Hi HONeys!

Yasmin here - I'm happy to join #teamHONey and share my solo travel adventures with you! Who am I? A free spirit, nomadic soul, lived in 4 different countries (England, Australia, China, Netherlands), quit my office job to travel, world citizen, creative dreamer, adventurer, ocean addict, wanderer, soul searcher, a strong believer in following your heart.

In my first article for House of Notoire, I'd like to share with you what I've learned from traveling alone and what it can mean for you.

5 things you’ll learn from traveling solo
I quit my office job 7 months ago, rented out my room in Amsterdam and booked a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. Why? Because my intuition told me to go, because sitting in an office made me unhappy, because I longed for adventure, to feel alive, to challenge myself, to get inspired and to surf the wave called life.

I traveled from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, to Peru and then decided to fly to Sri Lanka and Indonesia. I’ve been living on the road for the past 6 months and the only belongings I carry with me are in my carry on backpack. I feel like the richest person in the world. Not in terms of money, but in terms of experience, personal development, inspiration overflow, the people I’ve met along the way, getting to know myself better and having the freedom to go where I want.

To all of you HONeys who are about to embark on a new adventure, or are having doubts about whether or not they should take the risk. I would like to share 5 lessons I learned from traveling solo.

1. You learn to depend on yourself
When you travel alone you decide where you go, where you sleep, what you eat, how you travel, who you hang out with. It’s all up to you to decide. In the beginning, this can be difficult sometimes, but you will learn to love it. When you travel alone you really learn to be comfortable on your own and to trust yourself and your decisions.

2. You will get the chance to grow as a person
You constantly have to step out of your comfort zone, try new things on a daily base, talk to strangers. This really makes you grow as a person. You learn a lot about yourself and have the chance to deepen the relationship with yourself. If you want to get to know yourself and find out what you’re made of, book a ticket to the other side of the world.

3. You learn to live in the moment
When you travel you experience different cultures, meet people from all over the world, see things you’ve never seen before and to see things as they are. You will get away from your routine life and become more open to your surroundings. So put down your phone and be amazed by all the beauty around you, nature, people, different languages, food.

4. You appreciate the small things more
You will learn that experiences are far more important than luxury and you will learn to be grateful for everything that you used to take for granted. Simple things like having a warm shower, witnessing a beautiful sunset or a friendly smiling person might just make your day.

5. You will feel more connected to yourself and to the world around you
When you travel you meet people from all over the world, you will learn about their culture, lifestyle, see things from a different perspective. You will share laughs with strangers and feel touched by their kindness, you will open up to strangers, share your stories and learn about theirs.