I will say it and say it again, and then say it one more time. Solo travel can be one of the most rewarding, transformational, and healing things we can do for ourselves. It is deeply empowering, and I firmly believe that it makes us more confident, open-minded, curious individuals.

Solo travel brings not only so much dimension to our understanding of the world, but also our understanding of self. In Episode 2 of There & Back Again, I talk to my dear friend Manasi about her first-ever solo adventure, to Colombia, and the impact it had on her healing journey towards being more comfortable in her solitude. She shares what she learned about herself in her two-week adventure and offers reassurance to anyone who is feeling nervous about taking a solo adventure. 

Manasi Mishra is an activist and social justice communications professional based in Seattle. She is passionate about healing justice, particularly about how communities heal together and in connection with nature. Connect with her on Instagram @maa.nuh.see. 

Thank you, Manasi, for sharing your journey on this project. And thank you listeners for being here! 

For more of my creative work - ⁠https://linktr.ee/kanangole⁠ 

If you’re feeling like you want to solo travel, but you’re nervous about it and don’t know where to begin, check out my first audio project, “A Brief Guide to Solo Travel”. It’s in this list of episodes. 

Thank you! See you next week :).

I'm excited to launch another audio project!! Today I'm sharing Episode 1 of "There & Back Again", an audio project that centers mindful travel full of respect, reflection, love, and the understanding that all of us in this world are far more similar than we are different. I was inspired to continue my exploration of this medium while talking (endlessly) about large themes such as transformation and curiosity and open-mindedness in travel.

Episode 1 - To the Motherland

I talk a lot about India and being Indian-American. I talk about how much that country means to me, and how I'm so grateful that my parents sent me there almost every summer as a kid. That country built me just as much as the United States has.

As a result, I love hearing stories from other diaspora kids on their travels to the motherland and how it impacted their understanding of their own identities. So a few months ago, I asked some friends to record the story of their first time visiting - or returning to - their motherlands. I asked them to share a moment, a memory, and what they learned from that journey, about themselves and their families. I am so grateful to my friends for taking the time to make this beautiful episode.

Please listen, share, and leave a review or comment. Thank you!

More of my creative work is here - https://linktr.ee/kanangole

The final episode of this series! If you made it this far, thank you. I know this project is niche but hopefully it reaches the people it's meant for. Please share if you found this to be helpful and please reach out via IG message at kanan_adventuring if you have anything you'd like to say. :)

Thank you!

In this third episode, let's focus on doing some pre-work, some preparation, to get into a more confident mindset before we book our first solo journey. I provide a few steps you can take.

In case you want to break it up:

Step 1: Picking a place and examining your why - 2:38

Step 2: Doing research - 5:29

Step 3: Picking a place to stay - 21:58

Step 4: 3 things to find after finding a place - 25:44

Step 5: Create an emergency card - 29:09

Step 6: Understand your mental health and physical health needs - 30:04

Step 7: Take a pause, take a breath, and then you're ready - 33:15

If you are finding this project to be helpful, please leave a comment + hit "follow" for future episodes. Please share with someone who wants to travel but needs a little confidence boost. Thank you!

In this episode, I’m attempting to answer tough questions that I’ve been asked about solo travel. In answering these questions, I think about how identity influences the way we see the world and how the world perceives us. 

I also want to say - I’ve used certain country examples in this episode because I visited them recently and they were at the top of mind. I am not trying to say that certain places are “unsafe", but I’m actually attempting to make layers and avoid generalizations - the media makes us more afraid than we need to be when it comes to countries/cities with majority BIPOC populations. 

Timestamps, in case you want to break things up: 

Question 1 - 1:39

Question 2 - 9:02

Question 3- 23:53

Question 4 - 29:29

Question 5 - 35:53

Please leave a comment below or a star rating if you enjoyed this episode and please do share with your networks. Thank you!

Welcome to the project! Let’s examine some of the roots of this fear of being out in the world. What’s stopping us? 

From the introspective exercise: Questions for you to answer (we will revisit these in a future episode): 

Question 1 - If fear wasn’t in the equation, if anxiety wasn’t in the equation, where would you go first? It doesn’t have be a far off country. It can be the next state over. If you’re not someone who goes anywhere alone, it could be as simple as the next town over.

Question 2 - Why do you want to take this trip alone? What appeals to you about the idea of “solo travel”? 

Question 3 - What’s stopping you from having this experience for yourself? Is it fear of men? Of loneliness? Of making mistakes on the road? Of cultural taboos? Is it something that you read on the news about the places you want to visit?

Question 4 - Ok, now let’s think about where you currently live. On a day to day basis, do you navigate your city on your own? Do you have any fears in doing so? Think about times when you were navigating your hometown on your own.

Question 5 - Are you comfortable in your solitude? Do you like to go and sit at a restaurant by yourself? Or get a drink at a bar on your own? Or have you spent a weekend entirely on your own and did you enjoy it? If not, why not?

Question 6 - Have you had any experiences in the past that made you afraid of being alone in public or living alone? 

Question 7 - Now a bit of homework. I want you to research everything about this place that you indicated in Question #1. If you’re worried about safety, I want you to research safety in that place. Don’t come to any conclusions, just see what’s out there. 

If you have any questions, please add them in the comments below - perhaps I can address them in future episodes. 

Please leave a rating or a comment below if you enjoyed this episode and please do share with your networks. Thank you!