Five days before I took my flight, I hadn’t planned to go anywhere. Then, very last minute and a bit on impulse really, I booked a flight to Canada, found my AirBnB’s, hired a car and decided to spend a week exploring Ontario on my own.
I’ve travelled extensively over the years (I think I’ve visited 36 countries now), but I’d never done anything quite like this. A solo road trip, driving on the right-hand side of the road for the first time, in an automatic car I’d never driven before, with around 800 miles ahead of me. It was exciting but also, of course, absolutely daunting.
I’ve wanted to travel alone for years. Life has a habit of giving us reasons not to do things – we get busy with work, commitments at home or simply become comfortable with the routine of everyday life.
I realised that if I kept waiting for the perfect opportunity, I’d probably never go. When I looked my calendar at the end of June, I realised I had opportunity to book something in. Booking just five days before departure was necessary but also a way to not overthink it.
Getting on the road
The first hour behind the wheel was probably the biggest challenge of the whole trip. After landing and swiftly making my way through the airport (thank you hand luggage), I got to my hire car. I had planned my first day of driving to be relatively short and as simple as I could but I hadn’t actually given much thought on the kinds of roads I’d be on. And I was in at the deep end. Immediately I was a 10 lane motorway.
Every instinct built from years of driving in the UK had to be rewired. It was all like a mirror image – driving on the other side, over taking the other way, giving way to the left. Luckily, I found that Ontario’s roads are pretty straightforward, and before long it all began to feel surprisingly natural. After that first days drive full of anxiety, the sense of achievement soon overtook the stress and for the rest of my trip I was getting in the car and automatically keeping to the right.
By the end of the week I’d covered around 800 miles – something I’m incredibly proud of. One day I did 6.5 hours of driving which is of course a huge day of driving but I was finding it so enjoyable it just became another fun activity in my day. It definitely became less about getting from one place to another and more about enjoying the freedom that comes with travelling at your own pace.
Ontarios landscapes
The landscapes were everything I’d hoped they’d be. I landed in Toronto but immediately left, preferring the the more rural, small-town feel. My plan for my Canada trip was to head to Muskoka region, visit numerous provincial parks and skirt Georgian Bay with its miles of beaches.
The landscapes in Ontario are stunning. Endless forests, crystal-clear lakes, rocky shorelines and peaceful provincial parks that seemed to stretch forever. Despite visiting in summer, the vast areas and my early mornings thanks to jetlag meant I could go hours without seeing another person on my hikes. Roads were quiet, pace of life was slow and thrift shops were cheap. Exactly what I had hoped!
Muskoka was particularly memorable. It’s easy to understand why so many people escape there during the summer months. The shade of forests was very welcome during the hot days, the quaint towns felt like stepping back in time and the stunning lakes were endless. It’s one thing seeing lakes and woodland on Google Maps, looking through images and thinking ‘that looks like a nice place to visit’, another thing entirely to see these places in person.
After thoroughly exploring Muskoka as far as Huntsville and Arrowhead Provincial Park, I continued on my loop and headed over to Georgian Bay. The beaches here felt unexpected. In some areas I’d walk miles through forest to finally feel sand beneath my feet. The landscape changed and suddenly I was faced with miles of rocky beaches – including the world longest freshwater beach at Wasaga.
I of course took my camera with me on this trip, knowing I’d see some wonderful scenery. The freedom of my car and the joy I get from photography gave me such a sense of freedom. I could pull over and stop whenever something caught my eye.
Being spontaneous
Something which I hadn’t planned for was Niagara Falls. I knew I’d be fairly close, and I knew it was something spectacular some people wait their whole lives to see. But for some reason, it hadn’t felt necessary on this particular trip. Everything changed though after speaking to locals. I realised I could rearrange one of my days and make it work. It took a three hour drive each way but for the boat trip into the falls and the exhilaration of making it somewhere so iconic by myself, it was worth it!
What surprised me
What surprised me most wasn’t the scenery but how much I was ok with my own company.
When you travel with other people, you’re naturally sharing decisions, conversations and experiences. Travelling alone is different. Every decision is yours, from where to stop for coffee to which road to take next.
Somewhere between the lakes, forests and long stretches of road with my playlist, I noticed something changing. The usual background noise of everyday life became quieter too. My normally anxious brain switched off and I was able to actually enjoy myself without feeling like I was holding myself back.
I’m absolutely happy in my everyday life and this trip wasn’t about trying to escape that. It was about giving myself the opportunity to do something entirely for myself. Give myself the feeling of confidence I knew I needed.
Finally
We don’t all need a big international trip or thousands of acres of woodland to experience that feeling.
Looking back, I’m incredibly grateful that I booked the trip without overthinking it. Sometimes the experiences we’re most nervous about become the ones we’re proudest of, and I can say for certain I haven’t stopped talking about it to anyone that will listen.
I went to Ontario hoping to see beautiful places. I came home with wonderful memories, renewed confidence, and the feeling that occasionally stepping outside our comfort zone is exactly what we need.
