Seven Reasons Every Woman (& Man!) Should Travel Solo

No matter how far off it sometimes seems, surely the world will eventually reopen for travel once more. Whether you’re eyeing another continent or just another town, you’re going to want to venture alone. Here’s why.

Like many people, I first became a solo traveler by accident – without really registering what I was doing, and certainly without realizing I was about to forever transform my outlook on travel & quite frankly, my place in the world.  For some people it begins with a long layover abroad, or a solo work trip, or a friend cancelling last-minute. For me, it’s something I fell into without much thought.

Several winters ago, I booked a trip to Leavenworth, Washington to attend an unplugged mountain retreat for creatives. I’d been wanting to see more of the PNW for years, so I decided to tack on a couple extra days at the end of the retreat, using Seattle as home-base, and booking a steelhead fishing guide out near Forks one of the days.

My first day in Seattle was simply delightful. I was technically working remotely, so I spent the day hopping from coffee shops, to bistros, to cafés, to restaurants, setting up to work over whatever delicious ensemble of treats struck my fancy – which amounted to five full meals and several snacks at the Pike Place Market between. Yum! I’d been traveling alone within the U.S. for work for years, but this felt different, liberating. 

As evening drew on however and the reality of the following day began to grow nearer, doubt crept in. Forks is located out near the Pacific coast more than 3.5 hours from Seattle – farther than I’d realized. I’d be traveling through darkness in the wee hours of the morning, taking the earliest Edmonds-Kingston ferry, then driving my budget rental car several hours through the Olympic National Forest where I feared I’d surely be without cell service.

How do I take a ferry? What if I get lost? Flat tire? Bad weather? Am I crazy?

You guys, I nearly backed out. Thankfully, I decided to push through.

The following morning, I woke at 4:00 a.m., left Seattle and successfully navigated buying a ticket and boarding the ferry (it’s, like, really easy). As others remained in their cars, I decided to wander the ferry and soon found myself stepping through the glass doors that led to the deck. A whoosh of frigid, salty air blasted my face as I looked out upon the vast black of Puget Sound. I couldn’t see much, but I could feel it. There I was, hundreds of miles from friends and family, completely alone on the bow of a ship, embarking. Feeling a newfound sense of courage, I smiled and yelled “Yeehaw!” to the sea. It was a precursor to the thrill just ahead.

The sky was still dark as the ferry docked and I set out westward over a flat stretch of land. But soon, it started. In the rear-view mirror, the sky began to glow purple then deep gold behind the silhouettes of distant pine trees. Out ahead, a full moon rising against a navy sky, its light reflecting on what looked like snow-capped mountaintops, barely visible far ahead. Suddenly, now with just enough light, I realized I was not driving over land. I was one of only two cars rolling atop a bridge that spanned a section of the Sound at least a mile long. Something about the enormity of the space around me & water below, the realization that I was here, experiencing this, doing it, alone – it struck me. Solo travel. It was a moment I wouldn’t forget, and a thrill I’d come to crave.

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That was a long intro! But I hope it gives you a taste of what’s out there, and what’s ahead. To be clear, I wouldn’t say solo travel is the only way to go. I’ve also loved traveling with friends, family or partners many times. But it’s something I strongly recommend every woman, and person for that matter, tries at least once if possible. And if you’re like me, it may just become something you love.  

So OK, as promised…

Seven Reasons to Travel Solo:  

1. No Compromising

Aha! I’ve caught your attention I see. Truth is, the ability to travel on your own terms is one central draw to solo travel. And, it’s twofold.

First, you can choose to travel where you want, when you want. You don’t have to convince anyone else that your bucket-list destination is worthwhile, or to take the time to travel at all. You can even stop waiting around for a life partner to show up for you to go the places you want (been there!). Sure, you still have plenty to figure out on your side of things, but half the battle is already won.

Second, there’s no compromising while you’re there. Want to sleep in? Linger at a museum or restaurant far too long? Take that kind of guided tour your partner despises or try something totally new? There is nobody to convince but yourself. Praise freedom!

2. Blendability

In some places being a tourist is seen as a good thing, but in others it’s less so. Sometimes for example, tourists can be at greater risk for things like pickpocketing, unwanted attention or poor service. A bonus of traveling alone is you can have an ability to better blend, or at least fly a bit lower on the radar.

When I was in college I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. While I spent plenty of time with the new friends I’d met in my program, most my afternoons were spent wandering Florence alone. Together, we stuck out. A gaggle of American young women, probably chattering way too loudly about the best gelato or cutest Italian. And even though I considered myself an aware traveler, our group experienced several instances of piercingly rude service or attempted scams on the street. But alone, I found myself really able to feel part of the city. Several times I had American tourists stop and ask, “Excuse – me – do – you – speak – ENGLISH?” assuming I was Italian, and I’m pretty darn sure I fooled at least a couple local shop owners and baristas too. At the very least, I encountered zero instances of unwanted attention when I kept my mouth closed and went about my business alone, and I think you’ll find the same.  

3. Being Present

Another bonus of traveling solo is your ability to really be there without distraction.  

Recall a time you went for a hike or walk with a friend. Quite possibly, you had a blast chatting and laughing the entire way. But as you got back to the car, you realized you hadn’t really noticed any of the beautiful surroundings. Sound familiar?

Travel is no different. People are great. I freakin’ love ‘em. But they can be distracting little buggers too. Traveling alone allows you to really be present. To smell the flowers, taste the food, notice the cobblestones, hear the voices, feel the breeze. Sounds good, don’t it?

4. Self-Empowerment 

Why, Natalie, is this number four? I couldn’t decide if this should be first or last and somehow it ended up right in the center. But this one is HUGE with a capital Y.

In my experience, I have found there are few things as powerful for building self-confidence, self-reliance and resilience as traveling alone. And this is one that I think is especially impactful for women.

Now that I’ve gotten you excited, let me bring you in on a harsh truth: solo travel can be really challenging, full of “what-the-hell-am-I-doing?” moments. And the painfully obvious fact that there’s no one there to help you when those moments happen.

I think about my first time landing in Central America alone. My broken Spanish had barely gotten me through customs when I began wishing I had researched how to get a taxi from the airport to my hotel. The moment is seared into my memory: twenty men yelling at me in Spanish, each trying to grab my duffel, clamoring for me to take their car. Me not knowing if a single one of them was legit.

Or when I thought I was on the right hiking trail a couple hours north of Duluth, Minnesota, but realized when the path petered out in the middle of the woods after hours of trekking, I was not.

But don’t let your buzz be killed. In these circumstances and others, I found a solution and now have colorful stories to tell my loved ones. More than that, thrusting yourself out of your comfort zone in travel truly helps you become more capable of facing whatever daily life throws your way. Because in life, we simply don’t allow ourselves the opportunity to grow unless we provide ourselves the opportunity to be pushed. And solo travel does just that.

More chat about safety during solo travel, including some helpful ideas and preparation tips, coming on my next blog post.

5. Self-Exploration

When is the last time you did what you wanted? No, really. Not in any way influenced or skewed by someone or something else, not directly, not indirectly? Probably, it’s been a while. One of the great possibilities of solo travel is the opportunity for self-exploration.

Where do you want to eat? What sites do you want to see? What do you like, and equally, what do you not like? We’ve already explored that solo travel allows you to go without compromise, but more than this, it’s an opportunity to get a better understanding of what you actually like, and who you actually are.

I’ve learned from trial and error, for example, that I can happily spend an entire afternoon in an art museum or eating or doing something outdoorsy, but I have little interest in seeing almost any touristy landmark or famous…idk…bridge. I’ve also learned that I’m a lot more resourceful than I once knew. And that I’m pretty good at new languages. And that I like cheese at breakfast. And suck at reading train schedules.

Plus, and OK bear with me, I think solo travel enables you to start seeing yourself as a friend in the most positive of ways. When’s the last time you made yourself laugh, or told yourself, “You can do this,” or even, “Hey, I like you.” It’s the type of inner dialogue that, if we’re open, starts reverberating during solo travel, and then…in life.

(Just go try it before telling me I’m nuts.)

6. The Friends You’ll Make

Remember, solo travel does not mean you have to be lonely. In fact, some of the places I’ve gone alone have been very social trips and have led to the coolest friendships I would have never, ever built had I been traveling with people I knew.

Take Panama for example. My first time there, I spent a week in 2019, staying five days at a kayak fishing community where I didn’t know a soul, plus some time alone in Panama City. An Instagram caption I wrote after the trip sums it up:  

When I recount stories of Panama, I realize I never lead with the half-dozen species I checked off my bucket list. I find myself talking about the funny cab driver in Panama City. And how it’s physically impossible to be in the presence of Merv without smiling. I tell how the bartender at the cantina across the street had to leave his parents in Venezuela, how he went to Panama, his sister to Europe, and how they haven’t seen each other in five years. I talk about the Panamanians at the skater bar, how they move - really MOVE - to the music. I share how an American woman invited me to sit with her outside a cafe. How I hesitated, then agreed. How she had always travelled with her husband and was now abroad alone after his passing. How after 15 minutes of knowing each other, her eyes were damp, my hand was on her shoulder, and her spirit was filling me with both compassion and courage. I think about how hard the Irishmen made us all laugh, and how, though we share a native language, I could hardly understand a word they said through the VHF radio. Or while drinking. I talk about Jamie, the other girl, the Canadian, the one who doesn’t fish - how she was the bravest of us all. I talk about the local guides who became my best buds - how Kevin loves his job like others can only dream of, and how Richard practically saved my life. I talk about the last night, us there on the beach under the stars. I don’t remember the stars so well. I remember we were something like six different people born in five different countries and despite that wealth of cultural conversation fodder, we found ourselves talking about space aliens, peeing from kayaks, and the challenges that come with living far from loved ones. I remember how, as I watched my final sunrise over the Pacific, I wasn’t thinking about how much I’d miss the fish, the warmth, the food, or the sweet taste of time away. I was thinking about how happy I was to know everyone. I guess what I mean to say is: fishing, scenery, adventure - it’s all important to me. But in the end, for me, travel is always a story of people.

More chat about socializing during solo travel, including some helpful ideas and safety tips, coming on my next blog post.  

7. Because You Can!

Yes, you. I truly believe solo travel can be for everyone, and I get especially excited to see more and more women trying it out all the time. If the idea is foreign to you, please know that it’s not just me. Millions of people travel alone every year, and many of my own friends love it too. Solo travel is not just for young people, single people, YouTubers, dudes, nomads, or travel bloggers. I mean it: you can too.  

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I hope this inspires your travels! Plan to try it? Check back soon for my follow-up article, Tips & Considerations for Solo Travel, coming soon. Have you traveled alone? Tell us about your experience in the Comments below.