Solo, but never alone.
Hey Sandra, next time you travel take me a long with you! Oh man I didn’t get an invite? Aren’t you afraid? I could never do that! I have anxiety. I don’t like being alone….
I’m sure that you’ve either heard the above mentioned, or made the comments yourself. It’s ok, this is a safe place, a judgement free zone! Personally, I’ve heard every single one of these comments made by people watching my travels by the sidelines.
As a single mother, I treasured my escapes such as taking a day to myself and spending it poolside or at the beach… and I liked it! I fell in love with quality time to myself. Those escapes turned into full day trips, then weekend trips throughout Florida on a full tank of gas.
From there, my comfort level and curiosity grew to take full blown 3-4 day trips to Washington DC, The Big Apple, Savanah, and more. My longest solo trip was to Portugal where I spent two weeks solo exploring the country. I’ll tell more on another post.
The drive or airplane trip was just as exciting to me. There’s something about enjoying your own company and appreciation for solitude. At the beach, the soothing sounds of the wave as the breeze brushed my cheeks, or ice skating in Central Park just brought the inner child out of me.
Everywhere I go, I made a friend. It never fails. Either the waitress at the diner by the beach, the lady who invited me to dinner at her place, my seat mate on the airplane, other people taking the same tour, and now, people I’ve connected with on social media!
Speaking of social media, there are countless travel groups available on Facebook to subscribe to for free! Such groups have been a wealth of information for me. I’ve made countless connections with locals, individuals abroad, and expats alike. I’ve even traveled with people I had never met in person. The possibilities are endless. The representation of Melanated and Hispanic travelers we can learn from are vast. I happen to be a single one out of thousands out there!
Go ahead, start today. You never know the lifetime friend or even lifetime partner you’ll encounter.
Solo traveler, but never alone,
San