When people think of solo travel, a lot of people may be deterred by the thought of traveling or vacationing alone.

I, however, embrace solo travel to the fullest.

Written by Cara Berrigan

 As I write this post, I am celebrating the one-year anniversary of when I took my first solo road trip. I have always been comfortable when it comes to Plane Trips but I’ve never done a long-haul solo road trip before. During my term break in grad school last year, I bought a road atlas and started planning my route - a road trip down the East Coast, starting in Pittsburgh, PA, and headed straight for Key West, FL, the southernmost most point in the contiguous United States. After charting my course and planning out all the necessary equipment I would need, I purchased a hammock, grabbed my tent, packed my father’s hiking pack, and was ready to put rubber to pavement. It ended up being one of the best solo trips I have ever done.

This trip allowed me to rediscover the joy of not just solo road trip travel, but solo travel in general.

Reflecting back on this trip and many other trips I’ve taken, I would say I have five things I’ve learned about solo travel:

1. It’s a Chance to Reset and Reflect

Solo travel provides you with a chance to reset, recharge, and disconnect. Whenever I travel, I bring a journal with me, which I have dubbed ”‘my travel journal.” It’s a great item to have when you’re alone with your thoughts - you’re able to let your mind wander. Being able to write down thoughts, ideas, or quick notes while I travel allows me to create moments of pause and reflection.

It’s also is a nice way to create written memories of your travels that you can later look back on and continue reflecting even after your trip has ended!

2. You’ll Learn About Yourself

Similar to being able to reset, when you’re on a solo trip, you’re able to focus on yourself and learn more about who you are. Because you’re alone, you’re able to have continuous moments of internal reflection. During our day-to-day lives, a lot of us are guilty of just going through the motions and getting through another day of work, without really being able to dedicate time to learning about yourself and your wants and needs.

When you’re out on your own though, you’re able to be alone with yourself, and prioritize your own thoughts and happiness. One of my favorite parts about solo travel is that you have time to figure out what you like, what you don’t like, activities you prefer to do, destinations you don’t like, etc. You’re able to learn about yourself in a much more meaningful way.

3. You’re Able to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

This is especially true if you have never done solo travel before. You’re able to step outside of your normal comfort zone of traveling with other people and really concentrate on figuring out what travel looks like for you. Because you’re on your own, you have no one holding you back but yourself.

But once you’re out of your comfort zone, you’ll thank yourself for not holding you back.

4. You’ll Learn That Flexibility is Key

When you’re traveling, no one minute is the same as the next. This is especially true when it comes to solo traveling. You could be having breakfast at a diner in Savannah, and the next minute the older married couple sitting next to you invites you to go on their kayak tour with them later that day in the bayou (this actually happened to me!). The key is to be okay with this type and level of spontaneity and ambiguity; that it’s okay to delay pre-made plans because another (exciting) opportunity has presented itself.

When you allow ambiguity into your solo trips, you open the door for more adventures and more travel stories!

5. You Can Make the Trip Your Own

Unlike traveling with another person or in a group, you don’t have to be tied to anyone else. You’re able to do things at your own pace, how you want to do them, when you want to do them, etc. There’s no pressure of worrying about anyone else, what someone else wants to do, whether the person(s) you're with are enjoying themselves. As long as you are enjoying yourself, that’s what matters.

My favorite part of solo traveling is only answering to myself, and the level of freedom that comes with that.

Hear from Pack Up + Go Team Members Cara, Zach, and Katie G. as they share why they’re addicted to taking solo trips on our podcast, Envelope to Exploration!

So go on, take that trip.

Whether it’s your first solo travel experience, or you’re a seasoned traveler, start planning. Or, better yet, let Pack Up + Go plan you a surprise solo trip!

With all of our trip offerings being available for solo travelers, you can figure out what Trip Type you want to go on, your budget, different activities you like to do when you travel, and then let us take it from there.

Our Team has a ton of experience planning solo trips, and would love to help make your next solo trip one for the books!

Ready for your adventure? Click here to book!