THE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO YOUR PLANNING YOUR FIRST SOLO TRIP
Welcome back travel lovers,
I am so excited to share this week’s newest postcard entry with you all, and it’s all about getting over your fear of travelling solo, as well as how to then put together your first solo trip.
Sometimes it can be so hard to get out of your own way and into your first solo trip. I know that if you’re reading this entry, you most likely want to embark on your first solo trip, or at the very least you have some interest in the subject…
Let’s see how excited I can make you about your first solo trip by the end of this entry.
Challenge accepted!
The first step of getting over your fear of solo travel is defining exactly what it is that is holding you back from exploring the places you’ve always dreamed of.
Is it a fear of not having anyone to go with?
Do you feel like you never have enough time to get away?
Or maybe it’s the idea that you don’t think you could possibly pull up travelling alone?
It’s important at this point to highlight that sometimes people have physical blocks to travel like visas, access to childcare etc.
This postcard is for those of you out there who just don’t think that they can travel.
The first step for putting together your first solo trip and getting over the fear is the start small.
This can be anything as small as heading out to a new town for the day, working at a new cafe, or going to a museum, park or gallery solo.
The golden egg of wisdom is to train new adventures like a muscle. The more you do the more confidence you will get with both travelling independent but ALSO being comfortable in your own company.
Europe
North America
Oceania
South America
Asia
Africa
Which leads are nicely onto step two. I do encourage you to take as much time on step as you like, because gaining confidence travelling is like reading a book, you just can’t skip out on some chapters.
A good way to build up to your first solo travel trip is to try and staycation in the UK. Book out a nice hotel in London or your nearest city for the night, and explore the city like a tourist.
London is my nearest but I have also done a staycation to Edinburgh and Manchester. I’ve gone to dinner, caught shows, worked in lil cafe shops and hit up bookstores and galleries.
And a staycation doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone! I met friends in Edinburgh, but the majority of my staycations are for me and me alone.
Again, you are building up the confidence to actually start travelling. This may sound easy enough, but it’s the doing that’s the hardest part. Give yourself compassion, but also allow yourself to take little steps to your first travel adventure. Gently move through the fear.
Inner trust in the final part of the puzzle. I honestly don’t have lots of different fancy ways of booking trips, I use BA for city breaks and Hostelworld if I want to save some pennies.
Ultimately, solo travelling comes down to having inner trust that you can explore the world and come out the other side!
Step three is all about trusting yourself to step out and try the new destination. Some of my favourite destinations for beginner trips are France (my 1st ever solo trip was to La Rochelle), Salzburg in Austria, and a bit far fetched for a first trip – but I did fly to Brisbane solo and to say my heart fell for the that city, I think it’s still there.
Obviously you don’t have to fly to Australia for your first solo trip, but cities like Lisbon, Salzburg, Vienna and Menorca make beautiful first time trips. Mahon in Menorca in particular is a hidden gem, and it’s somewhere I’d look to travel solo to in the future.
To recap:
1.Get honest with yourself about why you feel like you can’t travel. Things like money and schedules can be worked around with time. If I gave you time, and the budget, what’s the reason that still sticks in your gut for not wanting to travel?
2. Build up from going out to work in a new cafe, to exploring a new city, to spending a night in a different city that’s a little further away. Things will go wrong, which is why it’s good to stack these experiences so when you’re in a different country you’re more composed.
3. Trust yourself and your ability to travel. Sounds simple, but we are capable of great overthinking, and it’s our brains way of keeping us safe. Also if you are able to, have an emergency pot for a flight home, this will give you a safety blanket when you’re travelling, knowing you can always fly home.
RELATED POSTCARDS
- A dream date in Positano
- The city that made me fall back in love with solo travelling
I’m going to be honest with you here, one of my biggest fears is growing old, looking back and realising that I didn’t take the opportunities to travel when I had them, that it was just my fears that were holding me back from experiences my dream destinations.
Life isn’t a dress rehearsal, it’s the real thing. And I promise, once you’ve done one trip, the rest become so easy. If I could go back to visiting some of my favourite countries for the first time I would take it with both hands for that feeling.
Tag me at @thatgirladventures and show me your solo travel adventures, even if it’s heading to a new town for the day!
Until the next postcard,
Laura x