What I wish I'd known before my first solo trip
I'm in California on yet another business trip and have been able to use my free time to do my own exploring (I'm getting good at this!). I was reflecting on this opportunity and it hit me how easy it's become to plan memorable solo adventures now, whether I have 48 hours or 3 weeks of vacation. Sometimes we look back at a time in our lives a few years ago and think "I wish I'd known X way back when". Well, keepin' it short and sweet tonight, I'd like to share some very simple truths I wish I'd known about solo traveling when I first started doing it.
Less is more
Quality is more important than quantity... we hear that applies to friends, but I believe we like to forget it when we travel. Traveling smart involves knowing what you need and taking/planning for only that. I didn't understand the benefit of packing lightly when you're alone until I had to carry my gear with me all the time (it's a BLESSING). In similar ways, abiding to a tight budget pushes you to appreciate the small things instead of going big every single time. Having a rough outline of a trip sometimes is better than planning every single hour and trying to cram as much activities as possible. Bringing less takes time to get used to, but it's much less stressful.
Enjoy time well spent
I LOVE to be active, so I like to pack my adventure plans with A LOT of things to do or see, places to eat, local bars to hit up for live music... it can get overwhelming. It always seems like no matter how well I plan a trip and how much I get to do, there's always so much more I didn't get to experience. In my case, I've had to learn how to slow down and take it all it... and sometimes, that means dropping things off from to-do list.
For people like me, who not only love to be active but also don't have much time off during the year to do the things we want to do (this girl need to fund her adventures somehow!), this can be a challenge. However, I've learned that time well spent on a few activities can be more valuable than trying to do all in one go. It's been liberating to stop putting pressure on myself to DO THIS and GO THERE... when I acknowledge beforehand that I am prioritizing again quality over quantity. Thinking this way makes you practice delayed gratification.... consciously putting and adventure off for later with the expectation of having more time to enjoy everything you want to do without feeling rushed.
Your ego cannot be invited to your trip
Traveling solo is different to traveling with a partner, group of friends, family, volunteer organization, etc. You have to be much more adaptable to changing sceneries and cultures, which in some ways means your ego has no place in your trip. You need to be willing to feel out of place, confused, dumb, and naïve, because there are things you will not have prepared for and will face situations you won't know how to maneuver without some help. Traveling solo will require you to acknowledge your vulnerability and keep an open mind to different points of view.
Plans change, most times for the better
As much as I spend planning out the perfect all-encompassing trip (and I LOVE to plan so I do this all the time), I know that life has some interesting ways of reminding me I'm not in total control, and I'm learning to appreciate that every time I travel. Nothing really ever goes as planned, and it's important to learn to go with the flow. It might be that you miss a train, get scammed by a touring agency, are held back in customs, you lose your credit card... but most times plans change, the end result impacts our life in positive ways anyway.
This applies to so much more than just solo traveling.
You never travel alone
Although you might make it to your destination by yourself... if you go with an open mind, you're bound to end up with company. To name a few angels I've met along the way: Mandy, Alannah, Graciela, Nicole & Celia Barsony, Pete, Sujeeth, Nikita, Alex, Courtney, Bridget, Kirstin... these people came into my life and blessed me with their presence, even if briefly, during some of my most recent trips. I still keep in contact with most of them... which means I have friends literally all over the world. Traveling solo can be a challenge sometimes, and it's interesting how life chooses to surprise you by giving you the company you need in complete strangers.
PS. Of course, I've been careful with who and how I interact with. Maybe I've been lucky, but my experience has been that strangers are usually just looking for a [non-sexual] connection with other like-minded souls as well.
Life will look different
The cliché is true: travel changes you...but it does so in a special way when you do so alone. The dynamics of a trip, whether national or international, make it an adventure you will never forget and most likely will want to repeat.
