A few weeks ago, I met a man who convinced me that not traveling right now might be the biggest moral misstep. Here’s why.
For most of 2020, I tried limiting my movements. “Stay at home!” they said. “Traveling and coming into contact with underserved communities will kill people!” they said. “That’s someone’s GRANDMA!”.
So, I took that advice to heart. I moved to Mexico in August, but spent several days at home in a row, isolating with my two roommates. Then, I moved from Puerto Vallarta to Playa del Carmen, where there were no mask orders or isolation rules. The most we see is masks and temperature checks in large establishments.
When I arrived in Playa, I considered diving but held off. Was it right to ‘force’ people to work and cart me and my equipment out to sea in a diverse group of people that could be carrying the virus? Was I putting the people in the service industry at risk?
After some waffling, I decided to do a shark dive with a friend.
The moment I came face to face with Mommy Shark (doo doo doo do doo)
After my shark dive, I remembered why I was in love with diving and decided to sign up for three cenote dives the following weekend. It was between these three dives that I spoke with my instructor about the morality of tourism during the virus.
What he explained to me changed my mind about traveling during the pandemic
Playa del Carmen, as are many tourism-based economies, are not cultures that value saving. For example, when people are no longer able to work, they live with their families. Their families then feed them and ensure that they’re comfortable until they die.
However, that means that not only is there a financial burden on younger, able-bodied family members, but there is also a perpetuation of a hand-to-mouth mindset. Whether people bring home 100 pesos or 100 dollars, they will spend it on their way home.
Living in a collectivist culture means that a person’s earnings aren’t necessarily their own. They belong to the collective good. In this case, it’s the obligation to take care of the many generations living with them.
What does this mean for tourism during the pandemic?
Ultimately, people depend on the day’s wages to feed their families.
This isn’t in all cases, but what it means in an economy like Playa is that money runs out quickly when there isn’t available savings or income in a family unit.
In other words, people were starving. This makes people more vulnerable to disease, malnutrition, and makes them even more susceptible to COVID-19.
In Bali, another tourism-focused economy, there were hundred and thousands of digital nomads that got their visas extended to continue living on the island. Then, Indonesia stopped allowing people in and stopped extending people’s visas. The Balinese people are dying of starvation due to the lack of tourism money coming in.
This is not a White Savior statement
People love to say, “Oh, they love the American Dollar over there”. Yeah, duh. People need money to eat. But that’s no excuse to dehumanize people over their economic differences. I love the American Dollar, too.
This is the opportunity to realize that people who aren’t getting tourism money are starving. This makes children’s’ education nearly impossible (just as hunger impacts education in the US), it makes old people even more vulnerable to the disease, and it means that people are living in cramped quarters during a pandemic.
So, it begs the question: What’s worse, not traveling and doing tourism activities and people starve, or traveling and people maybe are exposed to a disease that everyone will eventually be exposed to, especially here in a tourist area?
Socially distanced Christmas Even on the beach.
Honestly, the people are making the decision to open. They need the money, because it’s a risk they’re willing to take. Not because ‘they need American Dollars’ but because they need to eat, and to support their families.
About a month ago, I had one of those mini breakdowns. You know the type. Every few years (months? weeks?) when you doubt everything you’ve done in life up to this point, then pledge yourself to becoming a monk because it seems easier than whatever this is.
The good news is, I’m not becoming a monk.
The better news is: I gave up on blogging. So now I’m going to blog about it, naturally.
What you should know before you read this whole thing:
When I’m sad, angry, happy, weepy, or whatever else, I write. If you see me writing in real life, it’s because I’m emotional. I’ve always known this about myself.
That’s how my blog was born. I was so excited about life, about travel, and about sharing it with the world.
Then, I kept blogging because I’d started blogging, not because I had any grand feeling toward it.
It culminated for me one day about two months ago. I told myself I’d sit down for the day and fix the bugs in my site, then crank out a post or two. Instead, I just sat at my desk and had an anxiety attack.
After the funny heartbeats and shortness of breath went away, I started to write. Not here, but in my journal. The place that my fears, my sadness, and my frustrations go. That’s where the best of my writing and the worst of my thoughts go.
So, here it is.
And, for the record, it’s not what you’re used to from me. It’s a stream of consciousness, and I’m not asking you to like it. I’m not asking you to share it, either. The weekly readers might send an email about it, and that’s fine. I appreciate the support.
Also, I’ll keep writing on this blog. But I’m doing it for myself from here on out rather than for the shares and the traffic. Writing has always been my outlet, and when I have them, I’ll share stories, too. But from here on out, I’m going back to the way I like it.
Everything below this heading is what came from that journaling session.
We’ve all had something taken from us this year. So perhaps I’m not special in thinking this. But there’s plenty to be gained as well.
Between extra time with my family, finding comfort in solitude, and seeing kids learning outside of the classroom, it’s hard to feel this salty. But I do. I want to take all the time that everyone got back from their endless commutes and use it for something beautiful.
But I can’t. I don’t feel like I can. In fact, I feel like all the work I did and all the things I tried in the last 6 months were for nothing at all. So much of my lifestyle disappeared with the travel industry. I thought that if I dug my heels in, I’d be fine. I thought that if I just pivoted, I’d be good. Maybe if I learned a bunch of cool blogging skills that I’d be able to pull old stories out of nowhere. Worst case, I’d learn a bunch and overcome, best case, I’d come out ahead.
So I did. I put my head down and cranked out 60 hour weeks. Then, I learned about coding and SEO and Pinterest strategies. I took what I had done intuitively with my blog and learned the ‘right’ way to do things.
And I hated it.
In reality, all that learning and trying and whatever else left me feeling more stuck than before. So, I decided to ignore the thoughts that came up when I thought about ‘blogging’.
I don’t want to do it anymore.
I don’t want to write to the masses, and think about if Google will rank my post. I don’t want to code in intricacies and network with other bloggers. Bloggers are mean! I don’t want to write about ten things you should do wherever and what water bottle you should buy.
Instead, I want to sit in a stranger’s presence until they aren’t a stranger anymore, and learn new words, and share a laugh, and then tell you about it. I want my life to be lived without the context of how, or if, I’ll share it later. I want to share it because I have feelings about it.
And with blogging, I can’t do that.
Not if I want to be ‘successful’.
So, screw it. I’m done with blogging. It’s not my job, and unless I do all the things I don’t want to do with my words and time, I’ll never make it a job.
Instead, I’m going to keep traveling, and learning through my experiences. And with the current situation globally, I can’t do that in good faith.
I can’t go sit with a stranger and be sure that I didn’t carry the pandemic to them. And I don’t want to promote anyone else doing it, either.
I will continue to write, and share what I write. Of course I will. Right? Write. I’ll do it publicly, in captions and blogs. But they won’t be ‘optimized’. I’m stripping it back to just being me.
Which leads me to this:
There’s no guidebook for how to stop traveling.
My identity was wrapped up in my ability to travel. Even before doing it full time, my lifestyle was that of a traveler. And then I spent six months in one place. And now another 4 in another. Not a single night away from my own bed.
I went from a month here and a month there, with aspirations of a few weeks in another place, to nearly a year of small circles and a cloudy crystal ball.
There’s nothing that tells me what to expect when the road comes to an end. Will the next road be built? Will I build it? I’m no engineer. I can’t change visa laws or create vaccines. I can’t even see through the fog.
People were cheering for me.
But what happens when I stop cheering for myself? There’s no wind. no sails, and the anchor is still down. I couldn’t continue on if I wanted to.
So here I am, having stern chats across the alley with the neighbor in broken Spanglish. Chats telling him that his dogs bark all night and I can’t sleep. They bark all day and I can’t work, or take calls. Calls to promote a blog that I no longer want to write because the most authentic Mexican experience I’ve had is yelling at my neighbor about his damn dogs.
I don’t even get to say that I’m done. The universe decided that one for me.
Does that leave me to go home with my tail between my legs? No. Just because the ‘passion project’ that stemmed from the passionate life is an endangered species doesn’t mean that I have a home.
Home? That place that my parents live. Where my bank accounts are held. Where my LLC is registered. The place that I pay taxes. I don’t feel like I have a place there, either.
Life is better outside. It feels safer here in so many ways.
Travel will change you.
Travel has changed.
And ‘home’ has changed since I left.
The world blames my countrymen. My countrymen point their fingers at China. China points at a small population outside of any government’s control.
These aren’t the unknowns I asked for
I no longer work in travel.
I no longer work AND travel.
Options
Cyprus. Cuba. Caymans
Macau. Malaysia. Mauritius.
South Korea. Singapore Seychelles
Taiwan. Turkey. Thailand.
I saw an article that said that all of these countries can visit more countries than the U.S. can right now.
If I go to the U.S., I’ll be grossed out and frustrated by blame. Is it so wrong that I’d rather take a 38% tax rate and be taken care of than my 25% and see no protections. It’s a culture I’ve long struggled to respect.
So a trip to Osaka will now be relegated to Omaha. Cali to California. South Africa to South Dakota.
I did my best to relieve myself of all of this. These aren’t the unknowns I asked for.
Reactions
I travel because I run in to complicated situations, and get to learn them out. Feel them through. Emerge better.
So, what happens when I take the adventure and freedom, then strip it down.
Put spontaneity in it’s corner.
All that’s left is being far from home, and alone.
I went through the phases
Houseplant murderer. You know, for an aspiring plant mom, I didn’t do a very good job. Sorry, mom.
Duolingo needs dusting off. Now, thrice daily, a green owl leaves me feeling personally victimized by my ambition
Tiktok isn’t just for Gen Z. Honestly, I came out on the other side with a few dance moves and a ton of respect for the young ones. The kids are alright.
Of the many phases of isolation, I didn’t expect to land on ‘quit your passion project but keep living exactly the same as you were’. But here we are.
I wanted to shower the world with little stories. Little drops of hope that one day, hopefully soon, they can travel too. My only desire was to make the world a little smaller by bringing new ideas into peoples’ awareness. Bury, bloom, grow.
What I got was a metaphorical monsoon.
I once was blind
If freedom gets twisted into ‘F you and your mask’ and good American values mean selecting a rapist to make decisions about how I handle my body, then the American dream is off the table. It only ever existed for people almost like me, anyway. How can I feel good about contributing to the ethnocentric cycle of what it means to be an American when the title is no longer desirable.
It used to be a question of where was safe to visit. It feels daunting to think of going home.
If it feels that way for me, I can’t imagine how it feels to be born in the ashes of what was built on backs.
And the best-case scenario is that one old white man who is deplorably out of touch with the needs of his constituents will win the right to further sink the ship.
Just saying the words, “Road trip” conjures up images of people piled into a car, cruising Highway 66, and blasting sing-along music with the windows down.
But, what if the record scratches and the image of a road trip becomes just one person in the car?
As solo travel gains popularity, especially among women, the idea of the perfect road trip is changing. But, if it’s your first time taking a road trip alone, you probably have some questions, and perhaps a few fears to get over first.
I’m happiest on the road <3
So, You’re Interested in Road Tripping Alone?
First of all, THAT’S AWESOME!
I’m so glad that you’re here, and considering hitting the open road with you, yourself, and you. You’re going to find so much freedom in the journey, and will come back a more independent and interesting person. So cool.
If you aren’t sure where to begin, THAT’S FINE. Keep reading, because that’s what you’re going to learn!
Here are the four areas that we’re going to cover to ensure that YOU have a successful road trip alone:
Mindset – Your mindset is the foundation of doing anything well. We’ll talk about moving through your fears and getting EXCITED about this growth opportunity.
Logistics – What you need to do BEFORE hitting the road to ensure smooth sailing.
What to Bring – Ah, yes, packing lists galore. PLUS all the apps and other things that you shouldn’t leave home without
On The Road – Doing the darn thing, and doing it well.
*Side note before we get started:
I do teach this in a course. In this article, I’m going to tell you what to do. If you want to get some 1:1 advice on how to do it, then join the course here.
A 6-week solo road trip – this was in Teton National Park
1. Mindset: The Core of A Solo Road Trip
What is the reason that you have not yet taken a solo road trip?
1.1: Eliminate What’s Holding you back
For some, it’s the lack of opportunity: you’re young and haven’t been on your own long enough to hit the road without your parents. For others, it’s fear: you’d rather have someone alongside you in case anything goes wrong.
When you’re preparing to take a solo road trip, it is important to identify what has held you back from taking one in the past.
Once you’ve identified what is holding you back, think about what you can do to eliminate that risk.
For example, I was not looking forward to spending hours upon hours staring at the windshield. On top of that, I don’t know much about cars, so I was worried that if something happened to my car, I would be stuck in the middle of nowhere, plus have the expense of towing and getting my car fixed.
To decrease those reservations, I took my car in for a check-up, got the oil changed, and subscribed to AAA. To combat all the boring time behind the wheel, I downloaded e-books and podcasts to keep my mind busy.
On last year’s 6-week road trip
1.2: Decide what will move you forward
Once you’ve figured out what’s holding you back and how to decrease or eliminate your fears, you can fuel that energy into excitement.
This means that you get to start planning your trip and creating ideas of what you’d like to do, and what you want to get out of your trip.
For example, do you want to hike a mountain alone? Do you want to spend hours driving Highway 1? Maybe you want to tour a bunch of breweries across the state of Montana (and then not drive afterwards, of course!).
When you think about what will move you forward, don’t just think of bucket list items. Instead, think about what will help you achieve your goals. For example, many people want to become more independent, so they decide to road trip alone.
Will you feel more independent when you’ve stayed in an AirBnb solo?
Will you accomplish that feeling after learning to paddleboard in Florida?
Will you succeed in feeling more independent after finally figuring out how to use the self-timer feature on your camera to showcase your solo travels to the world?
It’s up to you!
Planning: the fun part!
2. Logistics: What to do before hitting the road
Besides moving through your mindset, the logistics can feel like the most daunting part of the road trip.
Want to know a secret? I rarely plan more than one activity per day when I’m traveling solo.
This lack of planning means that I only focus on the important things: What will be fun, and where will I sleep?
However, I know that there are lots of things that I need to do to have a successful road trip. Let’s break it down in to three less cumbersome categories:
Where you’ll stay
Preparing your car
What to do along the way
2.1 What You’ll do
It might seem counter-intuitive to plan your activities before you plan your destination, but trust me here.
Think about this: If you decide that you want to road trip to Minneapolis from where you live in Chicago, that’s great. But, what if you find something super cool that you want to do, but it’s a couple of hours out of your way. If you went ahead and booked a hotel in Minneapolis, you might end up doing something completely different, just because you locked yourself into accommodation first.
Instead, take the time to plot out all the fun things that you want to do. You can find quirky roadside stops by searching RoadsideAmerica or SillyAmerica. You can ask your friends, locals, and blogs about cool spots in and around the places you’ll be visiting.
Once you have an idea of where you want to go, you’ll be able to decide where you want to stay.
I always caution people, though: Plan one big thing to do per day. This way, you don’t get bogged down trying to rush from activity to activity, rather than just enjoying the big-ticket items on your list.
Plan one thing per day on your road trip: This day’s destination was a Buddha museum!
2.2: Where you’ll stay
I’ll start by saying this: nobody can plan your dream trip for you.
Therefore, you need to stop and think about what you want this trip to look like. If your idea of fun is a 5-star hotel that you never have to leave that has a great view, then do that. If camping off the grid in a national park for a week is more your style, then do that.
Here’s how I recommend booking your accommodation:
Figure out where you plan to enjoy yourself. This is important because if you want to climb mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park all day, staying in downtown Denver probably isn’t your best bet. Therefore, when you know where you want to spend your time, you can better plan your accommodations
Use the map feature on sites like booking.com and airbnb.com to find accommodation close to where you want to be
If you plan to camp, use reserveamerica.com, bookyoursite.com, pitchup, or hipcamp
While you don’t have to book your entire trip’s accommodation before you go, it’s a good idea to get a feel for what it will cost, and if the places you want to visit are booked out in advance.
Not a bad morning view from my cabin in Teton National Park!
2.3: The Drive
Now that you know where you’ll go during the day and where you’ll lay your head at night, you can plan the trip itself.
When it comes to driving, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Know the laws about talking on the phone while driving, and adhere to them. Nothing bums out a solo trip like getting a ticket
Download audiobooks, playlists, and podcasts in advance to avoid using a bunch of data
Save your destinations in offline Google maps to make sure that if you lose signal, you can still get where you’re going
You can save all your attractions as pins in your Google maps to make them easily accessible
Before you go, make sure to take care of your car:
Get the oil changed
Have an expert make sure it’s safe to road trip with
Fix any headlights, etc.
Know where your spare tire is and how to use it
Make sure your AAA membership is up to date in case you need it
3. What to Bring: Technology & Packing to road trip alone
If you take one thing from this portion of the article it’s this: If you forget something, it’s okay. You can probably buy it or download it where you’re going, because other people who travel there need the same things that you do.
So, before you start creating your packing list and downloading these apps, take a deep breath. These are guidelines, and if you forget something, it’s okay.
That being said, there are a few things that I recommend every traveler do.
What apps are on your phone?
3.1: Download the right apps
First, you’ll need to make sure you have the right technology in your phone. The first thing I want you to do is download Google Maps, then do the following:
Use Google Maps to plot the locations that you’ll be visiting
Share that map with someone as an extra layer of safety
Download offline maps of where you’ll be going in case you lose signal (here’s a how-to video)
Additionally, here is a list of the apps that I think every traveler should have.
For listening – Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Audible, Libby
3.2: Now, let’s talk packing.
The best thing about road trips is that you don’t have to fit your world into a carry on. If you want to, you can fill your backseat with every piece of clothing that you own!
However, overpacking is still a thing, and I don’t recommend it.
The thing is, I can’t tell you what to pack, because a camper will need very different things than a city-based sightseer. And maybe, you’re going to be both of those things on this trip!
This is everything I packed for a 10-day winter road trip!
Here’s what I recommend:
Write down the places that you’re going to visit, and what you’ll need at each
See which activities need the same items. For example, you might need a sundress for sightseeing and also for lunch with friends. You might need a flashlight for camping and also if you visit a cave attraction.
Then, make your list and see where you can use the same item for multiple activities.
If you need someone to check over your list or give you additional help, reach out to me, or ask a friend that has taken a similar trip.
Again, if you forget something – you can probably pick one up along the way!
Don’t forget to stop along the way and smell the flowers 😉
4. Hit the Road!
This is the fun part!
You’ve done what you can to prepare yourself. Your car is set, your plans are made… now get out there!
Part of the growth experience of solo traveling and taking a road trip alone is the ability to maneuver when something goes wrong. Not everything will go according to plan. You might forget to buy a ticket for something and not be able to do it. You might sprain your ankle on a hike. Who knows, you might get tired and decide to skip activities altogether.
However, you’ll also be able to do something different than you originally planned. You’ll kayak instead of hike. You’ll drink a cup of coffee and do something different.
That’s the beauty of taking a road trip alone: you get to decide what you want. It’s all about what makes you happy, comfortable, and independent.
I’m going to start by being really honest with y’all: being a woman is hard. We typically work more than men, get paid less, and take on more responsibilities. In my mind, these things all mean that as women, we deserve a whole bunch of self-care. As a solo travel expert, let me tell you why a solo road trip is self-care.
Road tripping in Germany
I’ve taken TONS of solo trips and could talk forever about how much fun I’ve had. If you want to check out a few of my favorite experiences, take a look at:
I want to be clear: I LOVE being a woman. I also LOVE traveling solo. AND I know that taking a solo road trip as a woman can be especially daunting.
Self-care isn’t about chocolate and baths – at least not always. Self-care is about the result of what you do. Want to feel more relaxed? a bath might be a great idea. Want to be more independent and confident? Traveling solo might be your jam.
So let me tell you why I think solo road trips are the best form of self care:
Solo Road Trips are Meditative
I have traveled to several countries solo but didn’t take my first solo road trip until last year. Before that, I’d have claimed that I ‘hated driving’ or that it was boring. I even planned my road trip so that my dad would do the last 10 hours of driving with me.
When I set off from Dallas to Amarillo, I made a point to have several audiobooks downloaded, planned to call a few friends to catch up, and brought plenty of snacks. Then, a weird thing happened.
I was enjoying my audiobook, and lost service somewhere in West Texas. I stopped to see a ghost town attraction and took a few selfies with my tripod (classic solo traveler move). Before I knew it, I was in Amarillo. What I thought would be the longest six hours of my life FLEW by.
Just because I was in the zone doesn’t mean I couldn’t pause for a selfie 🙂
The next day, I drove to Denver. I made a couple of fun stops on the way, but found that I really enjoyed the solitude. Not only was I proud of how long I’d spent on my own, but I also learned things on my audio books and found that the open road gave me space to think.
And so it went. On that trip, I camped solo for my first time, went hiking for several hours without seeing another soul, attended conferences on my own, and more. My longest driving day was 12 hours from Billings to Minneapolis. The shortest was three hours from Denver to Cheyenne.
All in all, those long driving days became something I looked forward to. I could absorb what I’d learned and felt confident about where I was going.
Solo Road Trips Teach You To Be Resilient
Ok confession: I went 3-4 days without showering on that big road trip last summer.
Why? Because I was camping and the campground’s plumbing was off for the season. Gross? Maybe. Worth it? Definitely. Did it reinforce why I always travel with baby wipes? 100%.
Solo traveling and solo road trips teach you how to pivot when needed, and to employ problem-solving skills. In many cases, it also teaches you to be resilient.
You run out of water and find ways to get it. You get lost while hiking and find a new trail. Solo experiences, especially the mishaps, are empowering. They cause you to be strong, self-reliant, and resilient as a result.
And let me tell ya – once I finally showered, I was ready to take on the world!
Tripod: check. Weird roadside stop: check.
Solo Road Trips Are the Ultimate Form of Independence
Oh, man. Just imagine – nobody messing with the Aux cord. Nobody saying when they want to stop. Nobody complaining about the AC, or how the open window hurts their ears.
Solo road trips mean doing what you want, when you want. You get to make all the decisions.
If it starts raining and you want to quit and go find a hotel, then you get to do that. If you don’t want to stay in a hotel and camp instead, then you get to do that, too.
Look how proud I was of my tent setup on my first solo campout
On a solo trip, you have the freedom to explore. You can hike, bike, and chase waterfalls to your heart’s content. Nobody will get on you for sleeping in, and you can interact with strangers at your will. You can stop every five minutes or not at all. You can eat and sleep wherever you’re comfortable, and you get to own the decision whether it goes right or wrong.
Solo Road Trips Will Boost Your Self Esteem
There’s no better way to boost your self confidence and self esteem than to realize that you’ve navigated something challenging all on your own. In this case, it’s driving to a random place and figuring everything out.
We have cell phones, data plans, and the power of simply asking others to help us figure things out, but even so – if you can rock it without someone constantly by your side, you’ll feel so powerful.
Here’s an example: Last summer, I was on a solo road trip from Texas to Florida and back. One of my final stops was in Jefferson, Texas. I went for a run, but was feeling burnt out on having my phone on me, so I went without it.
This is the part where I tell you I’m not all that great with directions. I noticed that the city was divided into two grid patterns. I figured I’d head up the hill in one direction, go over a block, and head back in the opposite direction. Who knows how I did it, but I got SO turned around.
I realized I had two options: run and walk aimlessly, or find someone to ask for directions.
Fortunately, I was running in the opposite direction of a couple taking an evening walk. I asked them for the direction toward downtown, they pointed it out to me, and I was on my way. Once there, I figured out how to get to my B&B. Not so bad.
The point is – I was super proud. I asked for help. By relying on the kindness of strangers, I was able to find new strength in myself (and it’s always good to keep faith in humanity, too!).
SO self-assured!
A Solo Road Trip is Self-Care in Its Purist Form
So, there you have it, folks. Solo road trips really are a great form of self-care.
Self-care gets a reputation for being all bath bombs and gossip sessions. However, the end goal is what we use self-care for. Self-care isn’t bath bombs, it’s the relaxation we feel as a result. In that same vein, we don’t solo travel because we love the open road, we love the freedom it gives us.
Is there anything more American than a good old fashioned road trip? When someone says ‘road trip’ it conjures up images of passing snacks and the aux cord, and someone in the backseat guiltily saying, “I have to pee again”. I think of open windows, quirky gas station finds, and two-lane highways.
However, what if you don’t have anyone to go with? Most of my friends have different work schedules than I do, or don’t want to drive as far.
Pro solo road trip tip: Bring a tripod and use a self timer to get better selfies!
Should You Road Trip Solo?
In short, yes.
If your friends aren’t coming, and you have somewhere you want to go, then go!
Many people, women especially, are worried about hitting the open road solo. They’ve got cars, people, and Coronavirus to worry about – and all are legitimate concerns.
However, take the time to take proper precautions, and do what feels right to you. If personal safety is an issue, make a point to only be in public areas, share your location with someone, and don’t go to campgrounds, parks, gas stations, etc after dark.
If you’re worried about Coronavirus, pick a place with less people. Bring your own disinfectant towelettes and sprays. Camp instead of staying in a busy hotel.
Afraid your car will have issues on your solo road trip? Invest in AAA and go places that have a modest amount of traffic so you can be ‘rescued’ quickly if you need to be.
As someone who has road tripped solo for weeks at a time, don’t let anything hold you back from the growth experience that is solo traveling.
My first solo camping night in Wyoming
How to Choose A Solo Road Trip Destination
To be honest, choosing a solo road trip destination is typically the easiest part of the trip! You’ve probably decided you want to go somewhere, invited some pals (or not), then decided to hoof it alone.
If you’re struggling to decide where to go, ask yourself these questions:
What is my comfort zone? Are you super comfortable driving in the mountains but not in the big city? Do you feel safer around groups of people than out in nature? Solo road tripping is a personal growth experience on its own, so you might want to choose an environment that you’re comfortable in.
What do I have time for? If you have a 3-day weekend and want to get from Dallas to Nashville, you might spend more time in the car than enjoying your destination. This is especially true if you don’t have someone to share the driving time with.
Where is open/safe? This is a question not only for many women but is amplified by current events. For example, last summer I drove solo to Minneapolis to visit friends. Right now might not be an opportune time to visit the city. Also, if you’re planning to visit a specific attraction, call ahead to ensure that it’s open and understand if you need to preorder tickets, wear a mask, etc.
What do I want to do? Perhaps the best part about traveling solo is that you get to do what you want, when you want. If you’ve always wanted to hike Pike’s Peak, then get yourself to Colorado. If you want to drive endlessly on the open road, find a road trip like the ones listed below.
Raise your hand if you love road trips!
Where to Go
Want some suggestions for some of the best solo road trips? Here are some of my favorites:
The Classic: Highway 1/Big Sur
Want a ‘choose your own adventure’ style road trip? Highway 1 is definitely one of the most iconic road trips in America. People fly in to California from all over, rent convertibles, and enjoy the scenic coastline.
If your idea of adventure is hiking through the redwoods, then Big Sur has you covered.
More interested in a picnic on the beach, whale watching, and catching the sunset? Also Big Sur.
Or perhaps you fancy a nice hotel (or camping spot!), a glass of wine, and watching the surf from above. Also an option here.
It’s important to note that this is a destination as well as a through point. Highway 1 is the epitome of the cliche, “It’s about the journey, not the destination”. Big Sur itself is about 70 miles of Highway 1. It twists, turns, and gives drivers some of the most breathtaking views in the country.
So, take the time to enjoy Big Sur and the California coast – slow and steady wins this race.
For the City Girl: New Orleans, Louisiana
If the idea of camping, hiking, and all things ‘outdoorsy’ makes you cringe, then turn your sights toward The Big Easy.
New Orleans is home to the Saints and the Pelicans, but also hosts the annual Zurich Classic (PGA) and horse racing.
Not a fan of sports? Try going to some of the most famous bars in the world. From the famous Spotted Cat Music Club to the daquiri-dealing Bourbon Street scene, the nightlife in NOLA never seems to end.
Prefer history, tours, and more? Check out the St. Louis Cemetery #1 with a free walking tour, or take one of the popular ghost tours. Taking group tours is a great way to meet other travelers as well!
And, since this is a road trip, my #1 most recommended thing to do in New Orleans is to drive to the Whitney Plantation. The Whitney Plantation is the only museum devoted to slavery in the United States. Take a guided tour and learn about the lives of enslaved people while touring slave quarters, vast plantation land, and the massive home in the center of it all.
Cheese & Trees: Door County, Wisconsin
If you’re in the Midwest, you might get discouraged that there are so many amazing road trip destinations on the coast. However, don’t look over the popular Door Peninsula in Wisconsin.
Surrounded by Green Bay and Lake Michigan, this picturesque piece of land has a 90-mile scenic loop that includes stops for hikes, ferry tours, fishing, camping, local restaurants, and more.
Door County is especially popular in the fall as a ‘leaf peeping’ destination, so if your trip is happening as the leaves change, you might want to make reservations at hotels, campgrounds, and restaurants ahead of time.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin acts as the unofficial gateway to Door Peninsula, so gas up there and you’ll be good to go.
Need itinerary ideas? Check out this post, or just ask a local. Wisconsinites are known to be incredibly friendly. Who knows, they just might invite you to their favorite pub for some cheese curds and a brew.
New England’s Escape: Vermont
Whether you’re in it for the beer, hiking, and quirky towns, or simply want to get out of the crowded cities like Boston & Providence, Vermont has a little something for everyone.
In the winter, Killington, Stowe, and other ski resorts attract thousands of tourists a week. In the summer, head north to Burlington to enjoy Lake Champlain views and crisp apple-based brews.
Skiing at Killington in Vermont
Year round, Vermont takes pride in its breweries, and you can find a brew tour in almost every city, and day of the year. They even have a beer passport that tourists & locals alike use to track their Vermont patriotism.
Vermont is also popular for leaf peepers, so in the fall, be sure to make reservations ahead of time.
Wild West: Jackson, Wyoming
Jackson, Wyoming is home to some of the most idyllic skiing, hiking, and driving in the country. It is home to the main entrance to Grand Teton National Park, which is one of the easiest mountain drives I’ve done on a solo road trip.
One of the best parts of Jackson for solo travelers is The Hostel in Teton Village. Teton Village has hotel rooms that reach in to the four-figures per night, but The Hostel has beds for $50 a night. Plus, it has a kitchen, lawn games, and more. It’s the perfect place to meet people as a solo road tripper.
Frank the Fit in Teton National Park
From The Hostel, you can hike or take the Bridger Gondola up the mountain (it’s free after 5pm!) to the restaurant or to enjoy the views, ski, or take day trips in to the national park.
If you’re on a longer trip, you can go up through Teton National Park to Yellowstone National Park, and on to Montana. Billings, Bozeman, and Big Sky are all popular road trip destinations and would make a perfect set of road trip destinations.
More Solo Road Trip Information
Road tripping solo might sound daunting at first, but let me tell you – after you’ve done it, you’ll be hooked! I’ve taken solo road trips in:
If you’re in search of a great book, I have 10 recommendations for you. Since mid-March, I’ve read about 20 books. Not only that, but I make sure that at least half the books I read are by people of color, and at least half are by women. It leads to some interesting perspectives – and I can always stand to learn and grow from other people’s ideas! Here are the best books to read in any situation.
As you read through this, I’ll organize it by situation, then book. For example:
Situation
Book
Synopsis
Here are 10 of the books I recommend most right now:
I’ll be honest. I read this book, and the whole time I wished I had listened to it instead. Tiffany talks about growing up in South Central LA, her failed first marriage, and getting stoned with Will and Jada Smith. It’s a series of stories, but she has plenty of lessons built-in along the way. This would also make a great beach read.
The storyline of this books spans one family over 300 years. It starts in what is now Ghana and traces the descendants of an Asante woman through generations. This book expanded what I understood about parts of world history and how America was built. I finished this book 3 months ago and still have it on my brain.
An academic & political piece you’ll want to keep reading
This book is on my desk as I write this. Through stories, analogies, and her background as a civil rights litigator, Alexander describes the ‘prison pipeline’ and leaves detailed calls to action for people of any race. This book continues a much-needed conversation.
A book that will challenge your ethics… in a good way
Perhaps a perfect follow up to reading The New Jim Crow, this novel tells the story of a pair of newlyweds that go to visit the in-laws. The husband is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and the story continues on through his years of incarceration and those following. Take what you think you know about the prison system and set it on the shelf as you read this book.
I started this one on a plane and was crying in the first 5 minutes. The author digs in to the power of all kinds of love, the desire to dream, and the meeting of the two. Perhaps I loved it only because I’d love to be able to write with as much passion and detail as Sejal Badani.
When I was in Oklahoma City earlier this year, I had a few conversations with artists that were also First Nations. They told me that this book is *it* amongst the First Nations people right now, regardless of tribe. While it wasn’t the best book all year, the stories in the book shed a captivating light on the ongoing trials in the indigenous community.
It was WILD to read this during COVID-19. It’s insane to me how the epidemic in the book started along the same lines as the current one – in China, spread via the air, NYC was hit hard… the parallels freaked me out a little bit. I’m hoping the real-life scenario will end better than the one in this book.
A book that will make you feel like a better person
This book is part memoir, part personal development. Through her stories, Glennon Doyle extracts ideas for the readers to discover. I found myself evaluating how I can trust myself better and serve others differently. It all comes down to the idea that: the braver we are, the luckier we get.
A book that will change the way you think about work
If I hadn’t read this book in college, I might be in a very different place now. It took everything I thought about retirement, a savvy career, and productivity and shoved it into a suitcase. I’ve long called this the entrepreneur’s bible, but it’s more than that. This book is required reading for anyone involved in any type of business. Employees, employers – everyone.
A psych thriller that not everyone has read already
Psych thrillers are everything right now, and I’d argue that this is one of the best. Taking place in London, a seemingly happy wife shoots her husband repeatedly one evening after work. The story is told from the perspective of the psychologist that takes care of her, and does not have the beginning, middle, or end that I was expecting.
Where to read these books:
I download almost all of my books on to my kindle via the Dallas Public Library. My library card gets me access to the Overdrive system. I can hold books, get on waiting lists, and more.
Additionally, I do book exchanges with friends. If you have a book you think I’d like, let me know. I have a few paperbacks I can send your way and we can do a little switcharoo.
Finally, I’ll occasionally buy books. You know, the old fashioned way. I just like reading a curated list, so I’m happier with the library than leaving myself to the mercy of local bookstores.
