“And what will you do when I’m busy at work?” a question my husband kept asking before we went to Belgium and even on reaching the capital- City of Brussels. The city was going to be his home for a few months and I had tagged along hoping to enjoy a good vacay. Convincing my boss to give me a four-week break had not been easy at all. And the husband was going to be free only on weekends. I knew it was going to be just a short sojourn. Hogging and sleeping incessantly were on the agenda but when the time came, I realized I wasn’t cut out for any. Travel had always been my sole motivator and I gradually started exploring the maps of Europe. There were such cool places I had never been to, yet I was not game to go solo. Of course, there were interesting things planned. A weekend in Ghent and Bruges. Another in Paris. And the exciting train journey by the very famous Thalys from Brussels to Paris. But there were going to be weekdays too. Quite a few ones. Wasting such precious holidays doing nothing was not going to be easy given the massive money I had spent on coming down to this beautiful country. The husband was very clear. “You’ve got to explore places on your own baby. This time’s not coming back ever.” And so it began.
In the days that followed, I walked down the many streets of Brussels. A minimum 12-km walk was a given each day. Exploring new places, frequenting cafés, sampling Belgian chocolates, meeting new people became routine. And also, smiling at all times. Yes, smiling. Because anybody and everybody I met was greeting and smiling. So yes, with the broadest smile I had walked down to the travel desk one day and asked the equally smiling lady at the desk to help me plan my tours. It was all simple. Just take a bus she had said. Thus began my solo journey.
My first international solo was to Amsterdam. A place I had always imagined visiting with the life partner, hand in hand. Great weather, cheerful people, canal cruises and a walk along the streets of the very famous red-light district was something I had least expected. Surprisingly, I was thoroughly enjoying this new-found freedom. Not that freedom was ever denied to me. The restrictions had always been self-imposed. The insistence on doing things together, whether time permits or not. But here I was. Lapping it up and just minutes into this new experience, I had already promised myself to do it again n again.
I think those were moments of transformation. It’s only when you travel, you realize how myopic your views are. The world is full of interesting people, incredible experiences and the beauty of it all is that you begin to evolve with the journey. You literally put down the baggage you’ve been carrying all along- roles, responsibilities, rigors.
Liberation came in the form of small things – what to eat, where to eat, which place to visit first, how much time to spend on each one, cathedrals or museums, croissants or macaroons, tea or coffee. And much to my own surprise, I was enjoying every bit of it. I mean, calling this as freedom when I get it on a daily basis was an irony of sorts. Especially because I have a husband who functions on a ‘your wish is my command’ modus operandi. Yet, I was feeling free, liberated and extremely happy.
I think it’s the people there and the effect they have on you. Here I was, making friends with a girl who had an app that had already decided where she’s gonna travel and when. “Oh, next year I’ll be in Australia” she had said. Later, she had even texted me from there asking if I had plans to visit the country around that time. I’m still in touch with her and she has been consistently fulfilling her bucket list and notifying me about it since that day.
A solo trip to Antwerp and yet another to the very beautiful country Luxembourg have given me a fair idea of what I want from my solo trips. I have discovered infinite joy in this unplanned chaos. I don’t think solo has anything to do with solitary. It’s merely a sabbatical from the routine and the familiar. Because as long as we breathe, we will continue to meet more amazing people and make new memories on the go.
