Where are we going on solo trips these days?
Soliciting your advice in the comments for my next adventure!
The other day, I was grabbing tea with my new friend Lorenzo. Over the course of our lovely conversation, travel obviously came up quite a bit, and we began to discuss the merits of what makes or breaks a solo trip location.
Solo travel has been on my mind a lot recently. Historically, I haven’t prioritized it, and one of my goals is to do more solo trips. I think this stems from the fact that I spend a LOT of time working from home by myself, and I’ve started to view solo time in a negative light because there seems to be an endless abundance of it. When my husband walks through the door at the end of the day, I sometimes feel like a pathetic dog lying in wait for attention and head scratches. I want to flip the script, and treating myself to a nice vacation alone feels like a good way to take back ownership and enjoyment of my solo time.
Believe it or not, I’ve only taken one international solo trip in my life, and it was tacked on to an existing friend trip to Lisbon and the Portuguese countryside. After a week-long adventure, I needed to kill three days before meeting up with my husband in France, so I decided to decamp to Cascais and stay at the dreamy Estoril Vintage Hotel. It was 72 hours of bliss, an introvert’s dream following a week straight of conversation, midnight seafood dinners ending at 2AM, and more wine tasting tours than my feeble body could handle. I felt depleted and in need of a hard reset.
I read a bunch, hot girl walked by the sea, did a fantastic hike up to Pena Palace in nearby Sintra, and started each morning by taking an early dip in the sea, congregating on the concrete steps with all of the septuagenarian townswomen.
Reader, I felt reborn. When I think of taking a successful solo trip, I think of chasing and reaching that feeling of rebirth again.
With that as the goal, I think my ideal solo trip has the following components:
Exploration. I’m drawn to places that are easily walkable and provide me the opportunity for spontaneous discovery. I want to easily have the ability to hit 20k steps a day, and I want to have a vague idea of what I’m doing, but not have every minute preplanned. I want a place to surprise me! I want to be curious and learn something new along the way!
Nature. I need to have the opportunity to touch grass, or go on a hike, or throw my body into a body of salt water. This can be as simple as a beautiful well-designed city park (i.e. Hampstead Heath, Parc des Buttes-Chamont, Barton Springs), but I need to have abundant opportunities to connect with mother nature, to be reminded of what a miracle it is to be alive. I want the universe to feel huge and for my problems to feel small.
Relaxation. As much as I love to be on the go, I also need moments of recharge, whether it’s laying by the pool, visiting a spa in the city, or disassociating while reading at a nice cafe for a few hours.
Safety. Without a doubt, as a woman, I want to go somewhere knowing I’ll experience a feeling of overall physical and psychological safety. I want to feel comfortable being myself, without constantly putting a huge guard up. I don’t want a massive language barrier where I am fighting for my life with directions and meal orders, and I don’t want to travel anywhere where I can’t afford a safe, clean hotel in a central location. Candidly, I’ve moved on from the hostel life.
Cascais checked all of these boxes. It was a super walkable town, with plenty of seaside paths and picturesque views. I swam and swallowed the appropriate amount of salt water. I didn’t need to make a single dinner reservation ahead of time. I leisurely ate my breakfast at the hotel after my morning swim, relaxing while turning book pages and stuffing myself with complimentary croissants and perfectly ripe melon. I did an impromptu hike to a castle in the sweltering heat. I slept extremely well, knowing that I was more than safe. I never caught myself looking over my shoulder for danger.
Obviously solo travel is very personal.
Lorenzo told me that when he takes solo trips, one of the things he prioritizes is cost, since no one else is helping shoulder the burden of paying for everything. Very practical thinking.
I have another friend that does organized solo trips. She books a week-long experience for solo travelers wanting to tour a specific country, and is matched up with others looking to meet people along the way. She’ll splinter off from the group when she wants, but she’s in it for making new friends abroad.
So, this is where I solicit help from y’all.
I want to know from my readers:
Where are we going on solo trips these days? What is your dream solo trip location?
What do you personally look for when you’re planning a solo trip?
Where do you think I should go?
Please help me out!
xx,
Bella
Took myself on solo trip to Alvados (Portugal ( where I stayed in Cookinghotel.com), went hiking, explored Nazare, had a massage, took a pottery class, read and wrote and slept.
The area and the people there are simply lovely.
Other than that, I love solo city trips as I get to explore what I want at my rhythm and usually meet interesting people.
I do tend to book cabins in the middle of nowhere alone sometimes too. Just to read and write and hike.
I go to concerts solo too (next one is Bruce Springsteen).
I went on my first ever true solo trip to Montreal a couple of years ago in May and loved it to bits!! The food was phenomenal (Les street monkeys for Cambodian, fleur et cadeaux for Japanese, endless bakeries) and it had enough parks, museums, and shops to keep me busy without feeling TOO pressured to “do it all”