Travelling the world is on the top of more peoples lists then they have been over the last decade, with more millennials taking advantage of cheap flights for the exploration of new experiences.

Solo travelling can seem like a scary thought to some, but others are seeing the great potential that it has to offer. 22-year-old Shawna Loula lived the thrilling experience of solo travelling when she set out on her own to explore Thailand for a month.

“I wanted to travel on my own because I had just been in a relationship for almost five years and really felt like I needed to go do it on my own… To prove that I can do the things I want by myself and that I don’t always need a hand to hold,” Said Loula.

Making her way through cities like Bangkok, the beaches on the south tip and through the mountain terrains of the north Loula, she stumbled upon the potential she thought she never had.

“The thing I learned most while traveling alone is knowing that I can be completely independent and do just fine. That’s not to say I didn’t struggle and didn’t have some crappy days, where motivation and courage were sometimes lacking,” explained Loula, “But going to Thailand by myself was the scariest thing I had ever done. So I’m really proud of myself for that.”

Loula found that the hardest part of travelling alone was keeping motivated with finding things to do during her journey.

27-year-old Brewster Frederique Cloutier, hasn’t found any issues with travelling alone but the only problem she had was finding someone to travel with, which sparked her solo adventures.

“If I would wait until somebody could me on my adventures, I wouldn’t go anywhere,” chuckled Cloutier, “There is definitely less stress on the planning part, and I don’t want to sound selfish but traveling alone means that I can do whatever I want whenever I want.”

Cloutier spent the month of February in the relaxed and culturally rich country of Vietnam. Addicted to adventure and discovery, Cloutier found that travelling alone took her out of her comfort zone forcing her to meet people and being more independent in her choices.

“Travelling alone takes me out of my comfort zone. I don’t always approach people and randomly start a conversation, but when I’m abroad and feeling lonely I have to but my big girl’s pants on and go talk to the stranger beside me,” said Cloutier.

Cloutier and Loula put on their “big girl pants” one leg at a time and jumped into a new world full of different values, religions, food and languages all for the discovery of new places not only in the world, but also in themselves.

Both women agree that travelling with people can be more enjoyable, but the experience and knowledge that an individual can gain from having some quality independence is something they won’t gain from relying on others.

“It’s amazing what you learn about yourself, good and bad. But in the end you come out stronger and I think I am better person for it… Keep in mind that the people you plan on going on trips with just end up bailing on you. You can’t let others hold you back from seeing the world,” said Loula.

With the travel bug swimming through their veins and consuming their thoughts, Cloutier and Loula are always planning their next adventure. Relatively endless amounts of places to travel leaves them with endless amounts of experiences and adventures for them to love, learn and grow from.