Breaking Out Of Your Shell
Solo traveling doesn't always mean diving head first into the pool. Read about the other ways you can travel to see if solo traveling can be right for you.
Let’s take a trip back to the summer of 2012. I was nearing the finish line of my marathon journey to earn a Masters in Business Administration. At that time, my social life was non-existent, I had just turned 31, and it had been 13 years since I last boarded a plane, which was during a family trip to Florida in my senior year of high school. I was in desperate need of a getaway. I recalled a chat with a friend who had ventured to Las Vegas solo. Curious, I reached out to him, and our discussion soon led to me asking if he’d like me to join him on another trip to Vegas, as he was planning to return. He was on board, and we quickly made arrangements for my flight to Las Vegas in September 2012. We ended up doing the same trip again the following year. Fast forward three years, and I finally took the leap to travel solo to visit friends in Tampa, FL. In April 2017, I made my first solo trip to Nashville (and returned again in 2022). Everyone has their own style of adventure; some might be thrill-seekers who love roller coasters, while others prefer the safety of bumper cars. Regardless of your approach, solo travel is an exciting journey that many are beginning to embrace, though it often means stepping outside your comfort zone. Let’s dive into some tips to help you ease into solo traveling.
Stay Local
If your ultimate aim is to visit a specific place and explore it independently, there are various ways to prepare yourself mentally and physically. Apart from considering a "workation," one effective method is to embark on day trips near your home. These excursions are enjoyable and usually don't require staying in a hotel, resulting in lower costs. This can help you save money for your desired trip while also allowing you to conduct thorough research. Moreover, venturing out to nearby locations can push you out of your comfort zone since you are likely more familiar with your local region than anyone else.
By visiting state parks, museums, and local shops, you can deepen your knowledge and appreciation for your surroundings. If you're feeling more adventurous, you could even plan an overnight trip or a long weekend to a destination within driving distance. Such an experience might ignite your curiosity for solo travel and open up new possibilities.
Start with your city or town, and build out from there. This approach will help you prepare for your desired destinations. You might be similar to me, living in a small town in New England, but even the tiniest towns have fascinating tales to tell. Conduct thorough research, and utilize TripAdvisor as a valuable tool to discover activities within a day trip or even for an overnight or extended weekend getaway. Opting for local adventures is an excellent way to ease yourself into the world of solo travel.
It’s a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood
What if you exhaust all the cities and destinations to discover, or desire to revisit a place? Why not start with a neighborhood? Just like any other journey, thorough research and saving up are crucial, and this becomes achievable as you concentrate on exploring a series of neighborhoods instead of venturing far and spending money on transportation like gas or Uber/Lyft to reach different places. Neighborhoods act as small enclaves in a larger city and often feature terrific architecture, food and museums that are central to that community. It also doesn't have to involve going to a distant place, it could right in your backyard. Examples of this include Little Poland in New Britain, Connecticut - which hosts the largest population of Polish immigrants in the state of Connecticut, and by extension, numerous Polish small businesses and most of all, food! Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island acts as the "Little Italy" of that city, with numerous Italian restaurants and architecture that pays tribute to Italy. And if you're looking at Los Angeles or New York, there's Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and other immigrant enclaves. Some are more authentic and some are more "touristy" than others, but all represent a slice of the culture, food and architecture of their home countries. If you prefer a different type of neighborhood experience that might be breweries, food, architecture, music and other interests, TravelMag published the 16 Most Up-And-Coming Neighborhoods In The U.S. and I have to say, I have only visited one of these neighborhoods (Deep Ellum in Dallas, TX), so even yours truly has some planning to do! You can embark on this solo, with friends, or even as a day trip to prepare yourself for that upcoming solo trip.
Go on that Friends Trip
Maybe you're not ready to travel by yourself. Traveling with friends is a great way to explore a particular destination and secure that change of scenery, and it’s a wonderful event to look forward and back on. For almost 10 years, myself and a few of our friends would travel to Citi Field to watch the Mets games, and sometimes other ballparks as well. One of my closest friends and I have been traveling to Jersey City and Lower Manhattan of New York City for the past few years, and we often discuss our recent trips with fondness and look forward to the next one. And finally, over the past few years (sans the pandemic), it’s been a yearly NASCAR trip. In September of 2023, along with a few close friends, we spent an awesome long weekend in Knoxville, TN and attended the NASCAR Cup Series race in Bristol, TN. In October of 2019, we spent a memorable long weekend in Atlanta, GA and crossed over into Alabama to attend the Talledega NASCAR Cup Series race. In those trips, we all had our own hotel rooms, but flew down together. And just recently, we started discussing possible NASCAR races for 2024 that we could attend. It’s a trip I look forward to each year, and it’s our “boys weekend”.
NASCAR Trips Gallery ©2024 Red Solo Traveler
I have other friends that do motorcycle trips as well, and they look forward to it every year. For the men, it’s generally a weekend to bond and relax. Many of my female friends do similar “girls weekends” as well. It doesn’t have to be specific either, just a trip you enjoy with the people you love the most outside of your own family. However, traveling with friends can test your relationship with your friends, so it's very important to vet those relationships before you travel with friends or even with a friend. Daniel Catena of Itchy Feet wrote a terrific article on his Substack called Ask These 7 Questions Before Traveling With Another Person, and he argues that you should determine the cleanliness, flexibility and most of all, the trust associated with traveling with a friend or friends. This is highly important when traveling with friends.
Closing Thoughts
It all began with a longing for adventure. I started with a trip with a friend, followed by another, and eventually found myself flying solo to visit some friends in a different city. It was a natural progression until I finally ventured to an entirely new city on my own. It took 5 years to build up the courage to do it. I genuinely believe that the journey into solo travel hinges on one's personality, but it definitely has to start somewhere. There has to be a spark. It can begin with a simple day trip to a nearby spot, or exploring a captivating neighborhood, whether close to home or far away. Ultimately, it often kicks off with a getaway with friends. We all yearn for a break from the everyday routine, and traveling offers us that freedom to experience new surroundings that we instinctively desire. So, how will you take that first step on your travel adventure?
