Heather and I usually travel together. But what we’ve never done is take two solo travel trips at the same time.
I went to Chicago, she went to Miami.
And we had very different experiences.
But they were both awesome.
Today Napkins (#LoveNapkins) joins us to talk about what it’s like to travel solo, what we learned about ourselves, and what tips we have for others hoping to do something similar.
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Today’s episode has been sponsored by our friends at Tortuga Backpacks!
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In This Episode
- 07:40 All the things that Trav usually denies Heather
- 09:02 All the things that Heather usually doesn’t do as much
- 11:08 Our favorite things of Chicago & Miami
- 20:50 Don’t have to worry as much. But more travel mishaps…
- 27:00 Uncomfortable alone?
- 36:00 Tips for Solo Travel
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Just listened to the podcast and had a thoughts regarding the social aspects involved in solo travel. I think the general saying regarding solo travel is that when you are traveling by yourself, you aren’t by yourself because you end up spending it with many new friends (or friends you already knew like in Travis’s case).
I’d say the general solo experience is staying in hostels, couchsurfing, and some airbnb rather than hotels. So I agree with your tip that putting yourself in the right situation is key and hostels or couchsurfing is the easiest (and cheapest) way. With a hostel, you are in a place where majority of the people are also solo travelers or at least in the same situation as you in that they want to see the place you are at. There are times I’ve made new friends to walk around a new city with as I was checking into my hostel.
At these places and traveling in general, I also agree with Travis in that you are both more approachable and you are more open to being social when you are solo. All of which makes it easier to meet new people. By meeting people this way, you also can build a travel network for future travel. For me, it was a week at a hostel on Maui setting up my subsequent trip in Europe.
Ofcourse, not all hostels are social and some are more hotel like. It takes a minute to read the reviews or descriptions to get a sense of a place. And you have to be open to meet people and make the effort.
Lastly, I think the other aspect of self travel that helps a lot people grow is the self reflection that happens when you aren’t with other people. In everyday life, people don’t get a chance to slow down and think about their lives and reflect on things that happen, traveling by yourself kinda forces you be by yourself so you can go through that.
Leaving for China on my first solo travel in two days time. Listened back to the travel meltdown podcast, LOL, but just wondering did you guys do a podcast of your trip to China?
@Eanna – Not really. We did the meltdowns one, but never anything on China specifically. Not sure why…I guess just so much to cover!
Right after my divorce, I hit the road alone. I loved being able to experience a city without worrying what others wanted to do. It’s a little easier to travel alone since you can adapt to situations quicker. A great, easy city to visit is Salt Lake City, UT. Public transport is amazing and affordable. You can get from the airport to the top of Hidden Peak in just about 1.5 hours. Highly recommended.
Can’t wait to do my first solo travel trip! I’m road tripping to LA in a couple of weeks with my pup. Scored a free City Hosts experience from Air BnB to explore the Joshua Tree! I’ll be writing a post about it in my blog, if you’re interested! LOVE YOU GUYS, Trav and Heather! :)