My Story of First solo trip/trek 

It was back in January 2013 when i switched my job and took an intentional break of one week in-between so as to travel and have a good time with friends. But, out of my surprise , nobody (group of people whom i used to travel with) was allowed to take a time-off from their work places. I was a little sad and confused at the same time ,when a close friend of mine who was in Mumbai  and also professional trekker advised me and literally ordered – just pack your bag , step out of your home and then give me a call . He motivated and suggested me not to give it any other thought and just leave right then . I followed him. He directed me to go  for Triund trek in Mcleodganj, Himachal Pradesh. Triund is quite a famous trek now, but not at that time.

I boarded a Volvo bus from Majnu ka tilla, Delhi. While in bus, I was sitting alone and listening to music with my earphones on when the bus stopped for dinner. Two guys (we were in the same bus), who looked of similar age group as of mine, were searching to buy some booze when i heard them and told them that this restaurant/dhaba is selling some cheap liquor inside. They went ahead and bought it. They also invited me to share a drink while they were drinking on the last seat of the bus, but i resisted as it was a very cheap local whisky which i did not like. (Standards, eh ?)

The bus reached Mcleodganj in the morning at 5 AM. As soon as I de-boarded the bus , I saw a Cab driver looking for customers and I was looking for a car-pool when those 2 guys from bus again encountered. We shared the cab to Dharamkhot , a beautiful village 1 Km uphill Mcleodganj. At that time there were no tourists, except some Israelis staying there at Dharamkot. We (3 of us) had some good talks and came to know that all 3 of us work in Noida and we are of same Profession (Software QA Engineers). We decided to go for Triund trek without taking any Rest break. Since it was January, it was chilling there and i had only one plain sweat shirt with me. As we were about to reach the summit ( 20 mins ), snowfall started . It snowed so heavily that we were unable to ascend now.  We were alone on the trek. We waited for a while to decide, whether to proceed towards the summit Or start our descend to the base from here only, when we saw a couple along with a guide moving to the direction of triund summit. The guide asked us to move along with them. We became very hopeful and motivated at the same time. That 20 mins journey took us more than 1 hour. After reaching the Summit, our jaws dropped witnessing the view up there. Only 6 people and snow all around (snowfall still happening) – this is how i witnessed triund for the first time. We played around for some time, when that guide advised  that it is no more safe here due to extremely bad weather conditions and we should start our descend.

We Reached back to Dharamkot in 4-5 hours. Stayed there for the Night. Next Day and Night we stayed in Mcleodganj – exploring cafes and local market.

Why you should go for Solo trips

• Travel Partner – You will not have friends or family readily available every time to accompany you on your trips. Don’t be dependent on anybody when you so desperately have a trip on your mind.
• Meet new People – If you are an extrovert or an ambivert person, you will definitely meet and interact new people on your trip. I always did. You can interact with other travelers on your way – i have made some friends for life on my trips. You interact with local people at the place you visit and get to know more about the place – their culture, their sense of knowledge, nearby places, problems they face, etc.
• Self-Confidence (Personality Development) – It is always a hard thought and decision to travel solo for the first time. But, trust me, the conscious feeling and nervousness only remains for the first time. It eventually dies. With every increasing day of your first solo trip getting exciting , your level of confidence will start to boost up as you are the only one managing your travel solely. And by the time you reach home with so many great memories of different places you visited, different people you met, your confidence level with shoot the sky. And after 2-3 solo trips, you won’t find anything unusual as you are now used to it and enjoy every bit of your solo travel. Also, you will feel confident in your daily lifestyle also. It is rightly said – travel brings the charm to your personality.
• Self-Discipline & Self-Management – When you travel alone, you don’t have people with you to opt among the choices. You have to decide your next destination, you have to inquire on your own how to reach your next destination , you have to get up early to catch an early morning bus, you have to take care of your belongings. So, from a small decision of what to eat to where and how to reach next place has to be taken by only you – no discussions , no rock-scissor-paper. This is how traveling alone teaches you Self-Discipline and Self-Management.
• Wealth/Money Management – When you travel in a group, majority of your expenses like Cab, hotel gets shared which is not the case when you travel alone. So, you have to stay in hostels, home-stays, etc and travel by public transport in order to save money. So, traveling solo teaches you to manage your expenses which in term is helpful throughout your lifetime.