Solo Travel: The Thrill, the Unease, and Everything In Between
If there’s one thing I’d recommend that everyone does at least once in their lifetime, it’s solo traveling. Traveling as a whole is such a great teacher for all of life’s happenings — from broadening our perspectives through meeting new people, being exposed to new foods and cultures, improving communication to name a few… the list goes on! Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling with friends and family, but there’s something inexplicably special and profound about the solo journey that’s hard to describe until you’re in the driver’s seat. Maybe as an added bonus, you’re also contemplating your life’s purpose, not knowing where you’re headed the next day like I was which makes it all the more interesting. I’ve solo traveled before in the States and in Europe but it was a lot more structured — I knew exactly where I was going, where I was staying, and when I’d fly back home. This time was different, I was traveling around Asia this year without an agenda except the outbound flight to Bali and letting the rest flow. As someone who usually has a plan in my travels, personal life, and career, it’s an interesting dichotomy to be open to changing my perspective, letting go of the structure, and welcoming uncertainty with open arms.
In this trip, I was able to explore Bali, Singapore, and Japan solo for just over a month and the experience definitely opened up my perspective and heightened my awareness. I found myself noticing everything more — the flowers blooming around me, the detailed architecture of centuries old buildings, the nuances in tones of the new languages I was being exposed to. It was like all of my five senses were heightened by just being present in my surroundings. I noticed myself letting go of rigid barriers, finding a level of joy I hadn’t seen before when I let the day unfold naturally, trusted my intuition, and took part in activities I am passionate about. I found it much easier to spontaneously ‘say yes’ when traveling solo because there are no expectations and what are we really in a rush for? In my experience, many of those spontaneous yeses have turned into fun dinners, surprising new adventures, and budding friendships from around the world — it made me feel alive! If you’re reading this and feeling apprehensive to take the leap of solo travel, what I’d recommend is anchoring yourself to group tours or activities you really love because your passion shines and there’s likely somebody else you could meet with shared interests with. You never know who’s around the corner — a new friend or future partner, isn’t that something worth exploring?
When I travel with family and friends, I love the company, the memories, the bonding, but it also comes with many opinions and compromises. I often come away from a trip feeling like I didn’t get to experience a place fully or see everything that I wanted, leaving me craving more. There’s a level of freedom that comes with solo traveling. Maybe it’s selfish, but there’s also freedom in having control of your agenda and to design your days around things your passionate about without feeling sorry or having others limit your time. For me, my travels are centered around food, culture, nature, and connecting with travelers and locals alike. It gives me joy and purpose knowing that the extra few minutes I spent somewhere made someone’s day or I had a really deep conversation with a local, we made a genuine connection and kept in touch. These are the moments that remind me that we are literally just humans craving connection with each other, and this moment spent together can be meaningful, even when the stress and grind of life is waiting for us back home. It’s a funny coincidence when we find people who used to live in the same places as us, know the same people, or have similar interests and it reminds me that the world is sometimes smaller and more connected than we think!
Some people call it ‘slow traveling’ when you’re taking the time to visit places intentionally, maybe linger a bit longer at one or two spots instead of checking off everything on a travel bucket list. I’m guilty for wanting to see all the sights I can see in one day — I often think you’ll never know when you’ll revisit or how a place might change the next time you’re back. But I’ve started to appreciate the slower moments — like lingering a bit longer at a cafe, exploring a peaceful garden in depth, or taking a few extra moments to ask how someone’s day was — more and more each time I travel.
Safety is always a big factor for me, especially traveling as a solo female traveler, so it was important that I did the extra research to understand the safety of the areas and accommodations I was staying in, being mindful how late I’m staying out, and having a backup plan in case I need to get out of a pickle. Although I tend to have my guard up during solo travels like these, you’d be equally surprised to see how many kind people there are willing to help you along the journey whether it’s helping you take a photo, translating important information, or helping you with heavy luggage.
There’s no doubt that solo traveling can feel lonely, stressful, or confusing at times. Not every moment will be a memorable, magical, or life altering moment. However, it teaches you to be more comfortable and confident with yourself. There is always going to be a trip delay, cancellation, or disruption and the best way to deal with it is to accept that there is certainty in uncertainty. When travel plans change unexpectedly, I’ve realized that it’s the perfect opportunity to exercise my problem solving brain. Even though it feels scary to figure it out alone, more times than not, we find ourselves in a situation where we overcome fear and actually prove to ourselves that we are more than capable to find the solution. The loneliness is definitely real, and can feel more anxiety-ridden when you don’t speak the language of that country. At the same time, being alone has led me to experience things like eating at a restaurant with only one seat left at the bar where I ended up having the best time talking to strangers, leading to some of my favorite travel memories of my trip. It’s a reminder that two things can be true at once, but we can always choose to look at life’s experiences with the glass half full.
One of my favorite parts of solo traveling has been my journaling practice and reflecting about my life, my past and where I’m headed. There are many times in my every day home life where I’ve made excuses that I don’t have enough time to write and reflect. It brought me a lot of joy to bring back my journaling practice and take the intentional pause, which has genuinely brought a lot of clarity in who I am and what I value. In every city of my solo adventures, I found a new cafe to journal in. For me, it was an opportunity to try a new coffeeshop and I’d sit there for an hour to reflect on my life journey, travel memories, spark my creative juices with doodles, ideate future business ideas, and pour out my thoughts into writing. The introspection has allowed me to reflect on my life and my surroundings, making me genuinely grateful for what I have in my life back home and also curious about a life elsewhere.
Solo traveling has taught me so many life lessons, changed my perspective, and has allowed me to grow so much! It makes me so grateful for the life I get to live. I haven’t always felt this way, but I am super proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone, facing fears, and making decisions to prioritize experiences that bring joy, make me feel alive, and live without regret. The solo traveling doesn’t always have to be a wild and exotic adventure. It can take place anywhere — it can be as far or as close to home as you’d like whether it’s a flight, train, bus, or drive away. What I’ve learned is that sometimes we just have to be willing to open up our world and lean into uncertainty even if it is uncomfortable because those challenges help us grow. And sometimes those uncertainties lead us to the best adventures, new relationships, and lasting memories — isn’t living life to its fullest what it’s all about?