I Went on a Solo Staycation Last Year. I’m Taking Another One This Year!
Honestly, I didn’t know what got into me.
I was attending an international virtual conference. Looking back, I can confirm that I can just log in at the comforts of my home.
But in 2023 I just went ahead and booked this hotel, packed my bags, and traveled for almost 2 hours for this. I don’t even like traveling; I dread it.
Probably the anxiety over being a session speaker.
I may not have a definite answer. But it was definitely an almost magical, positive experience.
I realized I had unlocked a new treasured experience.
I usually traveled 3–4 hours with my friends back in the Philippines for staycations. (Note: I was asleep for the whole trip until we arrived at the hotel.) We would go visit some tourist spots, dine in restaurants, work on our freelance projects, and discuss each other’s works/goals. Then we stayed up all night just exchanging stories or watching movies.
We did this before the pandemic. And we did it again when the restrictions eased, way back in 2021. It was a month before I left for the UAE.
I had such fond memories with them that I couldn’t imagine doing all these things on my own. Don’t get me wrong — I was not scared. I just felt that these are experiences I treasured the most and reserved only for my friends.
But I think, just as they went on to face new chapters in their lives, I should also be trying new things. And I’m glad I did.
It doesn’t erase the fact that this treasured experience, all started in the comforts of true friendships that lasted for years. We may be in different countries right now but doing new things, all on our own, is one of the best things in this friendship.
True friendship, I realized, is pushing each other’s growth even if they won’t be there right by your side.
I enjoyed my own company. It wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be.
I stayed in the hotel for 5 days.
What did I do in those five days? I worked on my writing tasks, finished my conference agenda, ate lots of good food, jogged/walked in the early morning and afternoons, read books, and slept soundly.
Before I left home, I was worried I’d be bored on my own.
But there was never a boring moment for me or even a hint of loneliness. The only thing that saddened me was that I missed the chance to swim in the pool because I forgot my sunscreen, and it was the middle of summer.
I even laughed at myself when I scared myself silly over getting some drinks from a vending machine near the hotel.
The machine seemed to have felt that I was in a hurry and dropped my soda in what felt like the longest five seconds of my life!
As a creative, I certainly need more staycations like this.
I began having lots of creative ideas during this time.
This was actually the first time that I decided to become serious in my visual storytelling endeavors. Why? Because I finally had feasible ideas and a clear content direction for all of them.
Every day felt like a lightbulb moment, and I didn’t even understand where I was getting all the ideas from. But for some reason, I found the drive to keep going and realize that it’s a path I must take.
Months later, I received an award from Canva for creating 200 designs. I was invited as a Content Creator for the Emirates Literature Festival. I was invited as a Resource Speaker for an Online Writing Workshop in my country. At work, I got better at content conceptualization and doing small design tasks now and then.
A lot of other amazing things happened…but one door opened so many doors after that one staycation.
Unfortunately, I am not revealing the exact location and name of the hotel for safety and privacy purposes. I plan to go back to the same one this year because of their excellent service and food.
This article is in response to Dr. Preeti Singh’s May/June Prompt: A Travel You Enjoyed in Your Life, and also inspired by Libby Shively McAvoy Epic Road Trip During COVID. Her travel story inspired me to look back at one of these many rare instances that I enjoyed traveling.
