I did it! I finally built up the courage to book my very first ever solo travel adventure.
Well, mostly my first ever. I have traveled (read: flown, drove) thousands of miles by myself, but always with the plan to meet up with others, and rarely alone overnight.
Something in me has always been so inspired by solo travelers, particularly female solo travelers, but I’ve never had the courage (or the time) to travel truly all alone.
Until now.
And I can’t wait to see how that goes – reminder to self: I can do hard things!
I’ve been really wanting to try traveling differently, to see what I’m capable of when I don’t have anyone else around to rely on – I find that sort of empowering. And I’m learning there is different preparation involved with solo travel. Not just the physical and digital logistics, but there is also a mental aspect involved with solo travel planning, and I want to experience and grow from it.
Table of Contents
My journey to solo travel
My first solo trip has been on my mind for a while, with a slow pace to get there. The idea of considering solo travel has always been there, but finding the time and motivation is relatively new to me. After becoming especially inspired by friends and bloggers within last year, I started prepping myself for a successful first solo trip – whenever that may be.
Well, “whenever that may be” is starting now!
I’m here to share what that prep work looked like for me, in hopes to help you, too.
Learning from other solo female travelers
For me, learning by example (watching, discussing) and reading are the best ways I learn. Taking these into account, I utilized a few different mediums.
A few of my friends are consistent solo travelers, and watching them explore the world has been so impactful and motivating. From Argentina, to Canada, to Denmark, and New Zealand, knowing people who travel alone for periods of time has been so inspiring. Talking to them live, and following their social media accounts has given me glimpses into the reality of what solo travel looks like.
Instagram accounts focusing on solo (or couples) travel have also been inspiring, but don’t always offer some of the less desirable but still important to know behind-the-scenes moments like what talking with a friend can provide.
And honestly, YouTube and Instagram Reels have also been integral in teaching me what to expect when traveling solo too. I was able to manipulate my algorithm on both platforms to where, for almost the entire past year, nearly everything pushed to me is either solo or couples hiking and travel. Long form video content just could not hold my attention two years ago, but in the last year, has really been a wonderful thing. Accounts that have been helpful to me include Miranda Goes Outside, Taylor the Nahamsha Hiker, Homemade Wanderlust, and Eric Hanson, among others. Aware that many of those have camera crews with them, their messages have still been educational.
Finally, helpful in my journey to finding the courage to solo travel has been reading blog posts from the ladies who do it! It’s been great to learn tips and tricks from the pros. They also talk about the good, bad, and ugly of solo travel. With extensive travel, they have vast knowledge and information that has been really beneficial for me. Two of my favorite solo female travel bloggers include Adventurous Kate and Traveling Jackie.
Taking myself out on dates
Why is being at a restaurant alone so intimidating? For some reason, this was going to be one of my biggest hurdles. However literally 7 minutes ago I learned that putting earbuds in while at a restaurant helps, even if you aren’t actually listening to anything, so I look forward to testing that idea sometime soon.
While not exact, I’ve found that coffee shops have been the best places for me to start getting comfortable with being alone. After all, people are alone at coffee shops all the time! I’ve done this a few times (as well as going to actual restaurants alone) but never with this type of intention.
Smith Coffee & Cafe was the very first place I took myself out on a date. It then turned into my favorite coffee shop and I’ve invited other people here since! I brought my laptop, grabbed a lavender hazelnut latte (my absolute favorite), and stayed for 2.5 hours. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a busy time so I wasn’t taking up a table unnecessarily. That 2.5 hours of intentionality did feel a little weird at times, but overall that first experience felt good!
Being alone at restaurants still feels a little weird at times, but with something to do (e.g. read a book/Kindle, notebook or laptop for writing or planning, and assumingly now putting in ear pods for listening to a podcast or music), being alone at a coffee shop or restaurant is getting easier and easier. I trust that eventually I won’t need to rely on activities to make me feel comfortable alone at restaurants.
Hiking alone on smaller and more local trails is another date I’ve been taking myself on. I started by taking Archie, our chow mix, out on some of his walks alone. I know it’s “usual” for most people to take their dog on a walk without anyone else, but not really for me – Eric always happens to be available to go with me or I wait until he’s on a break so we can go together (it’s our family activity).
And last February I went on my first solo hike! It was 4.5 miles and in a place I had never been before: Rib Mountain State Park in Wisconsin. I brought my ear pods to distract myself and keep from being awkward but didn’t end up using them. For some reason I found it to be much more comfortable to solo hike than to solo eat. That was a refreshing realization! While I don’t solo hike often, I try to pepper in a walk here and there when I can.
Getting myself physically ready
To travel solo or camp solo, you don’t actually need to work out beforehand. My physical wellbeing has been a goal the last few years anyways, and without realizing it, getting stronger by walking on the treadmill, stepping on the stair climber, or lifting with the weight machines at my local gym have also given me more body confidence. Not in what I look like, but in what I feel like. I feel more ready to explore alone. That may also just be in my head but I. Am. Here for it.
Making a few purchases to create a comfortable environment
I decided the best idea for my first solo trip is doing something I’m pretty used to – camping – except alone (car camping, not necessarily backpacking). After all, I car camped in Colorado for a Women Who Explore meet up in 2023 and that was nearly a solo trip (read: self-sufficient: I flew, rented a car and drove, slept in that car, etc.) – that included hanging out with friends – and that went trip well.
Once I decided car camping was going to be my first solo trip, the timing was right to invest in a couple of things that would guarantee at least partial success: upgrade my vehicle (which I needed anyways due to my old vehicle literally falling apart) and to purchase a few items to ensure a most “luxurious” car camping experience.
Please know that I would never recommend anyone spend money on a different vehicle just because (I really hate unnecessary spending) – only unless they are in the market for one anyways. Since I was already in the market for a new vehicle, I focused on getting something with more space specifically to make our roadtrips and my future solo car camping experiences comfortable. I went from a compact SUV with 49.5 cubic feet of cargo space to a regular size SUV with 90.5 cubic feet of cargo space: nearly double the space! This would ensure I could comfortably lie flat to sleep inside the vehicle while allowing a little more space for me to simultaneously have all of the items inside the vehicle. You know, in case of the need for a quick getaway.
To compliment, I also invested in a sleeping cot made specifically for SUVs: the REI Co-op Trailgate Vehicle Sleeping Platform. I wasn’t targeting that one specifically due to price, but actually ended up purchasing it for ~60% off because it happened to be in the Re/Supply section of my local REI! I couldn’t believe it. To go with that, I also purchased something called the Roadie: a window screen for use after parking that allows me to have the window open but bugs can’t get in (it also has a little awning for shade and to keep rain out).
Eventually I’ll have my SUV built out (to my needs, not a full overlanding build out by any means) in a way that will allow for a great solo camping experience that builds my confidence and courage to camp alone. (Of course, I’ll also car camp with Eric, so whatever I get for solo car camping I’m thinking will also work for couples car camping.)
Just doing it
I’m a believer that sometimes, after you’ve applied appropriate effort on building up courage and resources to do the thing, that you just have to do the thing.
A side effect of all of the above physical preparation is that I’ve been inadvertently building up a decent amount of mental preparation, too. I’m building internal confidence by learning from other people’s experiences and encouragement, creating a space for this goal, and actively working towards it.
Finally, booking the trip
A big part of finding the courage to book that first solo travel adventure is to research and ensure you’re prepared and become familiar enough with the area you’re visiting to feel comfortable, to not get too lost or look too touristy and become a target.
Funny enough, due to finding a great flight deal (mixed with my Delta miles covering the cost), my actual first solo travel experience will not be car camping – haha! I still have a goal to solo car camp, but it’ll have to wait until the temperatures are a little more thoughtful here in Minnesota.
Factors that went into where I’m going (other than a flight deal)
- Decide location: Some areas of the United States and other countries of the world marketed as “being great options for solo female travelers” have been shared with me over the past few years, so I started with researching those regions that stuck out to me. I would recommend using Google with search terms similar to the effect of “best places to go for solo female travelers” if you don’t yet already have a place in mind.
- Research with a solo travel lens: During the planning process, I continued asking myself a few questions:
- Are there enough activities in this location to keep me busy so I don’t get bored? I personally am prone to just sitting around if I don’t have an actual plan – or at least an outline – and felt it was best to have activities in mind so I don’t wind up staying in my accommodation all day.
- Would I like doing those activities alone?
- How do the activities fit within my budget? I don’t like spending more money than necessary, so if the activity has a fee, I want to make sure that fee is worth it to me.
- What are my transportation options? Am I okay with those options?
- How much are flights? Can I get there via direct flight? This is actually a question I ask myself while planning any trip.
- Is the hotel or hostel in an area I’m comfortable navigating and experiencing? If a hostel, are there private rooms? I’m not in the head space yet where I would be comfortable alone in a dorm-style hostel set up.
- Put all of those pieces together and book that first solo travel adventure.
Of course, I won’t know if all of this prep was successful until I get there
Any trip can of course go completely awry. But you’ll soon know how everything goes! Plan to check out the blog post recapping this milestone in April. I’m really proud of this!
In the meantime, if you have any tips and tricks for how to successfully travel alone, or if you have ideas of where would be best to travel solo, please let me know in the comments or socials below.
