“The decision to travel alone was therapeutic and, of course, effective”
The anxiety, loneliness, the value of friendship or even the meaning of being born female. All this pushed Helena Palau – known on social media as @helenavisuals – to venture to travel with suitcase and camera as the only company.
Since 2019 she travels alone: Vietnam, Uganda, or Japan They are some of the remote places where she never thought she could reach and yet she overcame the challenge –and the fear–. From her indomitable journey is born Suppose I travel alone (Harp, 2021) a photographic tour of the places that have made him rethink many of the doubts and the fears that torment an entire generation.
“At a time when I felt without control or self-esteem, I thought solo travel It would give me back the independence that I had lost. It also meant getting out of my comfort zone, intoxicated at the time, and focusing on other things."
"Traveling requires you to stay alert, it offers you new landscapes, people and memories and all this allows you to oxygenate the brain and ultimately stop thinking for a while about what worries you. The decision was therapeutic and, of course, effective. It is very important to remember, however, that going on a trip alone It doesn't have to mean traveling alone much less feel alone” explains Palau.
Helen Palau.
From the Arctic to Sub-Saharan Africa, she tells us about Uganda as 'the most impactful and transformative destination'". “It made me confront my prejudices and bad habits. I saw in first person the driving force represented by Ugandan women in the social and economic growth of the country, unlike what you might have thought before you arrived. A trip that highlighted the urgent need for revision and self-criticism on the part of people with privileges”.
There is a lot of self-analysis in the book: the minimum effort, information without depth, ecological impact and prejudices when it comes to learning about other cultures. After the experience comes analysis and learning.
“It is essential the self-criticism to understand and respect others. It happens to be aware of my advantages, my prejudices, my demands and being able to admit where they come from, why they may be harmful to others or why they may be hypocritical or unfair. In the book I defend the idea that traveling gives you tools for self-analysis and introspection, It places you before very different realities and in some cases even confronts you with the consequences of your actions".
"You can take advantage of it to question yourself and evolve in the right direction or you can continue living in the comfort of your privileges. Also, Let's suppose that I travel alone invites us to reflect on such necessary and urgent issues today as the ecological footprint of our trips and abuses in social networks”.
It also calls into question what it means to be a woman and cross alone: “I would highlight one in particular, the hopeful solidarity that exists among women around the world when we meet. As I say in the book, there is a silent unwritten rule to take care of each other."
"Despite the fact that our condition as women makes us be and feel in danger anywhere, traveling alone has shown me that it is women who make me feel safe. Let's trust each other, respect each other, take care of each other. Even if we are separated by culture, language or ideas”.
To travel less is also more. Helen seeks carry the minimum material to create your visual content. “Everything that I am not sure if I will use, I end up not using. There is nothing more uncomfortable and counterproductive than traveling with too much weight. To work and be creative, we have to create a comfortable environment. The days before the trip, I research the destination and I think about what subjects I might be interested in photographing to create a series of images”.
The essential thing to travel without company is, for Helena, leave the fears at home. “To anyone who wants to do it for the first time, I would tell them not to be afraid. That for traveling alone one should not be braver than we all already are every day. It is an experience capable of giving us back the feeling of power and freedom that many times we believe we do not have”.
“Start with an urban destination, a city close to yours and stay about five days. Before you leave, prepare a bit for the trip, research the destination and your interests. If you like the experience, dare with a second longer and more adventurous trip”.
'Suppose I travel alone', by Helena Palau.