What a fantastic trip. The same thing happened to me (sort of): I wanted to go to Turkey straight out of university. Why Turkey, I'm still not sure, except I liked the look of it (I'm a climber). I had very little money but lots of time.

Anyway, my friends bailed so I went alone. I stayed for four months, went everywhere, climbed mountains and rocks, learned some Turkish and did all the usual travel stuff.

The main thing I learned was self-reliance. I found I was very capable at dealing with uncertainty all on my own. So I followed this trip up with solo trips to France, Thailand, etc., all climbing-related.

It's enough to say that I'd be a different person if I hadn't made the decision to go to Turkey with or without companions.