2011 has been definitely the year of travels:

I’ve always liked traveling (who doesn’ t!?), but now I changed my attitude towards it.

Before, traveling for me meant holiday , something that happened once/twice in a year and it was more the physical displacement from my house to a new place,  better if by airplane, forgetting everything else.

I was more focused on sightseeing and crossing places off a checklist.And then life as usual.I didn’ t care that much about getting into the culture of the place, of the people that live there. And this  is actually the most enriching part of the overall traveling experience.

I could not think that traveling could become so important for me  and that it was possible even having a low budget.
Because you don’t have necessarily to sleep at Four Seasons, even hostels are a good option.

I had the idea they were pretty dirty/messy  places, but so far I found good hostels (ok, not the one in San Sebastian…no comment! but look the one in Marrakech) and much much cheaper than hotels!
Sometimes I traveled just with another person, some other times with a small/medium group of friends –  once we were 18! – and now I like traveling alone. It’s not better or worse, it’s different. Because you are independent and you can decide how to organise your time. If you want to stop, you stop; if you want to go, you go. Pure freedom.
On the other side, it’s true that you miss the ” sharing part” with your travel companions  - I feel this especially when I’m eating – and sometimes you would like to be with  someone.

But if I think deeper, it’s almost impossible to be alone while you are traveling. Think about Couchsurfing. You can be hosted or host travelers from all over the world, meet local people for a coffee or attend events in the city where you are.