Reclaiming yourself through travel

As you start your first solo travel, you might notice straight away that, suddenly you can hear yourself think for what feels like the first time in years. And it can be deeply, wildly uncomfortable. For about a day. And then it's the best thing that's ever happened to you.

You get a front-row seat to your own inner monologue, running uninterrupted, with nobody around to nudge it in a different direction. And what I discovered somewhere around a solo dinner in a country where I don't speak the language, is that a worrying amount of that inner voice isn't actually mine. It's a highlight reel of everyone else's opinions, playing on a loop as if it were my own personal wisdom.

“You should see the main square, everyone says it's a must. You can't skip the famous viewpoint, you'll regret it. Three days here isn't enough, you need at least a week to "do it properly."“

Whose voice is that, exactly? Because on day four, alone, with nothing but your own company and a very good pastry, I promise you it starts to sound suspiciously like a group chat you're not even in anymore.