Traveling Solo To Workshops? You’re Not Alone.

On the Road… Again!

By: Pam Smiley

Is there a workshop or event you are just itching to attend?  Something on your clogging bucket list that is a must-do?  You ask all of your teammates and they can’t go, commitments, family, just don’t want to travel?  You have begged everyone, but no takers.  So….another event goes by, unattended by you…sigh.  You still really, really want to go but don’t have travel buddies so you are feeling like it just isn’t going to happen anytime soon.  You don’t want to go alone……

I was you!  I moved away from all of my old travel compadres and had several things on my clogging bucket list and felt like they may never get checked off.  The more I thought about it, the more I just really wanted to do these things.  I needed to take the bull by the horns and control my own destiny!  I’m going!  Alone.

So the first event I attended completely alone was Fontana Jamboree.  It is the epitome of clogging workshops, one you HAVE to attend as a clogger.  It is your ‘home’ as a clogger, how could I let this pass me by?  I had moved close enough to drive (well close-ish LOL).  I made my reservation, registered for the workshop, planned my route and how long it would take to arrive.   I would leave on Friday morning, even though I would miss the afternoon workshops as I wouldn’t arrive until dinner time, I knew it would still be light for my drive.

The drive is cathartic.  I’m excited to finally get to attend one of the most prolific events of the clogging world.  But I’m anxious too.  What will people think when I walk in alone?  I’ll be at the fun dances—alone, the workshops-alone, what about meal breaks?  And after the workshops are over?  Will it be awkward? Thinking about all of this starts to make me anxious, but not turning back now.  I’m on the road, and besides I REALLY want to go to this workshop!

So here I am, walking into the fun dance hall—alone.  Not sure about this, but the minute I hit the registration table, all of that anxiety starts to slowly melt away.  The staff is very welcoming, so that eases my butterflies.  I decide that fear and excitement create the same physical reaction, right, so I’m going to be excited!!

The dance starts and about 2 songs in, I realize I’m not alone.  On the dance floor, how can you be? There are people here that I have ‘seen’ at other workshops, clogging ‘acquaintances’ as you were.  But that lasts about 5 minutes. I’m talking to people I don’t know….yet, starting to plan the strategy for workshops based on just casual contacts and conversations.  As the evening goes on I have a whole new group of clogging friends!  By the end of the weekend I have more members of my clogging family!  All of the things I was worried about, I should have known not to worry about.  This is clogging after all.  You may travel alone, but you will NEVER be alone.  Traveling with my buddies through the years gave me a few friends across the clogging world, traveling alone has opened even more relationships.  It has given me the opportunity to truly meet others attending and not be so focused on my little group I came with.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to travel through the years, to experience new places and events—sure that is awesome, but the biggest thing I have gained is friends all around the country and the world!  I can honestly say I have friends in almost every state, because of clogging, as well as Japan, Germany and Australia.  And not just acquaintances, but true ‘family’.  And that is an opportunity I would not trade for anything.

You may travel alone…..but you will NEVER be alone.   I hope that this inspires someone to take a trip they might have been postponing because they didn’t have a buddy.  I have experienced workshops I may have never attended if I had not gone alone (Fontana, Nickel City, World of Clogging most recently) , but now, I go and know that I have friends there.  And those reunions are always the best part of the weekend.  Clogging offers us something that most other activities don’t, so let’s take advantage of that.  People ask me all the time how I know people from so many different places, and I can say clogging.

See you on the dance floor!!