Solo Trip To Queenstown — Mili's Corner

At the start of 2021, I went down to Queenstown. The flights were a present for my 30th birthday. I didn’t have any plans of going down with someone but had put the invite out that people were welcome to join me if they wished. I’ve only done solo travel twice in my life. The first was to Chicago and Toronto and this was the second. It’s weird but both times I’ve done solo travel, it’s been exactly what I’ve needed, as I’ve been at a low point in my life.

Not only did I travel solo, meaning the experience of Queenstown was going to be very different, but the city was so dramatically different to the other times I’ve been there in the summer. We are still in the midst of fighting a pandemic and you can see just how much this has impacted the tourism sector. To paint you a picture of Queenstown in the summer, the lakefront is packed with people. There is hardly any space to move around. There are at least 2-3 buskers, and some locals who set up a table selling their art or jewellery or other little crafts. You have to stand in line almost, to go up to the railing to take in the lake views. It was empty. There were hardly any people. There was perhaps one busker. There was no hustle and no bustle.

The reason, I’m not a fan of solo travel is because I’m too conscious about being looked at. I don’t have the courage to go to a restaurant and eat by myself. My game plan when I’m travelling alone is usually, to have my headphones on, and go for a stroll to check out some of the sights. When I was in Chicago and Toronto, I did some tours and visited some of the museums, aquariums etc. But Queenstown is different. I’ve been there so many times, and I know this wasn’t the last time I was going. It was the perfect place for me to just be with my thoughts. I didn’t need to research spots or tours, I could wander around town at my free will. I feel if you’re anxious about solo travel, it’s best to kick it off with a place you’re familiar with. In saying that however, travelling for work is quite common these days, and that’s mostly solo travel. It definitely helps boost your confidence.

Walking around Queenstown, helped me figure out how I wanted to enjoy my time here. Grabbing a coffee and heading to the lakefront for some R&R. Really take your time with the coffee. The longer you have it, the longer you spend staring at the lake. There’s just something therapeutic about staring out to the water. I’m yet to figure out what it is.

Following that, to kill some time, I went window shopping. In 2019 December, the shops were overflowing with items for the various sales that takes place during the Christmas/New Year period. This year, there weren’t a lot of items, but it still meant you could kill some time at these stores. For food, as I’ve previously mentioned, I have to work on my confidence in going into a restaurant alone and having a meal, so that was well out of the question. What I did instead, was to go to takeaways grab a bite and head back to my hotel room.

The good thing about going to a place that you’ve been to so many times, is that you can truly just relax. You can lie in, and not worry about how quickly or slowly the day is going by as you aren’t in a rush to tick all items on a check list.

I think for me 2020 has taught me how much travel means to me. Whilst we are still fighting a pandemic, in New Zealand domestic travel is still a thing. I would love to be bold, and jump on flights when the opportunity presents and explore more. I still have so many places to see here.

MiliG

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