Solo travel can seem a bit daunting at first – especially as a woman. However, it’s also incredibly rewarding, and I’ve always been glad my first international trip was a solo.
Scene: I am sitting in the common room of my hostel in Barcelona. It is the very first night of my long-awaited two-month European backpacking trip. A lifelong dream becoming a reality. I was sipping on my first cup of what I now know as Tinto de Verano. A popular summer drink in Spain made of cheap red wine and lemon-lime soda. I was chatting with two other American women visiting Spain as we prepared for a night out.
As travelers do, we were exchanging stories of what brought us to this part of the world. The pair were good friends who leapt at cheap flights and decided to see the country for a couple weeks.
Then it was my turn to tell my story. I explained that I was backpacking for two months, primarily in Western Europe, seeing cities I’d dreamed of ever since I was a kid.
“And you’re alone?” A question I would get used to hearing.
“Well, for now. I mean, I have people meeting up with me at different points…”
“Oh, you must do this all the time?” they probed. It’s common to meet solo travelers in hostels, but they typically have years of travel experience.
That’s when I had to admit that this was my first time outside of North America. In fact, it was my very first night on a different continent. But I reassured them I could travel on my own. After all, I had successfully done so on the West coast of the U.S. and Canada! Plus I had read plenty of blogs. I was practically a pro.
“Wow. So your first trip to Europe is a solo trip.”
Up until then, no one really questioned my travel plans. If they thought I was crazy, they kept it too themselves. I knew people traveled abroad alone all the time – and in much more dangerous places than Western Europe. I didn’t see why I should be any different from them.
That’s when I occurred to me that the difference between them and me was travel experience. It hit me just like that. By myself, in a hostel in Barcelona, at the beginning of my dream trip. I had no business doing what I was doing.
My confidence was shaken.
I first dipped my toe into solo travel in Canada.
Canada was the first country outside the U.S. I really explored. I moved to Seattle a few months after college, and British Columbia was a short car, bus or ferry away. Vancouver is still one of my favorite cities in North America.
My first real exposure to solo and long-term travel was at a hostel in Vancouver. I met several Europeans and Australians who were taking a gap year or otherwise traveling for a couple months. They seemed so adventurous and free. I thought, “Maybe I could be like them.”
I wasn’t afraid to be alone. I’d traveled to other cities in the U.S. alone – technically. I knew I could entertain myself and wasn’t afraid to talk to stranger. At that time, I was working for a company that closed down during the week between Christmas and New Year. With my family back in Florida and having nothing to do for the holidays, I decided to take a trip.
My first inclination was to look up trips to Europe. I found cheap tickets to London that ended up being too good to be true when it came time to check out. I looked into staying a little closer to home.
Enter Victoria.
Victoria, British Columbia is only a three-hour ferry ride from Seattle and seemed like the perfect solo trip. My first night in town, I immediately met a small group of locals. They were surprised to meet a solo traveler exploring Victoria. I felt like a bit of a novelty, and I loved it.
Returning to Seattle, I met a U.S. Border Guard who asked me the standard questions. Where did I go? Where did I stay? Why make the trip? Then he asked if I was alone and how old I was. Taken aback, I answered him and asked why he asked.
“I wanted to see how adventurous you were compared to my daughters,” he responded.
“And?” I asked, wanting to know the answer.
“Well, you’re a couple years older than them. I don’t think I’d feel comfortable with them taking a trip like this alone anyway.”
I walked away slightly confused. All I had done to be “adventurous” was take a Lyft three miles from my apartment to a dock, get on a very safe ferry and sail three hours to a nearby city. Sure, it was in a different country, but it wasn’t that crazy, right?
The moral is: Some people will always surprised to meet people traveling alone.
A couple weeks after my trip to Victoria, I met up with some friends who asked about my trip. They were surprised I went alone.
Again, I was confused. I really didn’t go that far. But solo travel can look odd from the outside regardless of distance.
For some people, I know the decision to solo travel can be difficult. But it was easy for me. I wanted to travel and didn’t want others’ limitations to stand in my way. That seems to be the case for other solo travelers I’ve met along the way. I think all it takes is desire and just a little bit of self-confidence.
I think people assume solo traveling is lonely, but I have found it to be the complete opposite. Travelers are generally adventurous by nature and happy to meet new people. I have never had a problem socializing with fellow travelers and locals abroad.
Looking back, I guess was odd for me to choose a solo trip as my first journey overseas. But it also never occurred to me that I couldn’t or shouldn’t do it before talking to those women my first night in Barcelona.
I soon got over the momentary lapse in confidence and went on to have an amazing trip. It had its trials but overall made me feel empowered and emboldened like nothing else. And I still maintain that one of my favorite people to travel with is simply myself.
