Flying alone has been one of my biggest fears for years.
I’ve flown once, with my parents, across the United States and it was overwhelming, fast, and confusing.
Imagine how I felt when the realization hit that the study abroad program I chose for the summer involved me flying alone AND outside of the country. Needless to say– I was terrified.
I decided to go on the UA in Austria faculty-led trip. I took this on almost completely by myself. I didn’t want to ask for help from ANYBODY– my parents, a study abroad advisor, a professor, even my peers that have already been through the program. I was determined to do it all myself.
I registered for the program and began completing all the steps I needed to. I stressed for hours about budgeting and booking flights, but eventually I made it through. Then came the week of my flight. I’m double checking my flight times when I remember my plane is going to land the day before my program starts (it was a few hundred dollars cheaper this way). I’m panicked again. My mind is racing with thoughts of navigating multiple new airports, finding my way around in a whole new country, and the fact that I didn’t have a place to stay the first night. I finally let my mom help me and she suggests a hostel for the night before my program. A HOSTEL!!! I continue to panic as I’m thinking about sleeping in a room with a bunch of random people on top of everything else I’m worrying about. I let her book it because the hostel was much cheaper than any hotel and it had great reviews, but I’m still stressed.
Two days later, I’m left alone in the Nashville airport at 8am. I’m lucky– no problems with my ticket, a short TSA line, no luggage issues, and an easy to find terminal. I get Chick-Fil-A for some comfort food, and I finally start to relax. The airport isn’t that bad. Then it becomes time to board, and I get anxious once again. I’m seated in between two middle aged men, one who has a teenage daughter sitting behind us and one who is snoring before the plane takes off. It’s here when something clicks in my head. I giggle at the man snoring next to me and the man on my other side asks if I have figured out the Wi-Fi. I realize that we’re all in the same boat. Nobody on that plane was looking at me and thinking I don’t know what I’m doing. Nobody on that plane cared about anything but getting to their destination safely and that was a wave of comfort to me. I kept a silver band on my left ring finger to hopefully deter anybody with ill intentions and kept my belongings in a safe place. Flash forward two hours and I land in Canada. I connect to airport Wi-Fi after realizing I had no data plan in Canada and, once again, easily found my terminal. I even had time to eat and browse the stores! I stayed on alert, of course, because I’m a twenty-year-old girl, but I was relaxed enough to people watch and have some fun. Everything went smoothly from there. I flew into Vienna, Austria and quickly found the Uber I had scheduled earlier to head to my hostel. Only issue was, it was about 9am and check-in didn’t start until 2pm so I had to figure out what to do until then. The hostel had an inexpensive luggage storage, so I put my suitcase in there and sat in the lobby for a cup of coffee while I figured out my game plan. I decided I was going to go straight to an electronics store because I had lost my plug adapter on the plane. I find the store and the workers are very nice, I buy what I need and continue on my way. This is when I got a little bold– I decided to wander. I made sure my data plan was working and informed various family members what I was doing then started walking around the block to admire the architecture. I ran into this beautiful antique shop while I was getting a feel for the culture. I walk in and there is a jolly couple sitting outside to welcome me. The man follows me inside, introduces himself, and offers me a welcome espresso. This was the sign I needed to know Vienna was where I was supposed to be. I shop and chat with the couple for a while, as well as walk around a bit more before heading back to my hostel. I keep myself busy inside until I can check in, then I go up to my room. I walk into a room full of sweet girls who I could tell were just as nervous as I was. We all exchange pleasantries as I realize I am the only one there on my own. Unfortunately, I am extremely jetlagged, so I go almost straight to bed and don’t wake up until breakfast time the next morning. I enjoy a quiet breakfast in a new city and I Uber from the hostel to the hotel my study abroad group is staying at. There ended my journey alone.
Reflecting on that independent time I spent, I am so thankful I had it. I have always had trouble doing things by myself and this journey pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to build my confidence. I had such a good and free time exploring on my own as well as figuring out my own problems. I absolutely recommend traveling alone for any student, even if it is just for a day or two! I found my footing in the new city, and I was even able to help some of my classmates when they arrived later. Overall, I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world, and I am so lucky to have experienced some of Vienna on my own.