Can we just have a chat woman to woman for a minute? Today I want to share a little real talk on my first solo trip after a whole year off. Woah, it seems crazy to say it was that long. I want to share why I took the break in case you missed my updates, the identity crisis and fears I had during the break, and what it was like to get back onto the solo travel horse. If you don’t solo travel, I’d love for you to read through to the end because I think there are lessons we can all relate to.
Real Talk – Thoughts On My First Solo Trip After A Year Off
Why I took a solo travel break
I had talked about this on social media, but to recap, I took a break for family reasons.
Between our crazy schedules, my husband and I had barely seen each other in the last three years. When we were together we were either getting ready for the next trip or unpacking from the last one and it was hectic.
We decided to focus 2019 on spending as much time together as possible. Also, we focused all of our budget on family trips and outings.
He doesn’t have control over his schedule, so I changed mine a little to be able to accommodate as much family time as we could get.
This meant no solo trips.
I probably could’ve still done some solo trips, but not without going into debt and I don’t believe travel is worth going into debt for.
A photo from my last solo trip before the break
I felt like a fraud
Initially, I struggled with the decision a bit in terms of my blog content.
I was a solo travel blogger after all. What good is a solo travel blogger who isn’t traveling solo?
Do I have to rebrand my whole blog?
What do people want from me as a blogger? Are they OK with going with the ebbs and flows of life or is it rigid?
It was a bit of an identity crisis.
At first, I didn’t know whether to still write up posts from our family trips. I was torn between having tips and content I thought was helpful to people who read my blog and feeling like a fraud because the trips weren’t solo.
In the end, I decided to write the travel guides and blog posts because I figured that, at the end of the day, people read my blog for travel guides and tips. As long as I can give you that, it’s valuable.
Also, many of the readers don’t travel solo so surely it was OK right?
The year off solo travel
In the end, 2019 was a great year for my family and I don’t regret it one bit.
My family is little, just my husband, my dog, and I, but they always come first. They come first before the blog, first before creating consumer debt, and first before anything else.
I know it sounds harsh, but I feel like some people get lost in what’s really important in life. Sponsored trips, money, social media likes, and whatever else is not the important stuff in my book.
We had a great year of being able to enjoy date nights at home some weekends because we had a little more freedom in our budget, we took fun trips together when we could, and had a lot of quality time.
It was awesome.
I wondered if I could still do it
When it came to 2020, we are back on track for some solo trips, baby!
The schedules will be a little crazier again and the budget a little tighter, but we are ready for it.
Though, was I really ready? I had the luxury of traveling with my boo for all my trips over the last year. Could I still do the solo travel gig? Did I still have ‘it’?
I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous. Then I thought, you know what? I’ve done it before, I can do it again. It’s all going to work out.
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The experience was a little different
My first solo trip was to Krakow and Warsaw in Poland for a week this January.
As soon as I left the house it was foreign and familiar all at the same time. Like many of my old routines came right back to me like riding a bike, while some things felt like I’d never done them before.
This time I was a little shyer than my last solo trip but shy is my default setting so I think it just went back to default. I imagine that after a couple more trips, I will be more talkative and confident again because by the end of the week I was already feeling more in my stride.
Before the trip, my ego was bruised from feeling like a fraud. Part of me believed that ‘you’re already a big old fraud so no bother going back to solo travel.’
I also had fears in the back of my head. It’s always scary until you actually do it.
After the trip, I walked on the plane to go home wondering what I was even thinking? Of course, I could still do it and of course, I could overcome the hesitation in my mind.
Selfie from my first solo trip in a year in Poland
Why am I telling you all this?
Ok, you might be wondering why I am even sharing this as a blog post? Couldn’t this just go in your journal, Katie?
Well, it’s because look, it’s a good reminder for me, you, and everyone out there. Just because it’s a little scary at first, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. We all experience this when we are new at something or haven’t done it in a while.
This doesn’t just go for solo travel, the concept is transferrable to a lot of things.
Nervous to go to the gym because you’re out of shape?
Scared to ask for that raise you deserve?
Hesitant to be a newbie at a new class or sport?
Scared to have that awkward conversation you’ve been putting off?
Whatever it is, the concept is the same.
Feel those butterflies, tell your fear ‘don’t worry, I’ll be OK’, then go for it anyway!
Solo travel from here onward
I’m excited to be back into it and ready for more. Of course, we will still be taking family trips when we can too and I’ll share whatever content is relevant and helpful from those too.
Thank you for being so supportive during my year off.
If you like this, here are some other reflections you might enjoy
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