to bring about some of the darkest times in our history.
There is a time for friends and family, a time to surround yourself with people who lift you up. But there’s also a time for yourself, a time for you to get lost in your own thoughts and enjoy your own company.
We owe it to each other to allow ourselves to feel a whole spectrum emotions. To not hold each other to expectations of how extroverts and introverts should behave.
This was the start of my love for writing, my love for documenting not just experiences but how those experiences made me feel, what those experiences made me think about. Welcome!
Elodie Kwan 