Not wanting to or not liking to travel alone is also part of it.

The number of women traveling alone is growing, many sharing their experiences on social media, encouraging others to also travel the world. I, who arrived here when everything was still uncharted territory, am bothered when I realize that many people have started to romanticize it too much. And, in the content of my blog Mariana Viaja and Instagram @marianaviaja, I've taken the opposite approach. No, I don't want to discourage anyone from traveling alone. On the contrary. But I want to show the real, imperfect, and sometimes even unsatisfactory side, because I am indeed fed up with seeing so many people talking about it as if it were a guaranteed transformative experience that everyone should go through at least once.

An experience that was good for me, or for you, or even for many people, won't necessarily be good for everyone. I find it crazy when I see some publications with this insistence, precisely because we women grow up hearing that everyone has to do this or that, so we kind of break down by not doing what, in theory, everyone should be doing… and many do the same thing, creating other boxes and wanting others to fit into them.

Traveling alone has become almost a self-help topic on social media, which is terrible and even dangerous. Showing the wonderful side, equating it with empowerment, can even cause frustration in those who haven't had an amazing time in their own company. Because nobody is like that all the time.

And I want to say that it's okay. Sometimes it's boring, sometimes it's different from what we dreamed of, sometimes you won't want to go. It can be a bad time, everything can be fine and suddenly loneliness hits because you can't meet other people, among so many other situations.

Not to mention that it's impossible to do everything; setbacks can happen, and the photos can turn out awful. I understand the frustration. We spend money, time, and we cultivate expectations. And many of these expectations are fueled precisely by those on the internet waving the flag of a perfect and happy world.

Give me a ticket to Narnia, please. Because here, in the real world, that place doesn't exist. Not in an absolute way, as a guarantee that everything will always turn out right. Because sometimes it's boring, sometimes it's different from what we dreamed of.

For these and other reasons, I don't recommend destinations when people ask me where to go. Where is good. The person who needs to know that answer is the one who is going, not me. Do you like the beach or the mountains? Adventure or tranquility? Historical and cultural programs or nature? Choosing a destination that suits you greatly increases the chances of it being a success.

And if at some point it's not good for you, don't give up or think it didn't work out. That's how it is for everyone. But this doesn't apply to traveling alone. Traveling in a group can be a bad experience, as can traveling as a couple. And so can traveling alone.

Yes, I know it's awful to spend money on a bad experience. And that a trip generates high expectations. But to cancel it because of that is another story. Besides, if that were the case, we wouldn't get anything done.

So my advice remains: go! We change, every trip is different. But go with an open mind, without expecting perfection. Life isn't all linear – but it can be very good if we allow ourselves to be!