Gabbi Garcia on her first solo travel: I discovered a lot about myself
MANILA, Philippines — Gabbi Garcia recently opened up about her eye-opening first solo trip, which reminded her of the importance of a life beyond showbiz.
Surprisingly, it was her boyfriend Khalil Ramos who encouraged her to take on this journey. Gabbi tried to persuade Khalil to accompany her for at least two days, given his free time, but he insisted she should do the trip on her own, pushing her to explore beyond her comfort zone.
“He said, no, you have to do that one on your own. He was the one who really pushed me, ‘Go out of your hotel, go around… Eh ako si taxi and Uber girl kasi nga every time I go to Japan, I always depend on him or whoever I’m with at that time to navigate. Parang susunod lang ako. But after that, feel ko kaya ko na lahat,” the GMA Sparkle star told the press when she was launched as the newest celebrity endorser of the wellness and health brand IAM Worldwide (same Filipino brand that recently brought South Korean superstar Park Seo Joon to the Philippines.)
She initially just chose Osaka, Japan but eventually went to visit other areas. She felt she needed the trip for personal growth.
“Since October last year, I’ve been working nonstop. I did two teleseryes in a row — Urduja and Unbreak My Heart, and in between, I had brand shoots. It’s been like a constant rush, and taping can get quite hectic, you know? So, I just really needed a break, and at that time, it’s like I didn’t know what to do after the taping... I had gotten so used to the routine. I wasn’t sure how it would be without taping. And we’re all just human, and we get tired, but we also really wanna grow,” she said.
“Feeling ko kasi, parang I’ve grown sa (in the) teleserye, but as Gabby, where am I? So I really needed that breather, and then (it was) Khalil who suggested, ‘I feel like you should try solo traveling.’”
As a social person, she had never really considered the idea of taking a solo trip. The prospect of being alone with her own thoughts was a scary thing for her.
“I’m scared (that) wala akong kausap, wala akong kasama. I feel like I’m gonna be sad because before when I was younger, my fear was being alone. But it ended up na (that when I went to) Osaka, my trip felt too short,” she said.
Nevertheless, Gabbi found her first solo travel experience to be enriching. She learned, grew, and discovered more about herself. She realized that what others had said about solo trips being liberating was indeed true.
“I discovered a lot about myself. Totoo yung sinasabi nila na kasi ‘pag tinatanong ko yung mga tao, kamusta ba mag-solo travel? They always say, it’s liberating. Paano naging liberating if you’re alone. But when I experienced it, I finally got what they meant.”
“You’re on your own. Walang makakapag-dictate kung anong gagawin mo yung araw na yun. I went there with zero itinerary. As in, I just went with the flow. I had zero bookings. I didn’t book restaurants, nothing. It turned out to be really, really nice. Japan is one of the safest countries. I had nothing to really worry about. Ang sarap because I experienced self-fulfillment and I learned to trust myself more, of course.”
Gabbi also enjoyed that she was just another face in the crowd and nobody recognized her. “You just really feel human, no special treatment, nothing. It’s just you being human, interacting as a human, and it’s great. It’s grounding. It reminded me so much of, ‘Bakit nga ba ako nandito? Ano ba ang purpose ko?’ Ang pag-aartista pala, trabaho talaga siya, hindi siya yung buhay ko. Madami pa akong pwedeng gawin sa buhay.”
She also discovered the joy of simple travel. “I usually travel with luxury stuff. Usually, maarte ako, gusto ko nakaporma ako, palagi akong nagpi-picture. But the purpose of the trip was to ground myself. “So I didn’t bring fancy bags with me. I tried backpacking for the first time. Sorry kung iba sa ibang tao. Because for sure, sasabihin na naman, ‘Ang arte naman nito, backpack lang, feeling niya may something.’ Pero kasi iba-iba naman tayo ng fulfillment sa buhay. So for me, to be able to ground myself like that, okay, backpack ako, always ready to go. I lived in white T-shirts in Japan,” she shared.
“Proud na proud ako sa sarili ko nun na nagdadala ako ng payong sa backpack. Sasabihin ng tao, ang babaw nito, pero ‘yung sa akin, small win ito. So happy ako doon na handa ako kasi summer ako pumunta, ang init-init. First time buong araw, ‘di ako nag-re-retouch kasi wala namang mag-pi-picture sakin. ‘Yung mga ganung bagay, napaka-simple, oo. Pero ‘yung mga simpleng bagay na yun, it helps you really ground yourself.”
Gabbi said that her goal now is to travel solo once a year as a gift to herself. Currently, she’s thinking about trying a trip to Vietnam. “I’ve heard the food is delicious there, and they have those motorbike taxis, right? I’ve never taken one before. I usually ride with my dad on his motorcycle, but I haven’t experienced the real scooter commute. Also, Khalil went on a solo trip to Vietnam, and he had so many positive things to say about it, which got me even more interested.”
Meanwhile, here are Gabbi’s Top 3 tips for those thinking of traveling solo:
“No. 1, don’t set rules for yourself. Of course, you know what’s right and wrong but, I mean, don’t pressure yourself to have rules. So that’s what I needed to remove from my system because I’m a very... masunurin akong tao (I’m an obedient person). Like if there’s a schedule, I would follow. If there’s a goal, I need to achieve that goal, that’s how I am. But during my solo trip, I learned to let go, I learned to be care-less in a good way.”
“No. 2, ensure your safety. You should research the place. Is the place safe? Search the crime rate and everything.”
“And third, be open to mishaps, be open to new experiences, be open to meeting new people, hearing new stories. It’s a big deal because when you go on a solo trip, (and) sarado ka (you’re close-minded), what’s the purpose then? So just be open to new experiences in life, may it be good, may it be bad, it happens, and it helps you grow as a person.”
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