If your eyes are on the screen and your thumbs are ready to scroll, sounds like you’re considering your first ever solo trip abroad. Terrifying? Yep. Should you do it? Hell, yep.
Packing lists, YouTube Videos and an overbearing mother can ensure you’re physically prepared. But being emotionally ready is a whole different game. Are we EVER 100% emotionally ready for the unknown, for stepping out of the comfort zone, for landed solo in a totally different country?! Basically no. But I’ll let you into a little secret… feeling even just the teensiest bit ready and still having the courage to take the plunge anyway, means you can 100% do this. If you’re still in the maybe zone, check out these three blocks, that I overcame in the process of readying myself for my own FIRST solo adventure!
Prepare to Adapt Your Vacay Vibe
As a kid travel consisted of back-to-basics British family camping trip. Yep you know the ones – soggy socks, too many layers to move, a week of ham sarnies and beans on toast, rainy hikes, and long car journeys arguing with siblings over which cassette to listen to.
On turning 18 my summers evolved… into a new brand of vacay. TWO. Brilliantly cliché Club18-30 holidays to various Greek locations, with a minimum of 10 friends, matching (completely inappropriate) t-shirts… I know, I’m sorry mum. Think dancing on the bar, (and regressing the women’s movement by about 100 years) in exchange for free shots, hangovers on the beach, booze cruise boat days, and living off exclusively burgers, pizza and toast for a week. With never a moment alone, this non-stop, high energy, booze fuelled bff-fest became the norm for holidays.
Fast-forward a few years and the idea of going on holiday alone, was damn terrifying. Aside from all the BIG fears about being used as a drug mule or sold to an international sex ring, my mind immediately went into overdrive worrying about the everyday basic-bitch struggles I would face.
How would I have a wild night out if I have no friends? How do I even know if I’m getting sun burnt if my bestie isn’t there to shout “babe, time to reapply!” … Insert scream emoji here.
As I grew older and my priorities changed, and it became obvious I couldn’t let fear of the unknown hold me back from experiencing more. Something shifted and ‘the unknown’ soon became the driving force behind not only needing to, but also wanting to step out solo.
Naturally your expectations of a vacation evolve; for me the focus became less about getting trashed on fishbowls and finding cute boys to kiss, and more about experiencing other cultures, tasting weird food and seeing beautiful locations. (That’s not to say booze and boys don’t still played a significant part in all my solo adventures, but more on that later…)
Be Open and Embrace New Cultures
Spending childhood Sunday’s being dragged on seemingly endless country walks with my family and being spoilt by living on the edge of the most beautiful British landscape (The Lake District!), I took this for granted. I couldn’t wait to swap wellies for flipflops and hit those beach breaks with my mates as soon as I turned 17. But after my thrill of those Balearic cheap thrills, I started to get genuinely excited about embracing things like volcano hikes (seriously, who did I think I was?!), surfing lessons, village home-stays and local living in remote places. I fell in to the trap, 100% sucked in, I am a fully fledged member of TRAVEL ADDICTS ANONYMOUS.
Travelling further afield and completely changing my surroundings became an addiction I needed to fulfil, second to none (except maybe my diet-coke habit.) I was craving a cultural change, an authentic experience. Getting back to basics and living like a local was the main thing I realised was seeking out from each trip I planned, rather than luxury all-inclusive resorts and high-end beach clubs. (Though I won’t say no to the occasional jungle infinity pool with a view action.)
It became a thrill to leave everything I knew behind me, if only for a few weeks. I wanted to escape anything I was familiar with and open myself up for a more wild journey. Feeling like travel wasn’t just a break, but also an opportunity for discovery and learning. URGH sorry, getting a little into ‘Eat Pray Love’ territory here… ahem!
I’ll stop soon, but this really was an epiphany moment when I realised I could get so much more from travel than just tan lines and social content, this could be amazing for my mental health and personal growth too!
Stop Waiting for Others.
So my vacay wants and needs had evolved, and yet I was still holding off… but what for? Initially the potential of planning a trip with my BFF or a group of girls was far more appealing than doing this solo. However with most of my wonderful friends embarking on their own grown-up adventures such as birthing glorious babies, starting their own businesses and planning Pinterest worthy weddings, this was a goal I’d be attempting solo, this was going to be my grown up adventure. Or the first one anyway.
The hope that one day we would all find ourselves in the same situation at the same time was unrealistic, and I realised I was using my hope for this perfect timing, as an excuse to hold back from just taking the plunge. The chance that you and your friends will be willing and able to go travelling at the exact same point in life, is rarer than a comfy hostel bed. Being brutally honest, you may never FEEL ready, but as long as you are at least semi-prepared financially, fuck it.
Book that flight. Bordering on Instagram mantra vibes now but one I truly stand by is… You will never regret doing it, you’ll only regret not doing it. For reals sisters.
