Of course, solo travel wasn't without its challenges. Jia Liisa encountered moments of loneliness, frustration, and uncertainty. She got lost in a crowded city, struggled with language barriers, and faced her own self-doubt. But it was in these moments that she discovered her own resilience and resourcefulness. She learned to navigate unfamiliar situations, to trust her instincts, and to ask for help when needed.
She recalls hiking in Sintra, getting caught in a sudden rainstorm. “I could have been upset. Instead, I just laughed. Ran to a café, soaked, ordered a shot of ginjinha, and sat there dripping. The old man next to me gave me his napkins. That’s the stuff you remember—not the perfect Instagram moments, but the real, messy, human ones.” jia lissa travelling alone
Jia sat for a long time after that. The sun began to slant, turning the pool into liquid gold. She thought about what the woman had said. She had been so focused on reaching things—the waterfall, the summit, the next country—that she had forgotten that the walking itself was the point. The sore feet. The wrong turns. The stray dogs that accompany you for a while and then leave. The strangers who see you more clearly than your own family. Of course, solo travel wasn't without its challenges
For Jia, solo travel isn’t just about seeing new places—it’s about resetting. “When you’re always working or always around people, you forget what you actually like. Traveling alone reminds me: I like morning coffee with no agenda. I like getting lost and finding a random bookstore. I like eating pastel de nata for breakfast because no one’s there to judge me.” But it was in these moments that she