My name is Anna Maria and I come from the province of Treviso. For nearly 10 years working in Zanzibar, an island off Tanzania, tourism and I manage a villa on the east coast, in my opinion one of the most beautiful of the island.
After a past as a teacher of the disabled, in 2002 I decided to change his life and pursue my real passion, travel and the encounter with other cultures. So they left for the Maldives to work as Office Manager in a holiday village. Despite initial difficulties, due to my inexperience working, the period spent in the Maldives has been very positive because it allowed me to get back in the game at 40, to learn a new profession, but above all to know so many different people. These meetings have enriched me, because once again they made me appreciate the variety of our world.
After the Maldives I worked in Kenya and Zanzibar. This last he captured her heart in every sense: its beauty and love for a local man persuaded me to settle on the island. I’ve lived here for almost 10 years, working in tourism. The love this man has been crowned with a marriage, but it ended with a painful divorce. But this is water under the bridge. Now I devote myself to myself and to my great passion: traveling. Although the time to travel is just during the holidays, in addition to returning to Italy, on the return journey I take this opportunity to visit places where I’ve never been.
I travel alone because I love challenge myself and my fears
Many of my trips I make them alone a little because my holidays do not coincide with those of my friends, a little bit because I’m okay by myself, I like it because I can decide what to do, according to my tastes and my pace. I love having the freedom to decide how to spend my days.
Conversely what I miss when I travel alone is share memories and emotions that the places that I have visited have given me. Sometimes traveling with a small group of friends, with whom I have common interests, but in our travels each is free to choose what to do, after their own interests and pace.
I do not choose my trips according to precise criteria, when returning to Europe for the holidays prefer to visit European capitals, because after a year of sea and beaches have a vital need to breathe the air of our culture. I prefer to choose a centrally located for being able to move easily on foot or by public transport, and which are safe, especially at night.
I also visited the Arab countries alone: Qatar and Oman. Despite their fame, I never felt unsafe, because countries are very safe because of the severity of their laws. At first they are just a little ‘suspicious and curious about a woman traveling alone. In Oman, the ice was broken early, you are shown all very kind and helpful.
I visited alone even Cape Town in South Africa, a beautiful city overlooking the ocean, where Africa ends. It is a fairly safe city, although still suffering of apartheid and the thin barrier that separates whites and blacks still exists. For some trips, I leaned local agencies, so I saved, traveled quiet and made new friends.
Two years ago I was in Canada, in Ontario and in Vancouver. Canada is one of the safest countries in the world. Vancouver is a very nice, safe, with a high quality of life and a lot of green. As accommodation selected one economic, a kind of hostel.
Couchsurfing and Air BnB rooms are my favorite, because I can get in touch with the culture of the country I am staying and saving on the cost of accommodation. Through couchsurfing I met many people with whom I have had interesting conversations that have enabled me to better understand the city.
What can I say to those who decide to take a trip alone?
Start with short trips, it is feasible in terms of economic emotiv, to overcome their fears and gain confidence, putting to the test without risking too much. In return you will undoubtedly feel stronger and ready to face other travel alone. The fear of the new and the different undoubtedly holds us back, but is normal. But fears are made to be overcome. And what better test of a solo trip?
–
Story written by Annamaria Pozzobon
Leave a Reply