Turkey and Greece was my first long solo trip beyond a week. It taught me lot of things like planning, courage, dealing with ambiguity, trusting instincts, enjoying alone and a lot more
Inspiration for solo trip
I had seen pictures of Cappadocia and Pamukkale, always described as fairytale destinations. The colorful hot air balloons and “Tu Jaane Na” from the movie Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani made me put Turkey into my high priority list
The inspiration for Santorini came from a calendar from childhood days where the blue domes made me wonder if I would ever be lucky to visit such places ever at all. These were the days without internet, flights as we have today or information about how to visit these places
All my travel till I turned 20 were within India, still more than any average Indian. My dad’s frequent transfers for work and leave fare concessions helped us cover a fair bit of India
Once I ventured out to Europe for student exchange program, any destination seemed coverable or rather conquerable at that time. Greece was not covered under Eurail, so I had skipped visiting this wonderful country. Some of my friends took ferries from Italy to visit Athens. I had decided to club it with Santorini for later
Turkey was somehow a honeymoon destination in my mind. As I realized I am not going to marry anytime soon, I decided to make it a solo trip. At some corner in my mind, I was also inspired by spontaneous trip of Kangana Ranaut in the movie “Queen” after her breakup before marriage. I did not have any heartbreak thankfully!
Planning for solo trip
My dad was still working then, and it was very difficult for him to get leaves from work. Planning an international trip meant visibility and predictability 6 months in advance which never existed in public sector set up. Contrary to the belief that public sector bank employees chill out and take extended lunch breaks, my dad had one of the most stressful jobs. With non-friendly seniors, elements beyond one’s control like collections from loans, fragmentation to the maximum extent, he always clocked at least 12-14 hours each day
I still asked my parents if they would be willing to join me on a trip to Greece and Turkey. My dad flatly refused. My mom was eager in some corner of her mind but was probably waiting for my dad to give her permission to go. He might have never even thought that she could go on her own, so he never brought it up. I didn’t force too much either- it was a hassle to get Schengen visas since I was in Mumbai and my parents were in Karnataka. Someone had to take my mom for visa which I couldn’t manage
I decided to make it a solo trip. Not the first one since I had travelled solo in Europe for short weekend trips alone during my exchange program. It was a necessity for me in Europe during exchange program since Eurail pass was limited to 90 days and I couldn’t’ waste time waiting for company and sometimes repeating destinations which others hasn’t visited. However, this was the first end to end solo trip that was for more than a week
My parents didn’t seem too convinced about my solo trip for safety concerns. They didn’t say no, they also didn’t want to scare me if I still decided to go ahead. I convinced them to the extent possible and gave all reasons why the region is still safe, while having small doubts in my mind. I had read about catcalling in Turkey, something I researched about more later on so that I could avoid dangerous areas
All my earnings till then had gone into paying back education loan. I was in an industry where we could be fired within 6 months depending on how project performance went, which was highly driven by how much support one could get and not capability alone. I had channeled all my earnings to pay back the loan so that I could stay stress free. Not a sound decision considering tax implications, but at times, heart wins over brains
I had accumulated Jet miles from work related travel which could sponsor my ticket, thanks to international coverage the airline had. This made the destination choice easier and firmer. I still miss the golden age of Jet airways. I don’t think any airline matched the service in later years. My stays were either in hostels in Athens, Santorini, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, or in hotels where I had points for redemption bookings, like in Istanbul and Izmir
Actual experience on solo trip during travel
Once I landed in Turkey, I got many positive pleasant surprises. Intercity buses were like luxury with drivers in formal suits and boots. Some buses provided refreshments and flight like experience. Locals were welcoming at every place without fail. I felt they respected women travelling alone. I had avoided all potential shady locations and never had an experience that was bad. In fact, the omnipresent cats made me feel like I had friends everywhere
Some places did feel lonely, but nothing to the extent of making me regret the trip. It just feels good to share wonderful memories with loved ones. The only downside was slightly expensive cab rides that can’t be shared, where public transportation is not available
I missed my mom at Istanbul market- she would have gone crazy looking at the colors and wouldn’t have been able to resist shopping. I held back, just visiting all the alleys without buying anything.
I bought some oversized pomegranates from a juice shop, some Turkish delights before heading home. My uncle had gifted an evil eye long back, so skipped buying any souvenirs
It is good to take a solo trip at least once and sometimes in between. You learn to be independent that nothing else can teach. You are also not locked up just for the lack of company. The trip was liberating for me- teaching me that you don’t need a partner or a husband to travel It also took away random unwanted thoughts by keeping myself busy planning travel and then going on the actual tour, learning geography, compiling photos, writing about it
At the same time, I feel it is a privilege and good luck to be able to travel with loved ones and create memories of a lifetime. Travel as much as possible with others, but don’t shy away to carve out solo getaways if required