Alone

This is me just turned 18 and getting on a flight...alone.

Before this picture the longest flight I had ever been on was to Minnesota.

That flight is only an hour long.

The flight that I am getting on in this picture was 23 hours long.

I had to start in Ohio at 6 am.

Don't I look thrilled.

When I was in school, a teacher had asked where in the world would we like to go.

A once in a lifetime trip.

I chose Japan.

This is me leaving very early in the morning.

Alone.

During one of the craziest travel months, December.

I was scared, nervous, and excited.

Traveling is something that everyone should do alone once.

No matter if it is to a different state or a different country.

GO!

You will learn a lot about yourself and what you are capable of doing.

There are  those that tell you not to go, stay home, its safer, and you never know what may happen.

People ask what do you do when you are alone.
Don't let anything stop you, take a lot of pictures, and drink in everything.
The sites, people, culture, and the food.

I had seen movies of busy streets, rude people, and tall buildings.
That is what I got, but never did I expect to experience it with a local.
I landed in Tokyo and met with an old friend that I met when he was a student where I went to college.
He was from there and made sure that I made it to each place on time, but having a history lesson along the way.

I'm not going to go into too much detail since I can't remember every detail from that trip since it has been too long ago.

The reason I share this is because one of my friends will be going alone overseas, not Japan, but alone.

The biggest advice that I was give someone when they travel alone is to make sure you back up your pictures, take more than one SD card, let people know where you are staying.
I also take pictures of people around me and hide the pictures after I sync them to my other devices.
This way if I am taken, my family will have an idea of who was around me and where I was at that point.

The trip to Japan was definitely eye opening for me.
I would love to go back just to see what has changed.
Never be afraid to just go.
Opportunities come and go, but the experience is always one in a million chance.
Japan is one of those places that will always change and at the same time stay the same.
I never felt treated or worried.
I never wondered what may happen or what could happen.
I simply just took everything in.

All of the people around were welcoming, understanding, polite, and just plain wonderful.
That culture has stuck with me for over 13 years and try to think back to that trip.
It was eye opening as to what life, literally, is like on the other side of the world.

So go, explore, do, see, and be in that moment.
Alone.
Even if that alone is just once.