Exprienced by Thea.
Find her on Instagram: @theaelizabeth1
Earlier this year, Thea celebrated her 27th birthday by embarking on her first solo female travel adventure - a tour around Northern Borneo. Here's what she had to say about it.
Duration of Trip: 3.5 weeks
Destination: Visiting a friend for a week in Brunei with some travel to Miri planned - and then a 2.5 week trek around northern Borneo. This is your first solo adventure. How are you feeling about it? Nervous. It's only 16 days away now and I'm struggling to get summer clothes because there's snow outside, but I'm hoping it will all come together over the next 2 weeks!
What made you decide to go solo? I have toyed with this trip or something similar for years but I recently broke up with a long term boyfriend so this was the perfect time to do something for myself and be a bit selfish. I can literally do whatever I want.
How did you decide on your destination? Borneo has been the top of my bucket list since I first played tomb raider as a kid and Orangutans are my favourite animal too so they had to be a part of this trip. One of my best friends is living in Brunei, so fitting in a visit to her just made it a no-brainer.
What are you hoping to get from your trip? I want to prove to myself there is more to life than getting up, going to the gym, going to work and going home. I've booked some challenges such as a two day hike up Mount Kinabalu which will hopefully prove to me that I am capable of doing my own thing and that maybe not fitting that mould that is so expected of us, is actually okay.
What were your main concerns or hesitations when considering solo travel? I haven't really given it much thought really as there was never a question of me asking anyone else to come! I am on a tour so I know there are other people there and I'm just going to sign up for everything and make the most of it. I have paid a little extra for airport pickup when I land in Kota Kinabalu as I am arriving later than the designated meet up time. I just thought it would be easier, I would be less worried and it wasn't that expensive.
When you were exploring your options, what made you consider a tour and how did you finally choose your tour operator? I was looking at a few that did similar trips. I had to pick one that fit with my time off. If I was leaving my job and had unlimited time, I would have had more options and probably gone for something longer. I also had a few specifics that I really wanted to do so that also narrowed my search. This tour has the most animal related activities packed in and, as an animal lover, that grabbed me straight away. And Mount Kinabalu seemed like a really good challenge to add in. When it came to operators, there were two I was looking at, and I just looked at reviews and did lots of research. It also helped that when I booked my tour operator had a sale and I got a bit of a discount!
What kind of things are you going to be doing/seeing on your tour? So much! Everyone says watching the sunrise when you have completed the hike up Mount Kinabalu is amazing, but the orangutans will definitely be a highlight. We are also going to see the sun bears and going to turtle Island, we're doing a homestay with a tribe and doing a jungle trek and stay, plus also some more relaxing things such as visiting the hot springs.
How has the service of the tour operator been so far? It's been good. I would say they are quite hands off and let you get on with it but if you do have questions they are very helpful. I think a more personalised packing list would be useful as the list they have provided is quite generic and as a first time backpacker I don't really know what to pack!
Any tips for preparing for a solo trip? It helped me to contact the operator and check who was already booked onto my tour. I wanted to make sure I was with the right sort of people - that helped make me more comfortable. Although there are some couples the majority of people are solo travellers too.
How do you family and friends feel about you going solo? I think my mum is probably a little worried but actually everyone has been so positive and really supported me going! I half expected people to be judgmental about me spending savings on something like this but I think those that know me know that it's something I have wanted to do for so long and I don't usually treat myself to such trips. It is once in a lifetime and I can't wait!
Thea, you had an amazing time in Borneo it seems...? Where do I start! My month in Malaysia was amazing. It was first long haul flight by myself and the first real taste of traveling I have done and I'm so proud I just went and did it. And wow have I fallen head over heels with Borneo... From the sense of achievement climbing Mount Kinabalu, to seeing wild Orangutans playing in the trees metres from me, it was everything I dreamed and more. It has absolutely given me the travel bug and I've made some friends for life that I already have plans to see again and do more travelling with. I've realised that you can't wait for things to happen and you really have to just go for it and it will be so worth it.
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