What I learned about travelling alone

We all have different reasons for travelling alone, and by travelling here I mean the personal travels, not the business trips for which we are usually obliged to travel solo.
Some of us get inspired by the Elizabeth Gilbert's book: "Eat, Pray, Love" and simply want to live the same experience as she did. Some of us were actually planning to travel with someone, but in the end it turned out that the person couldn't come with us (it was a boyfriend/girlfriend whom we broke up with just before, or it was a friend who had a sudden change of plans). Or... some of us do it just because they want to.

My reason was very simple: I WANTED to do it! I wanted to try it out and see if I like it or not, especially that I had heard so many positive opinions about it. Another important factor was that it had been quite an intense year for me, both on the professional and the personal side, and I felt I really needed some time off just with myself, to free myself from the daily-life noise, to put some thoughts in order and to simply relax...

This journey of almost 3 weeks, on the East coast of the United States, was definitely one of the best holidays I have had so far, and will most probably remain one of my best travel souvenirs. Not only thanks to the places I could visit and the people I could meet, but also because I learned a few things about myself, I discovered my limits are not actually where I thought they were (I am actually capable of more than I think!), and because I managed to surprise myself at various occasions.

If you're still hesitating whether travelling alone is actually for you, let me share with you some of the key takeaways I brought from my own solo trip this Summer.


1. It might be scary first...
And it's normal if you have fears before embarking on your first travel alone. I had them as well. I was afraid something might not go as planned, I was afraid I would meet some mean people, I thought it might be dangerous to find yourself alone in places you don't know. But most of all - I didn't want to feel too lonely. Although I am used to spending time alone, being alone far from your home was a completely different thing, and completely new.

2. ...but it's really worth it in the end!
Remember all those situations in which you found yourself and where something seemed hard until you actually did it? And when it turned out that the thing wasn't actually so hard to achieve? Well, if you know that feeling - you will most probably experience it again, and travelling solo will be one of them I'm sure! I still recall that precious moment, when I was in the plane back home from Miami, and just before falling asleep I thought: "I DID IT!". I was really proud of myself! I managed to overcome my first fears, I did it just the way I wanted and I had sooo much fun doing it! Some people were telling me: "Waow, you're so courageous to travel alone, to places you don't know!". But for me this was not about courage, it was all about the strong desire to make happen the things you really want.

3. Good planning is key.
As much as I like spontaneous turns of events, for this trip I wanted to have the least possible of unexpected situations happening to me. That is why I made sure I had everything booked before the day I left. I admit that I booked a few things in a really last-minute mode, but at least the moment I got on that plane to NYC - I knew I had everything scheduled and organized.
I don't think I have to remind you that it's good to make copies of all your important documents, in case you lose anything or it gets stolen from your handbag/backpack. I assume you already know that very well!
Another thing I did though was sending the complete schedule of my trip (exact dates and hours of all my flights, the addresses of hotels where I was staying) to my parents and a couple of friends. Just in case something happened - they would know at least where to look for me. Fortunately they didn't have to use it for the initial purpose, but they rather had fun tracking me ;)

4. Me, myself and I.
What I personnally liked most about travelling alone is that I was able to do what, when, how and where I wanted to do it. I was the only decision-maker on that trip, so whether I wanted to spend 4 hours in a museum, wander around with no real goal, sit on a bench and just read or write my journal, look at the sky and observe the world and the people around me - I was doing it. I was eating when I was hungry and not because somebody said: It's noon, we should have lunch! (especially that in US you can basically find something to eat at any time of the day, not like in France where most restaurants serve food only around the lunch and dinner time). I even went 3 times to cinema (in NYC, Washington and in Miami) - who does that on holidays, right?! Well, I did it because I COULD! And nobody was there to tell me not to go ;)

5. Digital detox or not?
When my friends learned about my "big" trip plans, the reaction of most of them was: Send pictures everyday, post them on Facebook! I knew I would make some pictures but my first idea was to actually make them public only when I come back, and during the trip just "cherish the moment" and enjoy it just for myself. But in the end it turned out that being alone on holidays and visiting all these places by myself - I actually wanted to share them with "my" people, as much as I could. So I ended up posting them every day on Facebook or sending them by texts, so that my family and friends can know where I am and what is going on with me.
One important thing I should mention: 3 weeks is quite a long period and I am an only daughter. You're probably guessing already what I will write next... Yes, I bought a US sim-card as soon as I got to NYC. Mostly for my own security, I didn't want to rely only on my French phone (and super high costs of using it if I had to), but also so that my parents can call me and I can call them whenever we want. I can tell you, hearing your parents' voices so far from home, and knowing that it makes them soooo happy to hear you - it's truly priceless! So... as long as you enjoy being alone somewhere out there in the world, please remember that there are still people who might be caring and worrying about you back at home...

6. You will meet people.
There is no doubt about it! Well, maybe you should not expect everybody on the street reaching out to you just because you are alone, but you will still get to meet really nice people, sometimes it requires just a bit of openness and a smile on your face. And then you naturally start a conversation and it just goes by itself. It can be just a waiter, a ticket seller, somebody standing in the queue with you, your Air BnB host or some really nice girls renting a room in the same house as you do - just don't be scared to talk to people, or to reply when they ask a question. Sometimes people might even ask you for directions, and then you're like: "Oh waow, I don't look like a tourist, they took me for one of the locals!". That feels very nice, I can tell you...
To those who have known me for years and who know me very well, it won't be a big surprise if I say that I am a shy person. Well, ok, I am not as shy as I was when I was 5 years old, but I am still somehow shy. The truth is, that trip "unblocked" something inside of me, I find myself more open today than I was before the holidays, I am able to talk to people (as funny as it may sound, I think you know what I mean by that), I feel more self-confident, and that is probably because when you find yourself alone in places, and when you need to ask for something because there's nobody to do that for you - you just do that! And once you do it a few times - it becomes natural, it becomes part of you, your "new" you.

7. Eating alone.
Ok, I admit, that is something I was dreading most. Sitting alone in a restaurant, with that empty seat in front of me, with nobody to actually talk to, and all those people at the tables around me just looking at me and probably feeling pity. Well, that was the image I had in my mind before the trip. What do I think now? OMG, eating alone can be really cool! First of all, you have no trouble in getting a seat, and I really enjoyed replying "Just one!" when asked "How many are you?" by the waitress. Second of all, usually you are not the only person eating alone, so in the end it's not that big of a deal, nothing extraordinary actually. And most of all - if you're a good observer, you get to observe A LOT the other people's behaviours: the families, the couples, the tourists, the locals... You see things you wouldn't probably see if you were sitting with somebody, because you would be mostly occupied talking to your dinner company.
Although in US you are mostly expected to eat quickly and go (not like in France where you can sit at a table for hours and the waiter will not be making "strange" faces to you, just waiting for you to pay and leave), and I kind of followed that cultural "obligation", I still sometimes managed to take out my journal and write, mostly while waiting for my meal. And the funny thing is - I think they sometimes thought that I can be some restaurant critic so they became suddenly  very nice with me. Especially if I mentioned just before that I'm from Paris. Haha! See how much fun you can have travelling and eating alone?


I am conscious that travelling alone is not for everyone, I truly am. But what I also know is that I wasn't sure I could do it until I actually did it. My Mom has always taught me: "Don't say you don't like something before you even try it". Well, that was mostly about food and when I was a small girl, but I think it perfectly fits many aspects of our life. Everything might seem scary before it is actually done. I believe that once you have a strong desire to do something (a bit of courage might be helpful of course), then just go and do it!

Be bold, follow your dreams and get yourself out there to the world! It's waiting just for YOU!!!

Call me CLO

You see CLO and you probably think Chief Learning Officer, right?
Well, that could be an option, but no -  I have not changed the job. I did something even better: I got a proposal to become a Chief Lego Officer for one day, and I accepted that offer with a great pleasure and big smile!

And here's how the story goes...
One day my friend Neli asks me if I would like to play as a support in one of her Good Morning Creativity's projects: a creativity room at the Station F - an amazing "nest" for innovative start-ups in Paris. I replied: of course! I'd love to! (actually I very rarely say "no" to Neli...). So I took a day off on 9th June and there I was!

And... it was awesome!
We were 5 in total: motivated, energetic and dreamy people, willing to create something for others, build it for all the generations of people who will be working in this place in the next years. We just wanted to have an impact, as simple as that.
Each of us had a different role, different tasks assigned - that's how Dream Teams work!
I helped arranging the furniture, I worked with wood (I didn't know how skilled I can be before that day!), and brought some good humour and positive attitude. But what I liked most of all was making sure all the Lego pieces are in their place and well organized in the room. Lego elements which would then facilitate the creative process & work of the teams. And I had soooo much fun!!!

By the way, did you know that you can even have Lego money??

All in all, what I wanted to say is: it is important to have some side projects in life. Your job is important, it pays your rent, your bills and makes sure your fridge is not empty. But... leaving the office for a day or two from time to time - it can only do you good. Whether you get out of the city, or help your friends with their projects, or even better - if you have some projects on your own - just do it! Life's too short to hesitate to do something cool ;)

Enjoy your life!!!

Slavery Today

When I started getting inspired for this article, at first I wanted to entitle it "Modern Slavery". And then one day I typed that phrase into Google and realized I should not use it because... actually the slavery we've known from the history books, tv and movies - it does still exist, and there are still millions of people worldwide suffering, being used for different lucrative purposes. Lucrative for their masters of course, but not for them. And this is actually not the type of slavery I wanted to write about today...

My first inspiration came when I was reading a book written by a former slave Frederick Douglass: "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave". We've all seen those scenes in the movies already, but reading it from a "first-hand" source - it's a different kind of experience I think. And believe me, what you cannot see in the movie is the actual thoughts, feelings, sufferings, the real impact the slavery has on their victims, forever...

Reading about the "physical" slavery suddenly made me think of the "mental" one that we often experience in the modern times. The trap, or the traps we are put in, or that we actually sometimes put ourselves in. I think there are many of them. And each of us could think of the ones he/she is in. Today I will share with you about a few I've noticed around me.

Work.
As long as you are not an entrepreneur, working only for your own account and reporting only to yourself - you somehow remain in the master-slave relationship with your employer. And this is mostly felt in the big corporations, when people in the bottom of the hierarchy have no decision power, they are there just to respond to the orders, to meet the requirements, they're just one of the many pieces in the whole corporate machine. Sometimes you might feel like changing it, changing the world almost, you're trying to propose something new and then you just hit the wall made of people for whom changes are not good, not necessary, cause the "old" is still good and enough.

Relationships
You choose him/her - with your heart, not your reason.
You fall in love - too quickly.
You make plans for the future - so fast?
You move in together - too early.
And then you realize you're in a trap. You're in the chains of that person's love, or whatever that is. Because if you feel more like a prisoner than a happy person - that it cannot be love. And then it gets hard to get out of it, to liberate yourself. You're having mixed feelings, you don't feel courageous enough, you don't feel strong enough. That's normal. We all have to get weak in order to get stronger when the D-Day comes. And that day will finally come. And you will be able to start a new life. Yes, really, you can trust me on that.

Rules
A friend of mine once told me: "I feel like a prisoner of our society".
Who made up all those rules we need to obey every day? All those laws, regulations, prescriptions and prohibitions? Who decided there would be borders between the countries? Who said we all need to have passports and even visas, cause otherwise there's no way we can travel around the world? The World which was created billions of years ago, created free and for free. And when you see it today... It's incredible how some people turned everything upside down, how they disrespected the Mother Nature and all the treasures she has so kindly offered us...

Thoughts
And last but not least - we do easily get trapped in and by our minds. We overthink. We overanalyze. We worry too much. We predict something bad will happen, although we have usually no solid reason to think that. We basically let our thoughts eat us from the inside. We let them put us in bed for the whole day (or days) just to watch the ceiling in the bedroom and separate us from the outside world, family and friends.

So...
Now that we can do basically whatever we want, are we not slaves anymore...?