Are your secret solo travel fears really that scary?

Last Updated on April 12, 2013 by Christine Kaaloa

dark dwellings, photographs of rural America, night travel photographs, farmhouses at night
This photo is from the project ‘Dark Dwellings’ by Christine Kaaloa

As a solo traveler, I admire solo travelers, who commit to bravery when going alone.

I still have my moments of fearing traveling alone and getting lost or stranded in some place foreign. And yet, it’s this fear of being alone,  ‘getting lost’ and experiencing struggle and vulnerability, which turns my travel challenge into an exciting “adventure”, a secret thrill and a

testament that I’ve truly lived.

I’m not sure if I ever want to be completely fearless, due to a greater fear that life may not be as interesting.

 

Story behind a photo documentary:

Table of Contents: Are your secret solo travel fears really that scary?

I was scheduled for an MTV shoot in Ohio. I arrived at night into Cleveland and had to get to Ashland, which was approximately a one hour drive. I was alone and I didn’t have a roadmap or directions, but I was confident I’d find my way, because my car had a GPS system.

Thirty minutes into my journey, I realized that my GPS was wonky. It was taking me into the backwoods of rural Ohio, where it’s all desolation, darkness and miles of uninhabited farmland. You could drive a mile in darkness before coming upon the lights of a farm house.  Surely, if I ever got stranded, no one would find me until daylight.  I was scared. To matters worse, my cellphone battery was dying.

photographs of rural america, photos of farmlands, halloween photo, night photos of rural farmlands

What this experience ultimately gave way to was a discovery of beauty that could only be found in darkness, loneliness and being lost.

The photos above are part of a series of photos, which ultimately became a project titled ‘Dark Dwellings’ . You can view this project  here.

How do you see your fears of travel or going solo?

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   Quick Solo Trip Packing Tips:

   My Travel Survival Resources

 

solo travel survival checklist

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