Venturing is hard, adventuring is even harder

Last year I went on my first solo venture. Making it an adventure was a whole other ball game.

Venturing out on your own is the universal first step of any young person leaching off their parents their whole lives. My leaching time was up and it was time for ME to turn my venture into an ADventure.

Travelling solo is so gosh darn hard. Finding a bathroom with your ginormous bag with no one to mind it is potentially the hardest thing I have ever had to navigate (besides maps). It got to the point where I was just abandoning my precious belongings places because I couldn’t get into the toilet cubicle with it on my back.

Travelling solo, however, is so gosh darn hard because for the majority of your experience you are alone. I spent a week solo in Barcelona in November 2016. It was the best and worst week of my life.

Reasons why it was the best:

1. Barcelona is just amazing
2. It was a nice break from uni
3. I saw everything I wanted to
4. Accommodation was cheap
5. I can say I successfully know my way around (with or without maps)
6. Tapas, paella, seafood, sangria and mojitos
7. Amanda, Claire and Leo without whom I probably would have had a terrible time

Reasons why it was the worst:

1. Barcelona was a bit hazy/dusty/big
2. Accommodation was too cheap
3. There were no young people in my room
4. Weird Czech guy who thought I was from Austria (actually Australia) and slept from 7am to 6pm and gambled all night
5. Going to McDonalds after the Sagrada Familia and feeling even grosser than when I first walked in despite tasty Spanish style burger
6. Dining alone and always being asked “table just for one?” Um yes is there anyone else here??
7. It took me so long to meet Amanda, Claire and Leo

Yet travelling to Barcelona on my own became an ADVENTURE because I bloody well did it. My friend who I thought about catching up with from France straight up lied to me and said he was going to Morocco on the same dates when he was probably in Barcelona already when I was messaging him. Fed up, I just booked it and I turned my venture into an adventure.

An oldish America couple I exchanged photo’s with (the classic, “hey if you take a photo of me I can take a photo of you?”) were shocked I was travelling on my own. They literally couldn’t believe it and it’s almost amazing reassuring other people of your own capabilities.

My trip to Barcelona was completely leach free, independent and wasn’t just a pipe dream. Going out and making your ventures into adventures is the only way to live despite the good and bad. I learnt more than I ever thought I would about myself that seven days and as cliched as it sounds I’m so so glad I just did it.