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“Joe, did you book your ticket yet?” I asked.

我問：“喬，你訂票了嗎？”

“No. I changed my mind. I’m not going to go.”

“沒有，我改主意了，我不打算去了。”

“What? You aren’t going to Australia? We’ve been planning this vacation for months!”

“什么？你決定不去澳大利亞了嗎？我們已經為這個度假準備了幾個月啊。”

“Yeah, I don’t feel like it. We’ll go some other time.”

“是的，我不想去了。我們以后再去吧。”

Over the coming weeks, I attempted to get my friend to reconsider, but to no avail. When Joe changed his mind, he changed his mind. Our trip to Australia – our big post-college adventure – was off. And none of my friends wanted to replace him. If I wanted to travel, it would have to be on my own.

接下來的幾個星期里，我試著讓朋友再重新考慮一下，但沒有奏效。喬改變了想法和決定。我們去澳大利亞的旅程，也是我們的畢業旅行，泡湯了。其他朋友里面也沒有想替代喬的人。如果我想去旅行，我一定要自己一個人去。

It’s a pattern that has repeated itself over the years. While a few people have joined me along the way. But when it comes down to the wire, something always comes up, they’re suddenly too busy, or they get cold feet and change their mind.

這種模式已經持續了好多年。有人想和我一起旅行，但到了準備出發的那一刻，總有些麻煩出現，他們太忙了或者臨陣退縮再就是改變主意了。

It’s taught me that if I wait for others, I’ll never go anywhere.

這教會了我，如果再繼續等別人，那我哪里都去不了了。

But there are places I want to go, people to see, experiences to have, and food to try — and only so much time to accomplish it all.

但是有些地方我想去，有些人我想見，有些經歷我想體驗，有些美食我想去品嘗……只有這么點時間來完成這一切。

So I refuse to wait – I won’t let others keep me from realizing my dreams.

因此我拒絕等待——我不想別人陪我實現夢想。

It can bescary traveling alone – especially when you’ve never done it before. But, to me, growing old without experiencing everything you want from life is scarier.

一個人獨自旅行會很害怕，特別是如果你之前沒有這樣做過。但是，對我來說，隨著年齡的增長，人生中想體驗的卻沒有去經歷會更可怕。

If you’ve been putting off a trip because you’re waiting for someone to go with – stop. Just go. Don’t let others hold you back from your dreams. Trust me, along the way you’ll make plenty of friends – from other solo travelers who thought “Screw it, if I don’t go, I’ll never go” to locals interested in meeting new people. You’re never alone when you travel.

如果你已經因為等待某人而推遲了旅行，那么拒絕等他吧。出發去旅行，不要讓任何人阻礙你追尋夢想的腳步。相信我，一路上你會遇到很多朋友——從其他覺得“算了，如果我不去就再也不會去了”的獨自旅行的人，到對新面孔充滿好奇的當地人。獨自旅行一路上并不孤單。

More than that, solo travel gives you ultimate freedom. You wake up and it’s just you – what you want, where you want, when you want. In that freedom and infinite space of possibility, you meet yourself. You hit the limits of what you like and don’t like. There’s no one to pull you in any one direction or override your reasons. Want sushi? Get sushi. Want to leave? Leave. Want to try bungee jumping? Go for it.

不止那些，獨自旅行會給你無盡的自由。起床，全部由你來做決定——想要什么、想去哪里、什么時候做什么，都聽自己的。自由世界，無窮盡的自由，你遇見的是你自己。喜歡什么、不喜歡什么自己來決定。沒有人會把你朝某個方向推或是否決你。想吃壽司？那就去吃吧。想走了？那就走吧。想去玩蹦極？那就去吧。

It’s sink or swim and you have to learn how to survive – who to trust, how to make friends, how to find your way around alone. That’s the greatest reward of solo travel – the personal growth. Each time you go away, you learn to become a little more independent, confident, and in tune with your emotions and desires.

潛水或游泳，你要學會如何生存——該相信誰、怎樣交朋友、一個人如何找路。獨自旅行最大的獎勵的就是個人的成長。每出行一次，你都會變得更獨立、自信、遵從內心和欲望。

Solo travel is not for everyone. Some people return home soon after departing, others cry for weeks before embracing it, and some just embrace it right away. But you’ll never learn that if you don’t travel once by yourself. Whether a weekend away, a two-week vacation or trip around the world, try it at least once.

獨自旅行不是針對每一個人。有些人出發沒多久就立馬回家，有些人在出發之前會哭很久，也有一些人會立刻接受獨自旅行。但是如果你從未有過獨自旅行的經歷，你永遠也學不會。不論是離開一、兩周的假期或是一個短途的世界游，至少嘗試一次。

Don’t wait for people or hold back from living your dreams. You could be waiting a long time until someone finally says “yes.” There’s only now and if you don’t go, you’ll regret it.

不要為了等他人或是停滯自己追尋夢想的腳步。你可能會等很久直到別人最后說：“好。”只有現在，如果你說不去，會后悔的。

Because if I hadn’t stopped waiting, I’d still be in my cubicle, trying to convince Joe to go to Australia, and wondering if I’d ever get to see the world.

因為如果我沒有停止等待，我還會被困住，嘗試去說服喬一起去澳大利亞，也不知道是否有機會去看世界。

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