I'm in my 40s, still single and living at home with my parents... this is what happened when I braved a holiday with strangers: MINREET KAUR
Unsurprisingly, we've drifted apart. In my teens and twenties, it was easy to make friends. But now, on the rare days I do want to go out, I have no one to call.
New friends? Forget about it. It was hard when I was younger and it's even harder now - genuine connections are rare.
I know I'm not alone. Around one in three Brits say they feel lonely, while more than half of adults in the UK say it's hard to make friends, according to YouGov.
At my weekly Park Run, I heard someone talk about a running holiday.
A trip where you go and run trials with strangers? I was immediately intrigued.
Solo travel usually something people do in their twenties, right? Could this be a way to make friends as I approach the midpoint of my forties?
I was nervous, but I took the plunge and signed up for a trip with Run the Wild, heading to Chamonix in the Alps.
The company promised 'exploring places… not running races' this is exactly what I needed in my life right now, an adventure.
Minreet took a solo holiday to see if she could make friends at 44. Around one in three Brits say they feel lonely, while more than half of adults in the UK say it's hard to make friends, according to YouGov
I don't run for time or chase a PB but instead run for my mental health and wellbeing and, of course, to meet new people.
Six weeks later I was in Chamonix with a group of strangers hoping they'd soon be friends.
At first, I was quite nervous.
Most runners sign up to this trip at least six months in advance, but I just had six weeks to get ready.
There was a WhatsApp group set up so people could share their arrival details and arrange transfers from the airport to Chamonix and ask questions.
There were 30 of us in the group.
We met each other at the group dinner along with the Run the Wild team on the Friday evening at the 4* spa hotel in Chamonix.
I thought I'd be the only solo traveller, but there were lots of us.
We all had similar feelings about how hard it is to make new friends as you get older.
One woman even asked if I wanted to try her tiramisu, which I thought was really kind to offer as we didn't even know one another.
As we met in reception the next morning, I was feeling really anxious.
I've never used a running vest, I didn't even know how to tie it up, one of the members of the group offered to help.
The team also checked I had all the right gear - which I bought from Runners Need -including a pair of La Sportiva trail shoes.
I've slipped many times wearing just normal trainers prior to this trip, I really didn't want to have an injury, I needed to stay safe and come back in one piece.
Even though I'm 44, my dad still asks where I'm going, he gets anxious about me going away on my own. I was nervous too - this was a group of strangers, but suddenly, I felt ok.
The support and vibe in this group was something I've never experienced.
The guides gave a brief history of Chamonix and gave us the essential tips on how to run in the mountains.
What I realised on day one when we set off and started to go uphill was how out of breath I got and how tough it felt on my legs, but the team were so nice.
Bruno, one of the guides, offered me his running poles, when I got nervous coming down a narrow path, the guide put their hand out to help me, it gave me that comfort I was safe and that meant a lot, the kindness and caring nature of the guides touched my heart.
We live in an era where people don't offer to help out or even talk to each other, especially in London where I am, this group were all a lovely bunch.
One of the runners Ross offered me water if I needed and said he could carry my warm layer if I find it too much.
The most beautiful thing about this weekend was how the runs weren't all about going fast.
It was perfectly fine if you wanted to run at a relaxed pace, since there four expert trail running guides, all abilities were catered for.
The pace was steady so people could chat to each other.
I have to say I did struggle to talk and breathe, but that's because it was my first time, it was nice to have people check in and see you're ok, sharing sweets when the energy was low during the hardest parts of the trail.
I ran near the back of one of the groups, but everyone made me feel so comfortable and I didn't feel bad that I could be holding everyone up.
I had some lovely conversations with people and felt connected to them.
We all had similar interests and it felt easy to make friends, it was a really positive feeling.
The funniest moment for me was the experience of going to the toilet in the wild.
I had never done this before, most were ok with this and went off, and found a spot, this wasn't something I felt comfortable doing until I had no choice to and you realise how it's so much more enjoyable to run without the pressure on the bladder.
Over the two days, we ran 30 kilometres, and it's an experience where strangers become friends.
We all looked out for each other.
At a checkpoint at the end of every run, we got to taste different cheese and wine together which featured local seasonal produce.
I don't drink but there was juice and other things available for us to snack on at the checkpoint and it was interesting to hear the history of the local delicacies.
The beauty of a holiday like this is you get to run through amazing views.
We ran along alpine trails which gave incredible views of Mont Blanc and the surrounding mountains, through wooded trails and next to the river on the valley floor, then ran through the town of Chamonix back to the hotel.
When we got back we had a yoga session which helped stretch out the muscles and enabled me to relax and reflect.
Day two was a more challenging trail run, more uphill.
I did feel like giving up at one point but one of the ladies in my group said 'you can do this', so I kept on going.
The group were an abundance of good energy and so supportive, something I have never really had.
I found in the trail running community there are so many who have similar interests.
I hadn't slept properly from the anxiety of feeling I might not be able to run for a second day, but Simon, the head alpine guide from Run the Wild helped me to feel at ease and said go at your own pace we will be behind you, so don't worry.
I felt this holiday even though it was about running, it was just as much about having fun, enjoying the conversations with strangers, making new friends, enjoying new experiences, discovering the beauty of the Alps, learning about nature and having a break from day-to-day life.
When you're running on trails you have to focus, look at the path and everyone took care of one another, if someone was further behind, someone would check in, safe in the knowledge that our expert guides were looking after everyone.
I learnt the special technique of trail running and grew in confidence, even learning running to downhill for the first time.
In our free time, a few of us went to the highest point achievable by cable car from Chamonix, the Aiguille du Midi, which is at 3,842m.
A conversation with strangers which isn't something a lot of people would feel comfortable doing, but I found it so easy in this group, it was like I knew them already.
I came away feeling happier learnt a lot about myself and realised I am stronger than I thought I was, if I can do this, I can do anything, the world is my oyster.
I also felt it's not hard to make new friends, you just have to find a common hobby, or interest and go on a holiday doing that activity.
The commonality of sharing a passion breaks down barriers and enables new friendships and greater confidence to blossom.
If I hadn't taken this brave step of choosing to go on a solo running holiday, I wouldn't have met all the lovely people I had.
I learnt a lot from them and from Run the Wild, from their supportive team who taught me how to run trails, learn about the history of Chamonix and be immersed in a mountain environment.
I am now looking into what my next solo adventure will be.
I hope more women take a leap of faith and do the same. It was great to see that over 80 per cent of all runners who join Run the Wild are female.
Solo travel has changed me for the better, it's given me a spring in my step.
This is just the start and I hope to make more friends along the way, life can be a beautiful thing when you meet the right people and those who you align with.
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