Inspired To Explore
Rachel (23), a graduate in International Business and Marketing with French, now works as a media executive in London. She spoke to ZK7 about travelling solo, bucket lists, bungee jumping and swimming with sharks.
Instagram: @Itsprobablyrach
How did the pandemic effect your travels?
In 2020, I had Antigua, Iceland and Spain booked. The situation was far from ideal as they all had to be cancelled. I now have a lot of travel vouchers.
Who inspired you to travel?
Up until the age 18, all the countries I had visited were with my family, so they initially put that thought into me, that it is very natural to travel and it is something that is normal. I think that is what started my love for travelling.
What do other people think about your travels?
Everyone at work have always taken an interest. They would ask what I am doing this weekend and I would say something like ‘I am flying to Madrid.’
How have people impacted your travels?
When you travel solo, you always meet people, so you are never alone. Especially if you stay in a hostel, as there are loads of people there from around the world. I have randomly met people whilst travelling, which quickly become friends and I end up creating memorable experiences with & eventually visiting their country.
Do you prefer travelling solo or with friends?
I do love travelling with friends and I am so glad I have but there is just so much fun to going alone as well.
I think travelling solo is important because a lot of people just wait around on others, especially girls. I have met a lot of people from both genders who just completely love travelling alone.
But sometimes, when I tell girls I am travelling solo, they ask ‘why?’ Just travel with a guy, just find a boyfriend. I have literally heard this on several occasions.
It is so much fun travelling solo but not everyone understands.
Has there been a time when you travelled with someone and it did not work out?
I remember there was this one girl I met in Rome and we went to Milan together because she knew some people at fashion week, which was very cool in retrospect.
One day nothing fashion related was happening, so we just wanted to walk around Milan. I just remember her pace. She was sprinting through the city and just expecting me to do the same. I just wanted to walk, stop for a coffee and appreciate the sights.
I think that is the big difference when you travel solo. You do not have to compromise with anyone.
What is your most random adventure?
I was solo travelling last year in Lisbon (Portugal) where I met a couple of people. We decided to visit the creative district, stumbling upon a book shop which had an old printing press on its second floor.
Pietro (Prosperio if you’d like to give it a Google), was an inventor that gave tours which were absolutely amazing! He made little machine creations, each telling a different story. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was just so random and truly the most beautiful thing.
Afterwards, my friends all said it was the highlight of their trip.
It was a nice little homage to what travel is, as you would never think that in Lisbon, in the creative district, there is a book shop, with an old printing press where someone is inventing little worlds of their own.
Instagram: @Itsprobablyrach
What are your most memorable ocean adventures?
Honestly, swimming with dolphins was really fun.
I was lucky enough to go on a family trip and do this for the first time when I was only 10, in the Bahamas and the second time when I was 16, in Dominican Republic. In the Dominican I swam with sharks as well which was absolutely terrifying.
Who would you like to travel with one day?
I follow a travel blogger called Damon Dominique, who makes YouTube videos of himself travelling all around the world and now lives in Paris.
He creates these beautiful documentaries and I would absolutely love to travel with him. I always seem to live through his videos and I think we will have lots in common.
Which country is top of your bucket list?
I really want to visit Cuba as it is somewhere I have had on my bucket list for a long time. I want to learn to salsa there as it would be amazing to experience the Cuban culture and maybe have a cheeky Cuban cigar or 2.
Which continent are you keen to explore?
I want to travel around south east Asia to Bali, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, for a minimum of 6 months. This will be my first long solo trip. I have not experienced Asia at all (besides Pa Tong and Phi Phi in Thailand).
What is the best accommodation you have stayed at?
In Sintra (Portugal), there was this hostel I decided to visit for 2 days and it was the most beautiful one I have ever stayed in.
It was a palace house with enormous ceilings and a gorgeous view. They had put up fairy lights in the garden, also having a bar where you could drink as much sangria as you’d like.
Across Portugal in all of the hostels, they had family dinners which were great because you got to meet new people. I spent a lot of time with the people and got to know them. Sometimes, I literally I stayed up talking to 3AM.
I absolutely loved it!
Have you had any accommodation disasters?
I honestly haven’t had any bad experiences with accommodation but that is purely because I research so much. I will create a shortlist of places to stay and then look at the reviews and decide where to stay from there.
Where do you see yourself eventually settling down?
I have always wanted to have a tiny beach house somewhere in Australia.
Do you have any advice for people that want to travel?
Yes!
Just realise that being in a new country is being in a new place, with new people. It is a different experience, so don’t try to be the same person that you are at home. Be completely open to new experiences.
Naturally, I am quite shy or at least I was in school. People used to wonder if I ever spoke. Travelling (especially solo) has just opened my eyes and has made me an extrovert, so try to be open to meeting new people and to new, random experiences because that is what makes travelling fun.
Follow Rachel on Instagram: @Itsprobablyrach