Travel.

As freeing and empowering as solo travel can be, there are moments when the loneliness hits you like a ton of bricks. No matter how independent or self-assured you might be, there's something about being utterly alone in a foreign place that can shake you to your core.

As a self-proclaimed control freak, I'll admit that I like to have things planned down to a tee when I travel. Itineraries, transportation, accommodations – you name it, I've got it mapped out with military precision. So when my meticulously crafted plans went awry during a trip to the southern Thai city of Hat Yai, it really threw me for a loop. But in the end, that unexpected detour ended up being one of the most rewarding experiences of my journey.

After the whirlwind of unexpected adventures in Hat Yai, I found myself craving a change of pace. So I headed north to the laidback province of Chiang Rai, determined to embrace the art of slow travel and simply savor every moment.

Looking back on my journey as a solo traveler, it's amazing to realize just how much I've grown and how profoundly my perspective has shifted. The person I am today is almost unrecognizable from the wide-eyed, apprehensive woman who first stepped off that plane with a one-way ticket and a headful of doubts.