008. Solo Travel: you’re so brave

Slow Traveling Soul Sister

Episode 008 Solo Travel: you’re so brave.

Why is traveling alone a “brave” thing to do?

I have some friends who have never and will never go on a solo vacation. Case in point, I recently met up with two friends, both black and from large families.

One friend said she doesn’t trust anyone – Wow. So, you only surround yourself with family and a small group of friends but trust no one outside that circle? Are you always looking over your shoulder? Are you inspecting the kitchens of the restaurants you frequent? Are your house and car door locks double or triple-checked to make sure you’re secure? Are all mail and packages laser-scanned before being touched? She has grown children; I wonder how many times a day she talks to them… She’s never used an Uber or Lyft or even taken a taxi because she’s afraid of being attacked. I’m a control-freak but that is a level of… something that I’m so very glad I never reached.

The other friend said she doesn’t trust anyone from a foreign country. Again - Wow. You are a black woman living in America and you only trust Americans? My mind was blown. No other country has such a fascination with guns as America does, except for other terrorist countries. I honestly fear for my life every time I come back to the USA and I pray every day for my family and friends that still live there, especially the men. So I asked: What bubble was she living in? Does she only ever go from home to work and back home? Does she watch the news? Has she ever been sent to the principal’s office by a diabolical teacher or been treated unfairly by bosses or coworkers for no reason? Yes, she has. Well, on that note I had to change my perspective: she does not live in a bubble, she just wears rose-colored glasses.

Granted one friend went from her mother’s house to her husband’s house but the other has lived on her own for a very long time, although not that far from her family.

I was still lost on both counts and really couldn’t fathom their narrow-mindedness.

I understand that there’s a lot of noise and personalities in families, especially large ones. You’ve got the eldest, the middle child, and the youngest along with sibling rivalry, the favorite, the one who got away with everything and the one who got punished for everything, the troubled one, the screamer, the cry baby, the free spirit, the overachiever, the popular one, the studious one, the athlete, the drama queen (or king), etc. And there’s really no opportunity to block out all of that noise from your relatives and discover yourself. Your real self. The true you. The you who can rely on your own instincts and trust your gut. The you who is ready to surmount obstacles, remove blinders, transcend comfort zones, and step out on faith – alone.

Fear of the unknown, lack of trust, lack of knowledge, lack of curiosity, or do you just believe whatever someone else tells you rather than see it for yourself… Some of these things or all of them are holding you back. Which is it?

Honestly, I think part of the problem might be that either you don’t trust yourself. And/or you don’t trust the God that you say you believe in. Let’s ex

The Slow Traveling Soul Sister podcast is sponsored and hosted by SelfishMe Travel.

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