Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow (Q. Nos. 106 to 114) by selecting the correct/most appropriate option.

In the middle of her solo trip to Mizoram last month, Geeta Garud, 69, was walking on a narrow ledge, “making my way behind a waterfall, trying out something I wouldn’t have in my younger years. And I realised how travelling solo was such a liberating experience.”

Before going on her week-long holiday, she was hesitant about travelling by herself. Garud had asked friends and family but found no takers. Yet there she was, alone, relishing a challenging trek. “Why was I being dependent on others? Being alone gives you a sense of freedom.”

She ended up having many firsts. She danced impromptu at a festival in Reiek, waded into a river, and went horse-riding. “I had opportunities to try horse-riding when I was younger, but could not work up the courage. This time, I thought, if not now, I may not get another chance,” says Garud, who was an athlete in her youth and had played cricket.

She was at her farm in Koregaon during the lockdown and had felt the lack of social connections. It motivated her to travel as soon as things eased.

“Travel is also about meeting people; I felt that sense of joy and freedom when I finally did it.” She is planning to travel to Europe next and has decided not to take a friend or relative along. She intends to revisit the joy of travelling alone and relishing a sense of freedom all over again.

‘Garud had asked friends and family but found no takers.’
The underlined word is a/an ___________ .