Have you ever planned a trip with friends, and one by one, your friends back out? Same. Which left me wondering: does anyone know how to take yourself on a solo road trip?
In this article, I’m going to give you a tongue in cheek look into how to take yourself on a solo road trip. Buckle up, and I hope you giggle 🙂
There’s a course to teach you how to take a solo road trip. From mindset to execution, it’s all here.
So, here’s the dish. How to take yourself on a road trip, a tongue-in-cheek, slightly factual guide, by me.
How to take a solo road trip:
- Decide you want to go on a road trip. Possibly be inspired by someone else’s trip and think, ‘I’ll add a solo road trip to the bucket list’.
- Pick an elusive time parameter. For me, I had a girls weekend in Denver, and 10 days later a conference in Billings. A normal person would fly twice it, but hey. It’s me.
- Add other stops to the trip that sound fun. For me coming from Dallas, it was parts of Texas and the National Parks that I’d always wanted to visit, plus visiting friends and family on the way back from Billings.
- Realize a few days before you’re scheduled to leave that you need to pack for hot, cold, parties, work conferences, hiking, sleeping, and more. Wait until 40 minutes before you plan to leave to throw it all in the car, creating a ‘homeless-hoarder-chic’ aesthetic for the Semi-Truck drivers that look down into your car. Top it off with that super cute hat you probably won’t wear at all on the trip.
- Run back in the house for the phone charger, but end up grabbing a lighter, bottle opener, and the last half of a loaf of bread. You know, just in case.
- Go. Nobody gave you permission, so don’t wait for anyone to tell you not to go. Thank every person who tells you to be safe, knowing full well you did not buy that bear spray.
- Pretend you’re not freaking out.
- Listen to all the podcasts you’ve been meaning to listen to, see all the things you’ve always wanted to see and see all of the friends you told you’d come visit.
- Make new, unexpected friends along the way. The weird dude at the campsite? He and his wife will end up offering you dinner. And then a beer. And then coffee on your way out in the morning. They’ll even let you pet their dog. And offer you their couch in case it rains at night. “Just holler, ya hear?”
- Splurge on a hotel after several nights of not showering and days of hiking. Watch your skin turn from dark and dusty back to pale AF.
- Learn to make ‘camping food’ better than your parents. A double-decker veggie burger with cheese on slightly stale whole wheat, and a layer of peanut butter just because? You won’t have felt this ‘college’ since college. Except in college, you had amenities and this is a really mediocre campfire.
- Take time to stop and grow. Think, write, read, and do the things that make your brain light up. Be grateful, because not everyone makes the time to do this. You will be a more interesting person to have a beer with after this.
Further Reading:
Considering a solo road trip? I have a course to teach you how to plan it here.
Want information on the finances behind my six-week road trip? Here you go.