Canyons of Dead Horse State Park, Utah
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Solo Travelling for the First Time

ByAlison
Travel

Taking the leap. Solo travel for the first time

Not sure where to start? Nervous about the unknown? I was too. Here’s how I overcame my fears and took off from my family for the first time, on my own.

Canyons of Dead Horse State Park, Utah
Solo for the first time

At a glance

Step 1

Get Inspired.

Step 2

Know your Limits.

Step 3

Book the Thang!

Step 4

Overcome.

Solo Travel

Step 1 – Get Inspired

Instagram influencers are getting the best of you. You are feeling the urge to explore. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not just for them. This world exists for YOU too. Free will, baby!

01

Set a goal

For me, I wanted to photograph couples in a new environment and used my trip toward advancing my photography business. I found a photography workshop happening on the opposite side of the continent and sat on it for weeks.
What do you want to see? Where do you want to go? What do you want to experience?

02

Collect inspo

Start cruising social and Google for some inspiring posts of locations and activities. You can save these to themed folders to refer to later. I love Instagram and Pinterest for this.
Create folders for local, provincial, national, and international locations.

03

Imagine

Now that you have some inspiration gathered, imagine yourself there.
What feels most like you? What sparks the most excitement? What trip might lead you closer to your goals?
Safety is a major factor in choosing a location and activity for your trip. Be sure to research this aspect as well.

Travel

Step 2 – Know your Limits

We’ve gotta be realistic. You may have work commitments, family dynamics or like most of us, a budget to consider.

Outline your constraints and consider mitigating strategies. For example, maybe you need to travel closer to home for the first trip due to time or budget constraints. Remember, your “close-to-home” is someone else’s’ bucket list location!

  • Candy colored sky as sun sets on the pool and palm trees of a hotel in California
  • Canyons of Dead Horse State Park, Utah

Step 3 – Book the Thang!

It’s not going to book itself. Once you book your trip, it will feel so real. There’s something massive about this particular step. It feels like there’s no going back. There is, of course, but it solidifies the plan.
Travel: bus, train, plane, carpool
Accommodations: B&B, hotel, hostel, staying with a relative or friend.
Transportation: Check for city passes for public transport, download Uber, book a car
Events: Festival, attraction, show tickets

Download my Free Solo Travel Guide where I share the project planning strategies, tools and travel lessons I’ve learned on my travels!

Solo Travel

Step 4 – Overcome

Pre-travel Anxiety

As the time leads closer, you may find yourself getting anxious about your trip. For me, a lot of “what-ifs” silently crowded my brain. I wondered if it was worth all the torment I was putting myself through. Maybe I’d cancel.

I can’t tell you what to do but… I pushed through. Inexplicably cranky and completely unexcited, I went ahead since I’d already invested so much time and money to the trip. Once I was at the airport, waiting for my flight at the gate, most of my anxiety settled.

Whatever it is that you don’t know, you’re surrounded by people who have either been there before, or are experiencing travelling there for the first time, like you. Either way, people are happy to help or clarify anything you need.

You’re about to see how capable you are on your very own, as well.

Enjoy

You’ve arrived!!

Now what?

All that inspiration and planning you’ve done? Now you get to experience it.

You’re about to feel a freedom you may not have felt before. I hadn’t! I was hesitant and modest on my first trip away. Looking back, I wish I had made MORE of the trip since I can’t know if I’ll ever get back there.

Get out the phone and shamelessly document yourself. Keep your headphones out of your ears so you feel approachable. Ask questions and dive in! Who knows when you’ll get back?!

Common Questions

When solo travelling for the first time:

This all depends on the precautions you take and where you travel.
Some safety steps I took included choosing a country that felt safe and familiar to me.
I also shared my itinerary and physical location with my family for the duration of my trip. I stored important documents carefully (passport, ID, money) on my person and strategically scheduled activities so my belongings were safe.
I booked accommodations that were secure and monitored, and travelled by Uber so that there was a clear trail of my movements.
Definitely research the safety precautions you might want to take at your chosen location. Be familiar with the risks and you will feel prepared and confident enough to handle them.

The safest locations are the ones you’re most familiar with! You know the risks involved and have been raised on how to handle them. Exploring new cities or provinces in your home country is a great way to start! If, like me, you live close to a border, you might try crossing the line ;).

This deserves its own post, really. It’s a great question.

I handle this by getting ahead of it:

I start by scheduling far in advance to give everyone a lot of time to get used to the idea of mom being away, and to set up systems and supports to help out while I’m gone. This could look like getting the kids familiar with new chores or checklists to help out around the house, or to make them feel more confident in looking after themselves. Informing neighbours or family/friends of the trip might trigger some helping hands. When it snows and I’m alone with the kids, my neighbour will snow blow the end of the driveway. This is such a lifesaver first thing in the morning! When I’m away, I try to prearrange playdates for the weekend and carpooling to sports to give Jas a bit of a break.

We make note of the time difference and create an expectation for contact during the trip. I set reminders to make sure I follow through. I send pictures, do facetime, and stay in-the-know while I’m gone so they feel a part of the trip, and so that they don’t feel forgotten about.

I also make sure to plan how I’ll relieve the other parent when I’m back, and reconnect with the kids (if the want to!).

Remind yourself when you feel pangs of guilt, that you’re a human with feelings and ambitions just like anyone else. You deserve support to explore and experience your own life. Most times, my kids and husband are happy for me to do something for myself. Guilt is just self-punishment. You’re the only one in control of that.

Only one way to find out!
If you’re like me, no.
Two things can be true at once… I love my life but, I love being alone. Nobody to tend to, nobody to have to listen to or console, no chores to do, no schedules to juggle besides my own. I can listen to what I want and relax whenever I feel like it. It’s magical. We all deserve days like this! Being such a young mother, I never experienced this until my first time away in my 30’s!

The thing about travelling, is that there is no shortage of people. They are everywhere. If you want company, you can find some. Join a group tour or hang out in the hotel restaurant in the evening and chat with the bartender or other guests. Chat with a local at a cafe and ask about hidden secrets (tour guides are an insane resource, btw!). Look for a meetup in the area or call up an old contact! You can also stay in group accommodations if you’re worried about feeling lonely.

Yes. And that’s actually part of the point.
Everything requires balance. If you’re gone all the time, it might be a problem.
But, if this is your first trip away, it’s long overdue. You deserve permission to live your life. I’ll start: GO FOR IT!
I like to imagine it as a bit of research. You wouldn’t want to invest in a trip and drag your kids somewhere they’d be miserable, right? You’d better check it out first 😉

The art of distraction is incredibly powerful when you’re seeing and experiencing things for the first time. It’s amazing how quick the time flies when you’re having fun. I suspect your worry will subside like mine did.
If you’ve done your best to cover your bases while you’re gone, booked in advance to prepare support, and create a communication plan for while you’re away, whatever worries you will be there when you get home.
Be present. Breathe. You’ll be home soon.

Get My Free Solo Travel Guide

Planning strategies, tools and guidance for first-time women travellers. Find out exactly how I project plan, research locations, keep organized on the go, and document myself on location.

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