If you had asked me in the past,
„Oliver, how would you rather travel \u2014 with company or on your own?“
I would’ve always gone for the travel buddy. Always.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I used to think that solo travel meant having no one to talk to, no one to share the magical moments and epic adventures with. I imagined it being kind of lonely \u2014 maybe even frustrating at times.<\/p>\n This is exactly how I used to feel about solo travel\u2014until I was forced<\/em> to try it myself. Yes, I say \u201cforced,\u201d because it wasn\u2019t exactly part of the plan. I had always put off going to Asia, claiming the humid climate would be too much for me. But this time, I wanted to face that challenge head-on.<\/p>\n After chatting with a few friends\u2014true Asia pros\u2014their advice was clear: So the destination was set: Thailand it is.<\/p>\n That same evening, I sat down at my laptop and started digging. I clicked my way through travel blogs written by people who had already explored Thailand. Dreamy beaches, crystal-clear water, exotic plants, and mouthwatering food \u2013 that\u2019s the essence of every Thailand travel report I had read. With each new click, the idea of a sunny escape just before Christmas became more tempting.<\/p>\n So I started planning my trip through Thailand. Bangkok was meant to be the starting point, followed by the famous islands like Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Even Phuket \u2013 often seen as the heart of Thai mass tourism \u2013 was on my list. I was aiming for the ultimate beginner\u2019s route. At the same time, I started looking for travel companions. It was mid-October, and the adventure was set to begin in mid-November.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing: if you want to spontaneously escape for around 16 days at the end of the year \u2013 and you’re single \u2013 you’ll often find yourself standing alone. Most people have jobs they can\u2019t leave, partners, kids, different ideas of what a holiday should be, or simply no vacation days left. Timing just didn\u2019t seem to be on my side when it came to finding someone to join.<\/p>\n So, in a moment of \u201cwhatever, I\u2019m doing this anyway,\u201d I booked my flight to Bangkok \u2013 solo. Five minutes later, it hit me. What had I just done? A wave of doubt rolled in.<\/p>\n But then something else kicked in: a voice deep inside reminded me \u2013 even if I\u2019m going solo, this will be the most epic trip I\u2019ve ever taken.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Day It All Began<\/strong><\/p>\n There I was \u2014 standing at D\u00fcsseldorf Airport, early in the morning, just me and my backpack. Ready to dive headfirst into this solo adventure. A thousand thoughts raced through my mind. I had never flown solo on a vacation before, and suddenly I was facing not just one, but three<\/em> firsts:<\/p>\n My first time traveling completely alone<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n My first time setting foot in Asia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n And my very first backpacking trip, ever<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n What the hell was I thinking? Respect, Oliver. Seriously \u2014 what kind of madness did I sign up for? haha<\/em><\/p>\n On the flight to Abu Dhabi, my first stop before continuing on to Bangkok, it finally hit me: I\u2019m really doing this. I\u2019m really flying alone. Sure, flying solo within Germany for business is totally normal for me \u2014 a quick hop, an hour tops. But this? This was a whole different league.<\/p>\n By the time I boarded my connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok, I felt a lot more relaxed. When you’re open to people and just a bit communicative, it doesn\u2019t take long before you connect with others \u2014 even complete strangers. Sitting next to me on the plane was this friendly guy from London, also traveling solo, heading to explore Northern Thailand.<\/p>\n And that was just the beginning. On this journey, I would go on to meet countless fellow backpackers \u2014 men and women from around the world \u2014 all on their own adventures, just like me.<\/p>\n But of course, he wasn\u2019t the only one. Along the way, I crossed paths with lots of couples and larger travel crews too.<\/p>\n When I finally arrived in Bangkok, I found myself truly on my own again. But the city gave me a gentle welcome \u2013 a friend of mine, half Thai and half German, lives here and works as a model. She offered to show me around her beautiful hometown as my personal tour guide.<\/p>\n So, I had a smooth takeoff into this wild adventure \u2013 an adventure I had chosen for myself. And honestly? I was glad I did.<\/p>\n After I left Bangkok heading south by train, I suddenly found myself completely surrounded by locals\u2014just me and a sea of Thais. But strangely enough, I didn\u2019t feel lonely or lost. Quite the opposite, actually. Everyone was incredibly kind, offering me warm smiles that felt genuinely heartfelt. I don\u2019t think they were secretly thinking, \u201cHere\u2019s another clueless tourist wandering alone.\u201d No, I truly believe their friendliness was real. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n When you travel with someone\u2014or even in a group\u2014you often lose sight of what\u2019s happening around you. Your focus shifts to the people you’re with, and not to the world unfolding outside your bubble. But sitting alone on that train, something changed in me. I became a true observer. I noticed details, absorbed the atmosphere, and felt completely present. That shift in perspective was a real gift.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t feel like an outsider anymore. I flipped the script\u2014I became part of the unfamiliar. And suddenly, traveling solo turned into something beautiful and deeply enriching. I felt euphoric, as if I could finally experience the country with open eyes and an open heart.<\/p>\n That moment of awareness turned me into a true believer in solo travel.<\/p>\n Later, in a bit of a panic trying to find a transfer from Chumphon train station to my hotel, I was rescued by a kind-hearted Thai man. He didn\u2019t speak more than a few words of English, but somehow we still shared laughs and good vibes during the ride. By the end, we snapped a photo together\u2014one I\u2019ll cherish forever. That crazy little adventure? I\u2019ll never forget it.<\/p>\n On Koh Tao, I quickly connected with a wild bunch of crazy, fun-loving folks from France at the Mango Viewpoint. We clicked instantly \u2013 and guess what? Most of us are still friends on Facebook today. The world really is full of unexpected friendships, if you\u2019re just open enough to find them.<\/p>\n Next stop: the island of Ko Pha-ngan. While exploring a hidden waterfall deep in the jungle, I randomly stumbled upon two lovely German flight attendants who were vacationing together. A chance encounter that turned into a beautiful chapter of island adventure!<\/p>\n And that\u2019s just how it goes. You\u2019re never really alone, even when you travel solo. And those rare moments when you are<\/em> alone? You appreciate them even more. You get to shape your day exactly how you want it. And when you meet new people along the way and decide to spend time with them, you<\/em> decide how long that lasts. Because the beauty of solo travel is: you can always part ways and continue your journey on your own terms.<\/p>\n Traveling solo means freedom, independence, and diving headfirst into new worlds and cultures.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I\u2019ve let go of the fear of venturing out alone \u2013 and I truly believe everyone should, at least once in their life, embrace this kind of adventure and take that first step toward discovering who they really are. Looking back, I can proudly say I\u2019ve passed all three of my \u201cfirsts\u201d with flying colors. For many, the idea of packing a bag and heading off to a faraway land all alone is anything but easy. And honestly? I had my doubts too. A solo trip? Just me, myself and I? Seemed a bit… intimidating at first.But I took the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1256,1297],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-stories","category-insider-secrets"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.misterunique.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/GOPR0937_1448174787748_high-01-e1518301043409.jpeg?fit=1680%2C1260&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6UJkf-gaW","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62182"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62183,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62182\/revisions\/62183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sowas](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.misterunique.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/20150605_194321-01-1024x768.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768\")
It all actually started after I\u2019d already done a legendary road trip through the western U.S. with an amazing crew in May\/June 2015. By October of the same year, that familiar itch to travel hit me again.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re an Asia rookie, start with Thailand. Why? Great infrastructure, loads of fellow backpackers, and a price-to-experience ratio that\u2019s almost unbeatable.<\/p>\n
And I kid you not\u2014within minutes I was hooked. Their stories and photos completely pulled me into Thailand\u2019s magic.<\/p>\n![\"Einfach](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.misterunique.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/20151126_171746-01.jpeg\")
<\/a>\n
<\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
During my visit, I couldn\u2019t resist \u2014 I jumped at the chance to accept his offer for a beginner\u2019s diving course. And just like that, I was about to experience my very first dive ever… marking the fourth thrilling „first“ of this unforgettable journey!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
You\u2019ll be amazed at what you\u2019re capable of when it\u2019s just you and the world.<\/p>\n
And then came a fourth one \u2013 on the island of Koh Samui:
For the first time ever, I went scuba diving\u2026 in the ocean, with a tank on my back and wonder in my eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"