Shadowing Practice: Why Solo Travel Will Improve Your Life - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Over the years there's been one thing that stands out that's given me so much personal growth and that is solo travelling.

Whether it's navigating the airport, catching the right train, or just soaking up the atmosphere of a new location, it's always a valuable experience.

However, there is still a stigma around going away by yourself.

Maybe people think that you're weird, lonely, and that nobody else actually wanted to go with you.

And you know what, they might actually be right.

I'm obviously kidding.

For me solo travel makes you grow up, it's fulfilling and it's empowering.

So this is why I think that it's essential that you embrace it going forwards.

When you travel alone you've got complete freedom and that really is a nice feeling.

You can follow your own schedule and call all the shots.

This could be down to what you want to eat, choosing the right hotel or Airbnb, the time that you want to wake up each day and of course the location.

Now I love a good chat as much as the next person

but for me personally I'm able to take in my surroundings a bit better when I'm by myself.

Maybe it's just the fact that it's quiet

or I've not got any distractions around me

but I'm able to take in the atmosphere at my own pace and it all just feels a little bit easier.

And for me personally I'm someone that loves to explore with my camera

and it's It's a nice nice feeling

that I can shoot as much as I like without worrying about taking too long or someone else getting bored.

And the last element of freedom is of course the freedom of booking the trip itself.

And when it's just you, you can take the initiative and book it for whenever suits you.

And when others are involved, it can get really tricky trying to make sure that everybody's free and they can get off work.

and quite often the trip will just keep getting postponed to the point where it never actually happens.

The confidence that you get from successfully navigating your first solo trip is really valuable.

From simply making sure that you catch the right flights and trains, to immersing yourself in that country's culture, the feeling of accomplishment is pretty great.

Maybe when you were younger it was your parents that made sure that everything ran smoothly, but suddenly it's all on you.

If you miss the train or forget your passport it's now your fault

and yes I have forgot my passport before and I'd rather not talk about it.

When you travel solo you have to adapt to your new surroundings

and quite often your mind will be working on overdrive even

if it's just working your way around a new supermarket

or trying to work out the website that has the correct bus timetables.

This whole process for me at least really made me grow up.

It kind of gave me more accountability and it also gave me the evidence that I could handle myself in new situations.

I think a lot of us get really caught up in where we live, whether it's the same route that we take to work every day, the same weather, the same buildings,

the same politics, all of that kind of stuff.

It's really easy to forget that there's so much more going on out there.

For me, a lot of the time things start to feel a bit repetitive and become a bit stagnant, and that's usually a good sign that I need to shake things up a bit.

When you travel not only can you get away from your daily routines

but you can make it whatever you need it to be.

So it could be adventurous and even demanding or it could just be peaceful and quiet.

And I think that's the joy of it really, just thinking about what exactly you need right now from a trip and then making it happen.

I think as well we see so much online and in the news about different countries, you kind of get an image of what the country might be like,

but you never truly know until you step foot there.

Quite often when I travel I find that different countries just have a bit of a different feeling to them, aside from the obvious changes like landscapes and languages.

And even in my country, which is pretty small, the vibe changes so much in different locations

that maybe even a trip within your own country could be enough to open up your eyes.

Now I feel like I almost have to say this, of course you can still travel with other people and that in itself has some great benefits.

All I'm saying is, at least try and embrace solo traveling once

or twice or if you're lucky enough to do a few trips try it both alone and then also with others.

There's always the option that you could head out to a location early and then meet friends there afterwards.

Just try and get that feeling of pure freedom and see what it's like.

I'm of course quite a big fan of solo traveling

and I tend to do it quite often but not everybody is like

that and that's absolutely fine everybody's got their own preferences

but what I would say if you're interested in it

and it does excite you I would urge you to go for it because I just doubt you'll regret it.

So that's pretty much my stance on the whole solo travel thing

and I am by no means an expert up to this point it's only really been Europe

and I know that's not a huge shift in culture for me

but it is a start and hopefully in the future I'll be able to take things up a level.

And I also want to mention that traveling

and traveling often is a bit of a luxury and a privilege

so I totally understand that it's not always easy when you factor in things like time, money and loads of other responsibilities.

For me personally I'm sure I'd be way closer to owning my own home

if I didn't prioritize travel but hey these are the choices that we need to make.

Anyway I hope that you enjoyed the video, if you did it be incredible if you consider subscribing to the channel and I'll see you next time.

Cheers!

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What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Why Solo Travel Will Improve Your Life - Learn English Speaking with Video

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