Hey, I'm Resi and I'm currently doing my internship at Surf Spirit. I started traveling alone when I was 19.
In the beginning, it just sounded like freedom to me. Do what I want when I want. No voting, no compromises.
And yes — that is also the case.
But what no one told me at the beginning:
You're suddenly very much with yourself.
The first few days often felt weird.
Go out to eat alone, sit alone on the beach, walk alone through a city. I always had the feeling that everyone was looking — they usually aren't, but it still feels that way. And sometimes there was also such a quiet moment of loneliness. Not bad, rather unusual.
But that's exactly where the important thing began.
I couldn't distract myself anymore like I was at home. No familiar environment, no friends with whom I constantly write. I was just... with myself, and to be honest, that wasn't always easy. Thoughts get louder. Things that I usually just push away were suddenly there.
But it just got easier with every trip.
At some point, coffee alone didn't feel funny anymore, but really relaxed. I've started to watch more, to be more in the moment. I've realized that I don't need constant entertainment. That peace can also be good.
And then, at some point, there comes a time when you check:
I actually really like being with myself.
That doesn't mean I don't need people. Quite the opposite — I often met new people faster along the way than anywhere else. Conversations arise more easily because you are more open. But the difference is: I don't depend on it.
I can be alone without feeling alone.
And that's exactly what every solo trip has shown me a bit more.
I've evolved a bit with each trip. I make decisions myself, cope better with uncertainty and find solutions. They're small things, but they build trust in myself.
Now I'm 26 and I try to travel alone as often as possible — simply because I know it's good for me. Because I know how much this time with myself strengthens me.
In the end, solo travel is less “traveling” for me than I thought at the beginning.
It's more like getting to know each other.
From myself.
And that's exactly why I like places that combine both:
You can be alone — but you don't have to.
A surf and yoga retreat like Surf Spirit Feels exactly like this in-between to me. You may be traveling alone, but you're still part of a small community. People who are there for similar reasons. No pressure, but also no complete insulation.
You can be alone in the morning, go surfing, sort your thoughts — and still sit with others in the evening, laugh, share stories.
It doesn't deprive you of the experience of being alone.
But it makes them a bit softer.
Maybe that's exactly the start: Don't go anywhere completely alone.
But to a place that gives you space — and absorbs you at the same time.
