What are solo travel benefits for both you and others?
In this episode, Amanda shares different ways that solo travel benefits both you and others in your life. But first, let’s hear from the Me and the Magic community on their favorite aspects of traveling solo.
Let’s talk about why solo travel is important and valuable for both yourself and others.
Travel solo for yourself, not for anyone else.
When you travel solo, you can travel wherever you want, however you want. You set your own agenda.
A solo trip doesn’t have to be elaborate, like going on a solo cruise or exploring Europe solo. These are more the types of solo trips that we see on social media and even that are showcased in interviews on this podcast. The reality is that for most people, a solo cruise or a long solo European vacation are once in a lifetime trips, or at least once every 5 to 10 years. Maybe you are trying to figure out where to carve out a weekend for a solo retreat and finding it hard to even find the time for that because of other commitments. Or maybe you are waiting on friends and family to decide on travel plans before you plan a solo trip because you only have so much vacation time and have to choose wisely how to spend it. Or maybe you already have a couple of bigger trips planned and need to stay within a budget to take any more trips, so that limits the size and scope of your travels.
Solo time can be as simple and as wonderful as an afternoon at the spa. Maybe it’s you treating yourself to a day in the city with a lovely weekend brunch and seeing a matinee. It could be a weekend retreat of staying in a cabin on the lake, turning off your phone, and totally decompressing. Or it could be you immersing yourself in a favorite hobby or activity.
Let’s celebrate that solo travel can encompass so many different things. You get to decide how much or how little solo time you want.
By traveling solo, you show both yourself and others that you can do it.
Some people who have never traveled solo say that they are concerned about safety, feeling lonely, or how much it will cost them. Others just aren’t sure if they will like it. A great way to see if you like solo travel is to start small. Start with a solo outing close to home and not a big weeklong solo trip.
Show yourself that you are not only capable of traveling solo, but learn how to really enjoy your own company.
In my experience, what can sometimes influence solo travel decisions are other people’s input. Remember when others voice their concerns, they are often projecting their own fears onto you. They may have good intentions, but it doesn’t mean that you have to take on their fears. You can thank them for their concerns and reassure them that you are prepared. If they keep up with the fearmongering, then it’s time to set some boundaries so it doesn’t affect your trip and steal your joy.
Have you ever been on a group trip with family or friends, and you just wanted some time to yourself? And when you voiced that need, did anyone push back and say, but this is supposed to be a family trip, or what, are you sick of being with us? Here’s one way to respond… let them know that you appreciate them wanting you to be with them, and that you need some solo time to decompress, and that this will help you recharge for later in the day when everyone regroups. For a family trip at Walt Disney World, for example, just take one hour or one morning to yourself to see how you like being solo. Maybe you go explore a resort, look at all the shop windows along Main Street USA, or watch the Enchanted Tiki Room while you eat a Dole Whip if no one else you’re with wants to do those things. You deserve that time to yourself, to do what you want to do, and it doesn’t make the rest of the trip with others any less special or less meaningful.
Each of us are beautifully unique individuals, and that is something to be celebrated.
Listen to your inner voice… not the voices of others, not the critics or the naysayers, and not the influencers. Do what makes you happy. Solo travel can be an act of selfishness in the very best way because it recharges you, so you can show up better for yourself and for everyone else in your everyday life – friends, family, colleagues, community, your animals – everyone.
A solo trip can be so rewarding, even if things don’t go as planned because of travel delays or weather or other issues. What’s rewarding is that you invested in yourself to experience some part of the world. You invested your time, your money, and your energy… all these valuable resources, because you deserve this experience.
You matter. Your self-fulfillment matters. Being seen out in the world matters for you.
You trusted yourself to take this solo time for yourself, and in doing so, you’re setting a valuable example for others in your life, to show that you are a confident and very capable person who enjoys spending time with yourself, exploring the world. And then those people start to imagine, what if I could do that, too? What would that look like for me?
Resources
Listen to Episode 089, My Big Secret, to find out what Amanda really thinks about traveling solo.
