Travelling solo and working abroad
Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
I’m typing this as I’m sitting in a snazzy restaurant overlooking Gulf of Thailand. (It’s funny reading this now I’m home). There are chilled tunes humming in the background, a child is screeching one pitch too high in the pool - calling out to the local wildlife haha, it’s all going on. It’s hot but there’s a gentle breeze (perfect writing conditions - without the breeze, I’d be laying horizontal) and I thought I’d share how I’ve got on, working and travelling abroad solo in Asia.
I have been away for most of March - an absolute dream when snow’s on the cards and you’ve been living in a dark old cave for the last five months (London), but I haven’t found it easy. Have I loved it? Yes. But was it easy like say… a ‘normal holiday easy’? No.
As soon as the light’s went out on my flight to Singapore, I cried - the ugly cry where your face goes red, you catch your breath and then you can shake it off. It dawned on me that 1) I was on my own and that sht is scary, and 2) that I was flying 14 hours away. Not just down the road, but to the other side of the world.
We only ever see and hear the good side of travelling and honestly, the phrase ‘digital nomad’ makes me vom, so in case you’re thinking of doing something similar or you just wanted to hear a brutally honest account of it all, I’m going to fill you in.
Where it started
I’ve wanted to combine what I do - working on social media and travelling since (no joke) … the dawn of time.
For me, it’s all about freedom. I love speaking to new people. I love trying local food. I love seeing, feeling, absorbing somewhere that will leave a stamp on me. It feels like the ultimate privilege, and one I never take for granted.
Real time update: My honey lemon iced tea has just arrived and oh my goodness, this stuff is the ELIXIR OF LIFE (see photo above - delish haha)
And when January came around, six weeks before I wanted to leave, I booked it. I knew I wanted a trip with less flights than I’ve done in Asia before as it’s something that makes me anxious and honestly, that was one of the best decisions I made.
How have I found it?
The first four/five days, I was the most anxious I’ve been in the last few years and I didn’t really sleep the week before I left.
I can’t talk about my anxiety when I’m in it without getting more nervous, like its Voldemort or something, so I didn’t just casually blurt it out on my Stories. I found the constant decision making, looking out for my safety and being beyond self aware, which is something you need to do as a solo traveller (plus the work), exhausting.
But as soon as I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, where I had a base for 10 days, I loved it.
It was a game changer, especially when you’re jetlagged, tired and a bit overwhelmed (and something I’d pass on to you, if you’re looking to do the same. Longer stays in one place = way less stressful). Lanson Place ticked every single box for me - I couldn’t recommend it enough - the location, the apartment, the lounge space I worked from. Ending my trip at a relaxing hotel worked so bloody well too (if I do say so myself) as having that pure downtime after three weeks of travel was just a dream.
Question: would you do it again?
Yes.
But.
I wouldn’t automatically look to Asia because those travel days… woah, they are LONG. When push comes to shove I love sunshine, not necessarily heat haha - so Europe would be amazing for most of the year and in the really cold months I’d look to go further afield.
If you’re thinking about doing a longer trip on your own, three/four weeks is a really nice amount of time. Knowing that I was departing and returning within the same calendar month was like a big comfort blanket; it felt way more achievable and now I’d have the confidence to go for a little bit longer if I wanted to.
I’m going to write a separate blog post with a cheat sheet of working and travelling abroad solo because oh my goodness, did I wish I had THAT.
My itinerary:
3 nights - Singapore
I then flew up to Kuala Lumpur
10 nights - Kuala Lumpur
I got the Aeroline coach back down to Johor Bahru, so much space!
1 night - Johor Bahru
I got a transfer over to Desaru, which is about 70 minutes from Johor
3 nights - Desaru coast, Malaysia
I then got a ferry which honestly was more like a speedboat haha, to Singapore
3 nights - Singapore
The things I found hard about this trip:
(I’m not saying I wasn’t privileged or lucky to be able to travel, but these were my “corrrr that was hard” bits)
Getting on that first flight.
Feeling like I couldn’t switch off, either from “looking after yourself as you're on your own” mode to “sht, I haven’t posted for the last three days and I haven’t got a Reel ready”. I got better at this after the first two weeks.
I was a little bit unrealistic about what I could get done work wise on this trip: between calls, taking my call notes, creating Reels, posting the content, filming TikToks and then posting them, then planning for what I’d like the next 2-3 months to look like. Yeah. I didn’t get through all of that haha.
What I’ll do next time
I want to book a trip this year where I’m just learning how to improve and grow my content - outside, inside, different lighting, improving my video!
Something I found really hard was filming outside. I tried filming at the beach and it was SO bloody windy that I looked like Medusa, so next time, yeah, I’ll bear that in mind haha.
This is one of the perks for sure!
My trip highlights:
The food. OMG, the food, I am dreaaaaaming about the food.
Having the opportunity to be somewhere for longer and get to know it that little bit better. I loved my 10 days in Kuala Lumpur.
The places I stayed smashed it, I won’t lie. I’m not joking when I say I spend hours researching where I’ll stay *edit: hours and hours* but they’ve all delivered big time in different ways. I can really recommend: The Vibe - Singapore, Lanson Place - Kuala Lumpur and the Anantara Desaru.
The sunshine - I miss it during the long London winters.
The amount of kind people I’ve met on this trip - I can’t even tell you. Sanjiv in The Vibe Singapore, Hendra at Lanson Place, Ben at Feeker Coffee in Bukit Bintang (best oat milk iced latte I’ve ever had). Celyn who I met on the coach from KL to Johor. Carol and Christian at the Anantara in Desaru.
I’ve been able to prove to myself that I CAN do these things.
Has it been easy? No.
And whenever you see a post on your feed telling you it’s “so easy to travel and work and have it all”, they’re either very good at what they do or they’re bloody lying - we know the truth haha.
But has it helped push me in so many ways? Yes.
I feel emotional writing this - but for all of it: the good, the anxious and the ugly, I can’t believe I did it and I’m so grateful.