Hi! My name is Ryo and I love to travel. I’m a regular guy with a 9-5 job who has a passion for travel. As of May 2022, I’ve traveled to 50 countries, met incredible people, and eaten some amazing food. All while traveling solo. I’m fortunate enough to use points and miles to travel the world and stay in some amazing places while keeping costs to a minimum.
However, this blog isn’t about traveling the world for pennies on the dollar. There are some fantastic writers who do that better than me.
Why travel solo? Mainly because I can when others can’t. I get to be selfish in my time because I only have to do what I enjoy.
I guess my desire for travel started when I was a kid. My dad worked for ANA (a Japanese airline) for years and one of my earliest memories of traveling was boarding a 747 and flying to Japan every year to hang out with my relatives.
I remember getting to visit the cockpit as a kid (this was pre 9/11), getting to LAX and watching the old school departures board (with the flipping tiles), and somehow not driving my parents crazy when their 5 year old boy would get bored on a 13 hour flight to Japan.
As an only child, I guess I learned at how to keep myself entertained. Loneliness wasn’t an issue because there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t just create siblings to share my toys with on Christmas day so I had to find ways to remain occupied.
I guess the love of travel along with the ability to do things alone just naturally evolved into a love of solo travel as I grew older. And I’ve never looked back.
This blog is about sharing ideas for the solo traveler who works professionally and is limited by the amount of vacation time available. It offers travel advice and guides to those who need to maximize their time and money. It’s about having the “ain’t nothing gunna stop me” attitude, living life to the fullest, and being fearless in the pursuit of experiencing different cultures.
People like us tend to run into a different set of problems when we’re on our own. Costs are higher since we don’t have anyone to split the bill with and we have to be more prepared to think on our feet since we don’t have anyone to rely on. Aside from money, we don’t have that peer pressure there to push us out of our comfort zone and it’s easier to chicken out. We also have to deal with any feelings of loneliness, difficulty communicating, and even medical emergencies that may arise.
But that’s the beauty of independent travel. I learn from my mistakes and apply those lessons to the next trip. I feel freedom when I’m left alone in my thoughts, walking around a city early in the morning as I try to find the perfect spot to take a photo. I like to be unplugged from the world to actually appreciate where I am and how lucky I am to be there.
The independence we gain from not having to compromise on our travels is amazing and I wouldn’t want to travel any other way. I’ll share my trips and hopefully provide some ideas and useful tips for your next vacation.
Find out more about me here: Who’s this for?
A Single Wanderer 