Wanderlust: Adventures of a solo traveler around the world
Solo globe-trotting can be addictive. I spent my first 15 years in our coastal town, Palompon, in northern Leyte. As a child, the only means of transportation I experienced were a jeepney ride with my father from our town to Barrio San Miguel; our neighbor’s boat when our family went swimming on Tabuk Island across from our town; our aunt’s small ferry, Jupe, when she and her husband occasionally allowed us to go with them to Barrio Plaridel, where they were elementary school teachers; and a boat named Baztan, which we took to and from Manila on Christmas or summer vacations.
Riding a plane was beyond my childlike imagination—unthinkable and unaffordable. Whenever one passed overhead, we’d run to the street and shout, “Edro, pasakya ko! (Plane, take me in!),” as if the pilot could hear us.
In my early twenties, I applied to be a flight attendant, unaware of the height requirement. I was 5-feet tall, and confident that wearing 3-inch heels would help. I believed the job would be my gateway to seeing other places in our country, my only other preference being in a foreign affairs office.
But fate had other plans. I landed as a private high school teacher and a nighttime college instructor for four years then joined the national government, where I worked for the next 37 years until my optional retirement.
At 32, I finally had my first-ever plane ride, from Manila to Legazpi City in Albay, literally on cloud nine, and grinning from ear to ear! Fast forward, I pampered my 50-year-old self with my first flight outside the country, from Manila to Bangkok, Thailand. From then on until a decade ago, I’ve been blessed to take annual jaunts and long-haul flights across continents, alone, courtesy of my daughter’s then nonrevenue tickets.
Solo flights have become my new normal. I simply update my four married daughters regarding my travel plans, itinerary, contacts or sponsors, and my date of departure and arrival. They assist me in securing my visas (Bahamas and Schengen the last time), purchasing plane tickets online, and checking my baggage weight. None of my children or grandchildren asks for pasalubong, even from me, a solo globe-trotter who never learns to travel light!
Life is an adventure; a good travel plan is just the beginning of the journey. I look forward to domestic and international travels and exploring as far as my legs—and my shallow pocket allow me. I’m not a “politicontractor,” so it pays to be clannish while remaining active on social media where I’m in touch with generous relatives and friends abroad.
My recent two-month vacation had many “firsts”: my first time flying with China Airlines from Manila to San Francisco; Icelandair, from New York to Reykjavik, Iceland; Finnair for my connecting flight to Helsinki, Finland; and Turkish Airlines from Helsinki to Hong Kong, with a brief layover in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Due to technical problems, my Icelandair flight was delayed over four hours, causing me to miss my connecting flight to Helsinki. I had to take the Finnair flight 10 hours later, arriving at Vantaa Airport in Helsinki with two checked bags missing! Finnair promptly compensated me for the two-day delay in bag delivery, while Icelandair covered for my delayed and missed connecting flights. These European airlines made this wanderlust a few hundred euros richer! Cheers!
Katy Viacrucis,
katie_vy@yahoo.com
