Jessica
The Journey to India I Almost Didn't Dare to Take
In 2017 I took my first big trip alone. It wasn't a holiday, it was a journey of study and wellbeing. I wanted to get to know Ayurvedic Medicine up close and go through a Panchakarma treatment for a gynaecological issue that had been with me for some time.
From the very beginning I knew I wasn't looking for a tourist destination. When I travel, I like to discover the essence of a place, to connect with its culture, its people and its way of living.
Looking for somewhere authentic
I spent several months researching until I found an academy and an Ayurveda clinic where I could study and, at the same time, live the wellness experience I longed for.
I remember even writing to a girl who appeared in a photograph of the place, to ask her whether it was really safe and whether she would recommend it. I had contacted several centres, but none of them quite gave me the confidence I needed. I wasn't looking for a resort; I was looking for somewhere authentic.
The decision and the doubts
When I finally found the place, I chose the dates, bought the ticket and told my family.
As you might expect, the doubts began.
“What if something happens?”
“Why so far away?”
“Wouldn't it be better to go with someone?”
Those weren't the only comments I heard.
But I had already made my decision.
I remember one moment during the flight perfectly. I looked out of the window and thought:
“What if something happened to me? India is enormous… nobody would find me.”
It was a thought that lasted only a few minutes, as I believe happens to many women when they travel alone for the first time.
I took a deep breath, decided to trust everything I had researched for months, and kept going.
And thank goodness I did.
What India gave me
It was an experience that changed many things in me.
I had the chance to get to know a completely different culture, to learn Ayurveda directly from those who have practised it for generations, and to share many moments with the therapists and nurses at the clinic. They were incredibly kind women. I always found some excuse to ask them questions and learn a little more about their work, their way of living and their culture.
I was also lucky enough to meet a group of Chilean girls who were travelling together. Thanks to them I joined a few excursions and shared moments I still remember with great fondness.
I wasn't the only woman travelling alone, though there weren't many of us either.
Since then I have kept travelling on my own whenever I can. I love the freedom of discovering a place at your own pace, although I admit there are still destinations that fill me with a certain respect.
Morocco, for example, is one of them. A while ago I wanted to go back, but having no one to travel with, I ended up choosing another destination.
And I believe that has happened to many of us.
Not because we don't want to travel, but because organising a trip alone can sometimes feel frightening, or we simply don't know where to start.
Why NatSens exists today
Since that journey I have kept discovering the world, always with the same curiosity and the desire to truly connect with every place.
When NatSens was born, I felt that this way of understanding travel had found a home: accompanying other women so they can live their own experiences with more confidence, calm and freedom.
Because travelling alone never meant being alone.
For me it has always meant listening to myself, growing, and coming home a little different.
And that is exactly what I wish for every woman who arrives in Madeira with NatSens.