You're Never Completely Alone While Traveling Alone

Before staying at Happynest Hostel, one of the best hostels in Chiang Rai, Thailand, I had toured the islands and Chiang Mai with my husband and 6 other friends.

Needless to say, we did a lot of traveling, which is a rare concept considering we are all Americans and it's hard to get that many people together to go overseas, so I decided, let alone a weekend in Vegas!

So it was clear that when everyone went home, we were going to LAX.

I stayed behind to wander Thailand by myself for a week, feeling alone and depressed.

Despite the fact that I was excited to keep on adventuring, the notion of being alone after having been so regularly accompanied by other people came as a bit of a surprise to me in the most peculiar way that is even possible to me at the time.

The three-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai was excruciating, despite the fact that I made a concerted effort to take my mind off of the discomfort by staring out the window at the breathtaking scenery of the Thailand countryside as it passed by.

"Keep your brain on the bright side." I kept telling myself, "Focus on the beautiful," and it helped.

A few breathing exercises and a short nap later, I arrived in Chiang Rai. I got off the bus dazed and confused, and it hit me. I was no longer in "poor Chloe" mode, but rather in fight or flight mode, because I had landed in a new city, did not know where to go, and there were no cabs in sight.

I am sure I had worry written all over my face because before I knew it, a policeman who spoke only broken English was helping me find a cab.

As I hopped into my cab, the young driver volunteered to drive me for free given that Happynest was just around the corner. This wonderful stranger's generosity caused a grin to appear on my face, and as I thanked him, I felt a warm glow wash over me.

My heart started to become more receptive to the idea of going on trips by one's lonesome when I thought that it was ridiculous of me to feel unhappy. As I thought this, a tear slipped down my cheek.

When I arrived at Happynest, I was met with bright faces and gorgeous grins at check-in (it's amazing what a smile can do!). When I checked in, I was given a room with a view of the garden.

After I had finished checking into my wonderful room, I walked downstairs to get a beer and go through the bookshelves to see if there was anything that interested me to read.

To assist me in making plans for the balance of my trip, I bought the book of the Lonely Planet Thailand Travel Guide book.

When I finally got the courage to turn the first page, I saw a foreword that had been written by three female tourists who had previously stayed at Happynest.

The front impacted me, and even though the other ladies and I had never met, I felt an instant connection with them. It was as if our lives had been intertwined in some way, shape, or form.

At the very bottom of the message, it said that one of the tourists' names was Chloe, which is also my name.

Suddenly, despite the fact that I was in my room by myself at the time, I did not feel as alone as I had before.

I saw this as a confirmation that going on my trip by myself was the best choice I could have made.

It opened my eyes to the fact that I was capable of achieving this goal, despite the fact that I was nearly 6,000 miles away from the comforts of home.

As a result, I was able to get a decent night's sleep, began the next morning with a spring in my step, and continued the rest of my journey with a grin on my face.