Superwoman of May 2017: Lani Eleonora

The Indonesian girl who sold up everything she has in Jakarta and went backpacking to Asia by herself! Introducing Lani Eleonora, the  musician who fell in love with solo travelling. When I found out about her on the Instagram (beautiful photos by the way!), I knew that I have to connect with this lady. One of the reason was her extreme hair appearance. Not so many Indonesian would like to have dreadlocks! Man, I would love to try that someday. And so without further ado, let’s get to know this cool gal!

Name: Lani Eleonora

Twitter: @LaniEleonora

Instagram: @lanieleonora

Website/Blog: https://lanieleonora.wordpress.com

Nationality: Indonesian

Residence: Jakarta, Indonesia

Occupation: Content Writer at kopikini.com

What inspired you to travel solo for the first time?

It was a long story. It’s a combination of multiple broken hearts and I felt fed up with the big city. And I always wanted to travel around the world but I’ve never had a chance because I’ve worked all the time. But then all the plans I’ve made torn to pieces, so I decided to pause everything and went travelling.

Tell us about the first time you travelled alone. Where did you go and what did you do?

The first time I went to Bali for 5 days meditation course. After that, I’ve met new friends from the course and we went to Gili Air. After that, I fell in love travelling solo. It was all new experience for me. Not so long after that I decided to quit my job and sold everything I have in Jakarta then went travelling for almost two years.

So what are the love/hate things you experienced travelling alone?

I’ve met so many new friends during the whole journey. I found that by travelling solo I can understand myself more and more and knowing where is my limit. The best thing is I can go wherever I want with my own time pace without considering other people wants and needs who’s travelling with me. Because I’m not a well-planned kind of person, so I can let myself to go to random places and open for any surprises without sacrifice others safety. But, sometimes I can feel so lonely while travelling solo and I missed having the good friend to rely on. Thanks to skype I can handle the blue days.

Who’s your travel inspiration? 

Santiago in The Alchemist and Walter Mitty haha.. because they both has the same uneasiness as me before they man up to start travel.

What are your favourite websites and travel apps do you often use? 

Tripadvisor and Skyscanner help me a lot.

What is your favorite country so far? Any recommendation for female solo traveler?

I fell in love with Nepal especially lakeside in Pokhara at night. Put aside the gorgeous sceneries and their delicious food, the people I’ve met over there was the best people I’ve met in life so far. I recommend Pokhara for a female solo traveller, it’s safe and easy to go around. Cheap delicious food and cheap clean hostels are everywhere. At night on the lakeside, there were thousands of fireflies will accompany you while you sip your red wine after dinner under millions of stars above. You can also meet other travellers to chat and go party together if you like.

What are some important things you bring when travelling solo? (Beside money and passport?)

Pocket knife, just in case, even though fortunately I’ve never had a chance to used it till I get back home. Sleeping bag, it’s important because sometimes you’ll be stuck at the airport for hours till your next flight and you want to save money instead of staying at the airport hotels. Ipod, music heals everything.

Everyone has their quiry thing when they travel. I love doing temple hunting and visiting museums. So what’s yours?

I love local things and exploring the nightlife or secret party. That’s why I always trying to befriend with the locals, they know everything. Luckily most of the locals I’ve met always very nice. But, you always have to be extra careful and trust your instinct.

Share your tips for any first time solo traveller?

Try to search everything about your destination, transportation, hotels, the must see things, do’s and don’ts in that place. It helps to blend in and makes you easier to explore more.

What’s your favorite travel quote that’s best describe you?

To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.  – Walter Mitty –

She considers herself a travelling musician. Music is her first love. At first, through music, she travels a lot on her mind. Music thought her to read between the notes, beat and symphony. With music, she learned how to write accompany by her next love, coffee. By the time, when she finally brave enough to travel more, music and coffee always lead her to wonderful places.  She wants to be Etta James when she grows up. And Amy Winehouse. And Eliza Doolittle. Bjork. Regina Spektor. Ella Fitzgerald. Billie Holiday. Aretha Franklin. India Arie. Also, a baby pug. She thinks baby pugs are the most adorable creatures on Earth. When She’s not singing, she could be seen with a carrier on her back, on the train or bus or wondering at the airport waiting for a plane to a random destination. Doesn’t matter whether she’s travelling solo, disappearing on a ten-day meditation retreat in a remote village, or hiking mountains with her close friends,  she always seem to discover herself, again and again.

© 2017 Writing & Images copyright of Marina Utami.