What I Wish I Knew Before Traveling Solo
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I thought I was fully prepared.
I had my flights booked, my itinerary color-coded, my backpack perfectly packed. I’d read the solo travel blogs, and watched the YouTube videos. I knew I’d “find myself,” eat croissants in Paris by the Eiffel Tower, and take hikes up to mountaintops for beautiful views. What I didn’t expect were the small, silent moments, the kind no one really posts about. The awkward dinners alone. The weird waves of sadness that hit you randomly when you see a new place and have no one to share it with. The quiet pride of figuring it out without anyone else around.
If you’re about to travel solo, or are thinking about it, here’s what I genuinely wish someone had told me before I took my first trip alone.
You won’t always feel brave — and that’s okay.
There’s a weird pressure to feel fearless when you travel alone, like you’re supposed to be bold and confident 24/7. And people will always say “thats so amazing, you’re so brave for that!” But the truth? I cried in the airport bathroom before my first solo flight. I felt like a fraud. Everything in me was questioning my decisions, thinking about how big of a mistake I just made
Solo travel doesn’t make fear disappear. It just teaches you how to keep going anyway. You learn to be scared and do the thing. That’s real courage, baby! Even if the quick fear overshadows your inner truth and knowing, just know that it’s temporary, and that ‘inner voice’ isn’t always real - its just a quick ping from your nervous system saying ‘this is scary’ because it IS! It’s something new and uncertain, so of course your body is going to try to protect you in the short term and get you out of there to ‘safety’. But sometimes, safety isn’t always best for us.
Treat the first 24 hours like survival mode. Don’t expect magic. Just get cash, eat something familiar, and get to your bed. Everything feels more manageable after sleep.
You’re going to get lonely. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
Solo travel has high highs and weird lows. After a few days of freedom, the silence hits, especially when you see friends traveling together or couples cuddling on trains, and end the day in a quiet, dark room.
But here’s the thing: loneliness isn’t a sign of failure. It’s just part of the deal. And it passes.
Take action when loneliness creeps in. Join a walking tour, go to a local event, or just work from a café. You’re not alone in being alone! Tons of solo travelers are nearby, probably feeling the same thing.
You don’t need to be doing stuff all the time
On my trip to Iceland, I ended up having a breakdown when I landed home because I was so overwhelmed. I tried to fit soo much into such a short trip, and ended up messing up a lot of the plans, missing out on some fun opportunities. After that, I learned to just relax, go with the flow, and enjoy some freedom.
When I ended up going to Spain for three months, I showed up with zero expectation, and left without doing a few things I really wanted to do, and in reality, I felt guilty… like I was wasted the opportunity. But honestly, that relaxed trip was one of the best parts of my experiences traveling.
Schedule rest days into your itinerary. Treat slow mornings and wandering afternoons as essential, not optional.
You’ll meet amazing people, and then they’ll leave (or you)
Travel friendships are fast and deep and fleeting. That used to make me sad. Now I think it’s kind of beautiful. I have some of my best friends living all over the world. They are friendships that I’ll cherish forever, because the connections we had were so meaningful and unlike anything I’ve had before.
But just because they’re onto their next adventure, or you are, doesn’t mean those connections weren’t real. The time limit doesn’t make them less valuable. It often makes them more intense, more honest, more unforgettable. You learn to appreciate people in the moment, without needing permanence to prove it mattered.
Stay in social hostels or take small group day trips. Even introverts (like me) find it easier to connect when the group is already built in.
You’ll come home changed and not everyone will get it
The weirdest part of solo travel is coming back. You’ll have stories that don’t land, insights that sound dramatic, and a sense that something’s shifted inside you. You’ll realize old friendships aren’t calling you anymore, or even old habits or patterns. This doesn’t mean you have changed in a bad way AT ALL, by the way (yes, I’ve been told that my change was bad!) it just means you grew in ways others can’t comprehend.
Not everyone will notice. That’s okay. Reminder: You didn’t go for them.
Keep a small journal. Not for the world, just for you. You'll want to remember how it felt when no one was watching.
Final Thoughts
Solo travel is not always glamorous. Sometimes it’s gritty, awkward, and uncomfortable. But it’s also deeply clarifying. You learn how to sit with your own thoughts. You solve problems. You get lost and figure it out. You grow. Not in the loud kind of way, but in the quiet, slow kind.
If you’re scared, good. That means you’re about to do something brave.
And just remember - in 20, 30, 40 years from now, will you regret saying no? There’s your answer. For everything. Love you!
