Sharon McLean
I began solo traveling in 2012 and my first trip was Mexico and I spoke no Spanish. I decided to go for four months and spend a couple of those months volunteering to familiarise myself with the country, the culture and the people. After my volunteering was over, I stepped out into the big wide open and began to travel. Back in those days, technology consisted of going to the internet cafe to check Facebook and emailing home, sometimes I would book a bed on the Hostelworld website.
Travelling solo also meant I could go where I wanted, when I wanted without the restrictions of time or having to rely or wait for other people.
A great source of information back then was the Lonely Planet Guide and everybody used it to plan their journeys. It was not uncommon to go to the next destination, only to find that I would meet up with people who had been at the last destination. Sometimes we would all travel together for a couple of days. Having confidence in myself and by talking to other travellers led to me leaving Mexico and spending my final month in Guatemala.
I have since traveled solo to 24 countries and have never looked back. My world has never been the same….
