UPDATED FEB 2020. Solo adventure?!? I can hear you already. *Celine Dion’s ‘All by Myself’ begins playing in your head* Now, now, breathe in, breathe out and read on. It’s not as scary as you think – and not as dramatic as Celine makes it seem! It sounds weird to some people but I love to go on adventures by myself. Today, I’m sharing my top tips for solo adventure in this post. I hope it can help you plan your own safe and memorable solo adventures
Tips For Solo Adventure From A Solo Adventure Addict
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If you have read some of my blogs like the Ehukai Pillbox Trail or the Diamond Head Trail, you already know that I like to venture out on my own for adventures.
Whether it is hiking, snorkeling, or time at the beach, I find a solo adventure to be both refreshing and liberating.
If you have been thinking of giving it a go, I think these tips for solo adventure will help to enhance your experience.
Why should you adventure solo?
I think it’s something everyone should add to their schedule from time to time as well.
Sure, you might be a little scared at first but you will come out the other side more independent, more in tune with yourself, with more character and a big old sense of ‘I can do anything’.
It’s important to get these great benefits that you just can’t get as deeply when you are constantly around others.
I love my adventure buddies and they bring a whole lot of goodies to the friendship table with their wonderful, inspiring company. But there is just something freeing about being comfortable enough to tackle solo adventures.
Wherever you plan to go when you venture out on your own, here are some tips to help you get started.
One of the most important tips for solo adventure is to put your safety first.
1. Safety First
Obviously, your safety has to come first and you bear some responsibility for keeping yourself as safe as possible.
Use your best judgment and listen to that little hunch you get when something doesn’t feel right.
If it is a strenuous adventure or in a shady part of town, you might want to save that for when you are with an adventure buddy.
Always take adequate supplies with you such as plenty of water (too much is usually the right amount), sun protection, snacks, even a first aid kit is good to have in the car.
Getting out there and enjoying solo adventures, or any adventures for that matter is best done with a little common sense.
2. Baby steps
Don’t feel like you have to do something huge and epic for your first solo adventure.
If you do this, chances are that you’ll just get overwhelmed and end up hating being by yourself. It’s best to start with baby steps and work up to bigger adventures.
Maybe you start by going to the movies alone or going out for a meal by yourself. Perhaps when that feels comfortable and normal, you can work up to going for an easy hike alone or hang out at the beach alone.
There’s no right and wrong, but I think small progress is a good way to approach in.
Always focus on things you actually enjoy too.
3. Tell a friend where you will be
Tell someone where you intend to go and what time to expect you back.
This way in the worst-case scenario that something goes wrong, the people looking for you will have a head start.
Once, I was hiking with an adventure buddy and got lost on the side of the highest mountain on the island. It was scary!
To be honest, the scariest part for me was not the idea of dying on the mountain, it was that nobody would have any idea where I was because I had just gone out for the day and not told anyone.
Now, I always make sure to let someone know where I am going adventuring.
4. Enjoy the moments
Be present in the moment. Take notice of what you are seeing, feeling, thinking, and experiencing.
I find that when you are in the moment it is like a moving meditation.
This is how you get the most out of the experience as far as your own personal growth. When you are lost in your mind, your thoughts, still thinking about that fight you had with so and so at work, or distracted on your phone, then you cannot really get past those top-level distractions and into any deeper thinking.
5. Put down your phone
You may have to pry it out of your own hand but put it away just for a little while so that you can actually be present and enjoy the moment.
After all, you are not really alone if you are constantly texting/Facebooking/Instagramming/SnapChatting.
You are distracted from being alone and don’t have a chance of getting comfortable with your own company this way.
6. Break up with loneliness
Ever heard of the people who can be alone but not lonely?
These people are the coolest and you can usually pick them out of a group because they exude independence and comfortability with themselves. They lack clinginess and neediness.
It’s not a magic trick though and you can have it too.
Just like with anything in life, it’s all in the mindset. You can either embrace the experience and make the most of it or fear it and hideaway. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
What is there to fear anyway? You’re hanging out with yourself and after all, you’re pretty awesome aren’t you?
7. Pat yourself on the back
You did it!
You were bold and, in a society that encourages you to constantly be connected with others, you disconnected for some well deserved alone time.
A gift some are too scared to chase – well done.
What to take with you on your solo adventures
When I am out adventuring by myself, and for most of my adventures for that matter, here’s what I take with me.
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Water bottle (at least 1.5L and I use either a Hydro Flask
or this big one) - Camera (I always have my GoPro with this floaty selfie stick for water adventures and this selfie stick and tripod combo for land adventures)
- Lunch, snacks, or energy gels – depending on how long I will be out
- Good hiking shoes for hiking adventures (I use the New Balance Minimus)
- Lightweight towel
- A journal to document your adventures (I created this lightweight travel journal)
or 
)
for water adventures and 
for land adventures)
– depending on how long I will be out
)
)
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Other posts on solo adventure you might enjoy
I hope these tips for solo adventure have been able to inspire you to add a little more solo adventure into your life.
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