There are so many elements that contribute to making a rewarding solo trip.
The combinations can be different for everyone but there are also some themes that emerge when you listen to the stories of solo travelers. Whether it's the confusion of facing the unknown (or not knowing what you don't know), finding yourself in an unanticipated situation, encountering barriers of one kind or another, or experiencing loss, navigating through it all is both the challenge and the reward of traveling alone.
When I asked the members of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook, “What have been your most personally challenging and/or rewarding solo trips?” a wide range of answers were posted, revealing two main ideas:
- We all have different ideas of what constitutes a challenge.
- Frequently, the most challenging are also the most rewarding solo trips.
Here are some of their stories.
The First Solo Trip
For some, it was the newness and unknowns of the first time that made it the most challenging. “It will always be the first solo trip, that's where you learn your independence,” said Spike. “My first solo trip was to Hamburg, Germany. Battling the local language, the anxiety, not knowing your surroundings, trying to find places, it is a big challenge, but extremely rewarding and a huge confidence booster.”
The first solo trip was also the most rewarding one for Phyllis. “Mine was to New York City. I’d been there several times but never solo. I planned a short trip to prove to myself that I could do it. Bought tickets for a Broadway show. Ate meals by myself. Had a wonderful time. I learned I could handle a solo trip. Now to tackle international travel solo!”
Sonja's trip with the biggest challenge and largest reward was also her first. “Mine was the very first solo trip I ever made, traveling to cities all across Europe in 2019, and learning to use all kinds of public transportation for the very first time! It was nerve-wracking, but rewarding. It helped open up the world to me!”
I love Freida’s philosophy of making friends with herself:
At 54 years of age I decided to invite my Self to dinner until “we” were best friends. I rented a car in Paris and drove for 8 weeks. Each morning I said: “Take me where I'm supposed to be.” I made it into Poland before I turned back towards Paris. The trip changed who I am today. It is the best gift I ever gave myself. I had $10,000 for the trip. When I returned to STL I had $90 left. I love traveling with me. We eat at the same time, get up at the same time, enjoy the same adventures, agree on daily life with no stresses. Perfect! I also learned I did not want to be alone all the time. I worked hard to stay connected.
Marleen made the point that what seems small to one traveler can be a huge challenge to another.
Driving four hours up the west coast to Cambria doesn't seem like much, but for someone not used to being alone and anxious trying new things, it was tough and nerve racking. I did it with stops in between, one being a wine tasting to reward myself. I stayed one night alone and realized it felt great! I can continue doing that alone, though it’s still a bit of a struggle at times.
For Mimi, it was studying in Ireland for a year.
It was my first trip abroad, my first solo adventure, and a life-changer. I didn't know who I was back then (in the twentieth century), but it marks the primary turning point in my life: from being just another Midwestern Woman to being Other. To being free to be Other. I haven't traveled consistently since then, but if I look at my life in terms of flights and suitcases and road trips, that's the one that changed everything.
Some people found that the challenges they faced on their first solo trip taught them valuable lessons that have served them well on subsequent trips. Jenny had been travelling with her family before discovering in 2006 that “it's quite something else to do it solo! I loved Milano for 6 days and a further 12 days across Europe. I drank tap water in Rome and took ill and had to recover fast to catch up with my planned itinerary. I learned and discovered so much about my strengths and weaknesses! I now do a solo trip once a year.”
Shelbo found the first solo trip, 5 days in Cape Cod, the most rewarding. “The destination wasn't difficult but I realized that this introvert could talk to people I didn't know, go to dinner alone, and people will actually talk to you! I've been on a few solo vacations since and the thing I enjoy most is that my day shapes up exactly how I want it!”
Extraordinary Situations Lead to Challenging and Rewarding Solo Trips
For some travelers, their most challenging and rewarding solo trips have occurred during extraordinary situations at their destination. Lea spent 13 months in Communist Poland at the age of nineteen, and traveled to war-torn Afghanistan at twenty-one. Efren’s most challenging solo trip was to Istanbul a few years ago, following bombings, when police and bomb-sniffing dogs were visible in all public places.
Laura took a “solo trip to volunteer in Lesbos in the peak of the refugee crisis last year. Nothing was in place, 5,000 people were arriving daily to the island. It changed my life forever.”
Susan had planned a solo trip to Belize but while she was in transit, hurricane Iris hit.
By the time I got there the entire area I was planning to explore was devastated. The place I arranged to stay was completely gone. Everyone was evacuated inland and there was no power and little water. Everyone had to pitch in with the clean-up and food. It was not what I planned but it was an irreplaceable experience.
No one who was traveling at the time will forget the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020. Marzia said,
My first solo/working trip was to Japan in February/March 2020. While I was there, the COVID-19 outbreak exploded in Italy in 3 days, the country suddenly started the lockdown, my return flight got cancelled twice, and I seriously feared getting stuck in Japan. I managed to come back home to Italy before the total lockdown, but it was a challenging situation.
Setting a Personal Challenge
Of course, walking the Camino always comes up in these discussions. It's a perfect example of a rewarding solo trip that is also incredibly challenging. Read about Cat's experience and what she learned over 800 km and 37 days in Walking the Camino Solo: Life-Changing for Body, Mind & Spirit.
Sara set a personal physical challenge for herself, and the results were very rewarding.
I went to New York City for my birthday a month ago. I wanted to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty but am not in great shape, so I had to train for those stairs at the gym in the weeks leading up to my trip. Once I got to NYC it was hot and humid and my feet and ankles were swelling a lot every day. But…on the morning of my birthday, swollen ankles and all, I climbed to the top of the statue and was delighted when I got to the top and realized it wasn't nearly as far as I thought it would be. I am so glad I did it.
Terri shared, “I am a bit claustrophobic but I managed to conquer a few challenging (for me) tombs in Egypt. I’m 5’ 2” and in some I had to bend in half and/or crawl from one chamber to the next.”
Language and Cultural Barriers
Language and culture can prove to be significant challenges in some cases, especially if you are traveling outside of large cities or tourist areas, or are settling in for a while.
Gerry “traveled solo around Mainland China in 1983, just a couple of years after it opened up to independent travelers. There was little in the way of tourism infrastructure and lots of mysterious, restrictive rules. It was scary and exciting and memorable.”
Michael found traveling through Russia to be his most challenging solo trip. “I don't speak the language which really limits you outside of the big two cities and there isn't much of a tourist-friendly vibe. I also had a really difficult time finding places to eat which was odd and annoying. I don't think I will return.”
Kwendo was actually on his most challenging solo trip on the day that he responded to my question.
As a solo black traveler in Russia with no clue how to read Russian letters or speak Russian, it is a thrilling but at the same time rewarding trip! Moscow has been a great experience and I'm leaving for St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Also, as you probably might guess, there are no black people here so the race thing can be a bit daunting–but so far the experience has been exciting!
Illness or Heartbreak
You can read more about traveling solo to deal with grief in Solo Travel for Healing: Personal Journeys Of Love and Loss.
When my husband died, I drove from Illinois to Colorado solo for a grief retreat,” said Sue. “I took 2 weeks to get there and back and stopped at several sites on the way. It was an incredibly healing and freeing experience.”
Dealing with illness on the road is never easy, as Melanie discovered when she spent six nights in a hospital in Kathmandu suffering from Typhoid fever. Eto said, “China solo got me good: jet lag, ear infection, squat potties, I didn't speak any mandarin, etc…but I made it through and am happy I got to experience it, as it made me a better, stronger traveler.”
Judith's most challenging trip involved “coming down with stomach flu in the Detroit airport when I was supposed to be getting on a flight to Paris for a solo month there. I thought I was about to die but I handled it, got a flight for the next day and a hotel room in which to recuperate.It gave me the confidence that I can handle anything!
Here are tips to prevent illness as you travel and what to do if you become unwell: How to Prevent or Deal with Getting Sick Traveling Solo.
In the aftermath of a broken relationship, traveling solo can reap multiple rewards. Tami said, “After a 25-year marriage ended badly, I took a seven-week solo trip around South France and Italy, and spent the last few days near Munich. It changed my life.”
Katey shared the following experience from one of her most rewarding solo trips:
This doesn't even compare with a lot of stories on here, but my most rewarding solo trip was a quick jaunt to Dublin in April. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and had never ever been anywhere on my own, not even to an airport. The sense of achievement I felt when I got to the airport and then sat on the plane was amazing and I couldn't believe I had found the independence to do it finally. I am now off to Barcelona on my own at the end of the month and Salzburg in September. I have found a new lease on life!
The Last Word on Challenging and Rewarding Solo Trips
Sherrill has been experiencing the rewards of solo travel for many years straight.
I have been traveling solo continuously as a volunteer for 16 years. Teaching English and animal care mostly, but I have also done hostel work and cooking. I have been volunteering with Workaway and HelpX primarily. There are thousands of opportunities worldwide. The reward is always about the people I meet, things I learn about cultures, traditions and local histories, and how similar we all are.
I'm going to give the last word to Solo Travel Society member Jocelyne, with whom many of us can probably agree. When asked, what were her most personally challenging and/or rewarding solo trips, she replied simply, “All of them.”
