Solo Trippin’

Solo travel is something that I LOVE, but it hasn’t always been that way. There were so many questions I had for myself.

Will I be safe? How could I afford it?

So, what made me ultimately make the jump? Exhibit A below.

My first solo trip was a 2-night trip to Miami in 2015! LOL. Yes, Miami. The biggest thing for me is that I wanted to go somewhere I had been before so I could navigate easily. Also, the experience you have with a group can be totally different from when you’re solo.

It’s not as expensive as you think!

I know a lot of times we would rather go on group trips because aside from being with our besties, it’s also cheaper when things are split between more people. That’s not always the case if you’re a budget traveler and you’re traveling with a friend who has taste like P. Diddy. On my first solo trip, the flight was less than $80 roundtop on Frontier to Miami from Chicago, where I was living at the time. My room was less than $115/night, which was an AMAZING rate for Hotel Croydon at the time. If you’re flexible with your days, that’s usually when you can find the best deals. Now, I mostly stay in Airbnbs to be around locals.

Start small.

You don’t have to go far. Go to the next town/city over and explore. It all counts!

Don’t let people talk you out of it.

Let them know if they’re concerned, then you can let them know when you arrive. You will wait your whole life to do things if you wait on someone else.

You get to do WHATEVER you want.

Sure, you can do that on a group trip, but it’s always less stressful when you’re solo. I usually research landmarks, African American museums (HAVE to see what greatness my ancestors did in that area) and restaurants. If I can find establishments that are Black owned, even better. I make a list of things I know I want to see and wing it for the rest of the time that I’m there.

Learn the language.

If you go somewhere that doesn’t speak your native language, learn a few words to be able to communicate with the locals (or use Google Translate). I try to make sure I know basics – Greetings, “Please and Thank You”, Different food items, and “Bathroom”. Especially the last one.

Have fun!

Don’t try to think too much about being solo. This is easier said than done, but trust me, there will be more people than you think that are also traveling solo. Bring a book/magazine when you go to restaurants, talk to the person next to you, and ask the concierge (or bartender) for suggestions. If you stay in an Airbnb, ask your host. They may be able to put you on to places that you didn’t find on google. The most important thing (aside from being safe) is having fun!