Out and About STYLE Magazine

TRAVEL
WITH
KAHLEEL
HAMILTON
LESSONS FROM
A SOLO TRAVELER
Traveling solo has the uncanny ability to reveal aspects of
your personality that no other experience can.
Often times, the unpredictability, bumps and general outof-the-boxness
of travel push you to the limits and expose
nerves that would otherwise remain hidden.
1. BE FLEXIBLE. This has to be the number one lesson you learn
before embarking on a travel experience. Think contortionist
flexible. There are things that will go inevitably wrong despite
your best efforts and meticulous planning. Getting upset or
flustered will not help and can actually make things worse. Be
open to other options, plan B or C or even D. Sometimes, you
have to take the 12-hour bus ride instead of the 2-hour plane
ride when your plan fails. Go with it. You never know what
adventure awaits you.
2. DEVELOP A THICK SKIN. Seriously. As a black woman
travelling, I’ve had to develop the skin of an elephant. There
are times when people have pointed at me and laughed, or
talked about me in front of my face. At first, it was upsetting,but
I realised it was their ignorance that caused them to behave
that way. They have the problem, not me. Now I just look
at them and graciously say hello. And they are often times
very embarrassed and quickly look away. The reality is that
sometimes you are the anomaly. Some people have never
seen anything like you before and they are curious, shocked,
appalled, whatever. Don’t let it ruin your experience.
I am no travel expert by any means, but I am a usually
an introspective person. Travel allows for introspection.
Plenty of time to think about your experiences and how
they’ve changed you, hopefully for the better.
You’ve got to have something to do when you’re travelling
on an overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok with
all the lights turned out and you’re lying in the top bunker
of an ancient train hoping not to fall off.
Here are some of the little lessons I’ve picked up along the
way. Lessons that made my travels enjoyable, memorable
and relatively stress — free. There were moments of
personal growth and opportunities for me to learn about
myself.
3. EAT WHERE THE LOCALS EAT. It’s often cheaper and chances
of getting food poisoning is greatly reduced. I employed this
strategy in Thailand and Istanbul as I made my way along
the streets in search of street food. I ate soooo much street
food from places that were seriously questionable in my very
Westernised mind. But because the locals flocked to these
places, I figured I’d be ok. Not sure if it’s a fool-proof strategy,
but it worked for me and I had some of the best meals.
4. BE OPEN MINDED. The truth is not everyone lives the way
you do, values the things you value, or look the way you do.
Things will shock your senses, surprise you, and maybe even
scare you a little when you travel. A different place can do
those things to you, but when you accept this, your experience
will be so much better. I am not going to lie, Thailand was my
first trip to Asia, and it was a lot different from anything I’d
ever experienced. I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning
— the squatting toilets, the language, the traffic (Bangkok)
and the grime and dirt (again Bangkok) was a lot to handle.
I had to take a deep breath and look beyond those negatives
to see the wonderful things the country had to offer. I am glad
I did. I thoroughly enjoyed my time despite all the unpleasant
factors that existed.
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