Hello and welcome to my podcast My Life and Other Funny Stories. My name is Dagmar Tomášková, I am an English tutor and coach and I created this podcast for English students who want to improve their oral comprehension. As always you can find the transcription of this episode and vocabulary list in the notes of the podcast.  

I took a small break last week and if you follow me on Instagram and look at my stories, you know very well that I traveled to Berlin. Yeah, I can’t shut up about it.

It was one of the best trips of my life. I actually had such an amazing time. Why? Well, I have to say that it was probably because I went alone. 

It might be a stupid thing for some people because I know that a lot of people travel alone but I have always thought that I have to have someone by my side to visit a new place. But then I realized not only that I don’t have to have anyone by my side but that it could actually be really nice.

I think that traveling alone can be really liberating, empowering and it can provide you with inner-peace that is hard to find in your day-to-day life. It might not be for everyone but I really believe that a lot of people would benefit from it. When I put up an Instagram survey about solo-traveling, about 40 people clicked on the option that they would like to travel alone but have never done it. So if you are one of those people, I hope that this episode will help you to get the courage or find the time…or just get whatever you are missing to do it!

I didn’t really have a plan for my days in Berlin. I just booked a bus ticket, my accommodation and then told myself that I would just go with the flow. Every morning, I woke up, opened Google Maps and just planned what I could do that day. I love walking so I wanted to walk a lot, which is not a problem in Berlin. It honestly surprised me how enormously big Berlin is. I walked 50 km in three days. And that brings me to one of the biggest reasons why solo traveling feels so amazing to me.

It is the fact that I don’t have to check on anyone or compromise on what we will or won’t do. It is not like I suffer when I am with someone but sometimes I like to go to a museum but then I don’t want to spend 3 hours there reading every sign. But the other person wants to walk through the place thoroughly. And I spend half of my time there waiting. Or maybe I have to skip the museum entirely because maybe the friend I am traveling with doesn’t like museums and galleries. 

On the other hand, with my health issues, I always worried that I would be the one ruining the plans. That I would not be able to hold the pace of the other person or that I would get tired. Or that I would just have to lay in the bed because I would get sick.

And don’t get me wrong, everyone who has ever traveled with me, was extremely understanding and always said that it was okay but I felt bad and guilty that because of me we had to change the plans. 

So it works both ways. No one limits me and I don’t limit anybody.

It was a very empowering feeling to be walking down the street with the sun on my skin, soft wind in my hair, and songs in my ears. I was thinking the whole time: “I feel so free, I can do whatever I want. I can do everything. Or I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to.” And that is a feeling I had been craving for so long. Sometimes I just stopped and looked around and felt happy. Or I sat in a beautiful park I had my shoes off and watched people or birds on a small pond. 

Of course, having company can be extremely pleasant, I don’t say that it isn’t and if you are a person who prefers traveling with friends and family, I understand. I don’t want to say that I don’t want to travel with anyone ever again. Just that solo-traveling has to be a part of my life from now on. 

It was extremely relaxing to be in a new environment that was not marked by my everyday life, by my work and responsibilities and I had space to think about myself and about the relationship that I have with myself. Also, the feeling that I can take care of myself, that I will get to wherever I want to go, that I can support myself, but also the fact that I can always ask people around me if I need help is extremely powerful.

I know that being able to speak English is essential to feel comfortable while traveling abroad alone but you don’t have to be perfect at all. You can make as many mistakes as you want, people want to understand you. They can help you. 

On top of that, you don’t have to be alone all the time if you don’t want to be. It is so easy nowadays to meet new people. I found a group on Facebook called English-speaking people in Berlin or something like that, there are groups like that for every capital city, I am sure. And I found out that there was a meeting being held that day in a pub. So I decided to go. I talked to people the whole evening and even made a friend. His name was Sika and we even met the next day for a coffee and went to visit a museum together. It was actually surprising how well we got on. I had a really great time. 

Still, I was protecting my own space and told him that I wanted to go my own way in the afternoon. He was really great but I needed to be alone for those days. I was enjoying that time too much to exchange it for a time with someone. 

Of course, if you travel alone, you need to be careful, especially if you are a girl. I didn’t go to any shady parts of the city, I didn’t engage in weird conversations, I didn’t leave my things unattended and I made sure not to wander around at night. And when I wanted to walk in the evening, I just called my friend and talked to him over the phone just to feel a little better.

I visited many museums and sights in Berlin. I love history so everything connected to Second World War was extremely interesting to me. I loved the exhibitions, the culture, the art. I loved just the whole vibe of the city. I also loved the fact that Berlin is truly a great city for vegans. I am not fully vegan anymore but due to my stomach, I still gravitate towards a plant-based diet. And you have options literally everywhere.

if you ever want to go there, shoot me a message and I can give you some recommendations. 

If you think about going anywhere alone but you are not sure or you are scared, do it. Maybe you will experience something really beautiful just like I did. Don’t let fear stop you. You deserve to do things you want to do.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode and don’t forget that you can find the transcription and vocabulary list in the notes. Please give it a five-star rating if you liked it and I will see you next time, bye-bye.