March was a wonderful month with adventures and happiness. Every year, March is mundane, even though it is my birthday month. But this year, almost every other day, I was celebrating something or doing some activity. What I liked most about March, apart from the amazing collaborations I was a part of, was that I went a step closer to travelling solo. You wonder why?

On top of Mama Bhanja Hills

What do you think are the main reasons behind people not going solo? Some might not enjoy their company, some could be extroverts, some might have the fear of loneliness, darkness or vulnerability, some might wonder who would capture their photos (especially travel bloggers and Youtubers). 

Out of all these reasons, if you ask me why I would think twice before travelling solo, it would be the unavailability of a person to click my pictures and the fear of darkness and vulnerability. You can call it the fear of ghosts when I am alone in the hotel room, the fear of wild animals when I am trekking or in the wild, the fear of bad men if I’m walking alone in the street at night or the fear of theft, kidnapping––who knows––when I'm in my own hotel room.

I have these fears, but you know what? There is always a way to train my mind and get over these. All this happens psychologically and you can control it. However, the problem of not having a photographer with you is something you can't control. Sure, you can ask your friends to come along but they won't come with you every other time. They have their own family and other sets of friends to spend time with. You have an option left, and that is, to ask passersby to help you with pictures.

Yet again, you're unsure whether to trust them or not. What if they run away taking your expensive camera? Or, even if they're sweet, how many times will you ask them to photograph you? It becomes a painstaking task.

(I don't mean to be a pessimist here; I just intend to lay down facts and possibilities in front of you for the sake of this post.)

Anyway, one of the most beautiful things that happened in March was that I purchased a tripod. I have been wanting one for many years and finally could buy one. It’s not that I could not afford earlier but now I just think that the need is much higher than what it was before. So this is why I say I am a step closer to not having a travel partner and enjoy exploring alone.

While writing this post, I figured that there is yet another reason that holds me back from travelling solo, which is the transportation to and fro. I know to drive a car––rather I have a license––but I don’t drive frequently. I do know to ride a moped but I don’t have a license and I am not confident in riding it on the roads. (I have my own reasons behind this psychology.) So in short, even though I own a moped and a car, I still somehow am handicapped to travel. I need someone to drop me off at a location or rather accompany me. All these camping locations and the base points are so far off that we generally are unaware of the public transportation and require a private vehicle. But unfortunately, since I am not that confident in driving a car or riding a moped, I become helpless. This is yet another fear/shortcoming I have to overcome.

But, concentrating only on positivity, I’m glad that I purchased a tripod finally, that too, with a mobile mount; this has certainly made my life simpler. I just attach my phone to the mobile mount and fix it to the tripod. Turn on the timer, press the shutter, and run to pose!

Owning a tripod has not just eased my Travelling Solo dream but also has ensured my friends are in the frame. All I now feel like screaming, on a mountaintop, facing the valley is, "Goodbye, strangers! I don't need your photography anymore!"