Enjoying My First Moments of Solitude on this Solo Trip

I am sipping wine on the gorgeous balcony of my villa in Mykonos, watching the sun set over the water. For the first time in my month of traveling, I have no roommates. I don’t even have neighbors (unless you count goats). Save for the soft chiming of the little bells on the goats’ necks, and the whistling of the wind, it is completely silent. This may actually be the most relaxing moment of my life.

When people ask me about this trip, they always want to know if I’m trying to “find” myself, or if I’m “learning a lot about myself.” I usually say no, because I don’t think I’m lost, and I know myself pretty well. I just wanted to see cool stuff and eat good food.

But as I sit here, I think I have grown. When I arrived on day one in Milan, I had the subway map and directions to the hostel that I had booked a month in advance clutched in my hands. I had an itinerary for what I wanted to see and where I wanted to eat for the first three weeks of my trip.

A few days ago, I went to the ferry station in Athens without knowing what island I wanted to go to (I chose Mykonos). I did not book a hostel. I showed up to Mykonos hoping that there would be people at the port offering a good deal on a room because it is the slow season. And there were. Instead of booking a $200/night room at some tourist-trap hotel with a fancy website, I scored this sweet room with the best view ever and free transportation from and to the port for $30. I will never not be a planner/worrier, but I am learning to be a bit better about going with the flow and having faith that things will work out. And I am getting much better at being alone with my thoughts – at just chilling out. I am used to having the TV on while I am messing around on the internet and texting on my phone. Here, I am able to just sit. Looking at the water. Thinking about how lucky I am to be here.

It’s wonderful.

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Tagged as: domatia, mykonos, off season, winter