Hi friends, I hope all is well.

In today’s blog post, I’ll be talking about how I took the leap of faith and booked a trip to Arizona, why taking a solo trip is important and some important things to note.

So before I begin, I’m sure you’re wondering why I decided to take a trip to Arizona…right?

When you’re someone like me who’s only ever been to all the states on the east coast and only one in the midwest… You wanna know what else is out there.

I wanted a change of scenery.

I also wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone.

While booking the flight and saving up for the trip was easy, getting myself emotionally there was hard.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve traveled alone pre-covid. But adding to the factor of traveling in a post-covid world, it made me a little more scared to do the one thing I loved.

I felt very anxious leading up to my trip and rightfully so.

But I needed to push past that and understand that growth happens when we decide to step out of our comfort zone.

So now I’m going to give you a list of reasons why you should book that solo trip and then follow up with some important things to note.

Let’s dive in!

1. You Get to Be on Your Own

In this day and age, where we are so connected to what’s going on in the world and take every opportunity to go out with friends after a long week at work–it’s so easy to disconnect from being alone.

To be clear, loneliness is not the same thing as being alone. Loneliness is a feeling and being alone is a decision—and an empowering one as well.

Being alone gives you the opportunity to be present with yourself and connect to yourself.

On a solo trip, you can make all the plans for yourself with the goal of choosing experiences that you know you’ll love and setting out to do them, because you can.

It may be daunting at first, but when you get the ball rolling on what it is you want to see, planning it all out doesn’t sound so bad.

The more you open yourself up to trying new things/seeing new things, the more secure you become.

Additionally, the better you become at being alone and cultivating these experiences, the more it speaks to your adventurous nature and it gives you more value that you can bring to any conversation.

2. You Learn Important Life Lessons

If you’re someone who lives at home with family, one of the things I did once my trip was finalized, was budget for it.

So as for my day-to-day budget, I have a pretty loose budget.

But when it came to my vacation, I started budgeting seriously for my trip… and by the end, I managed to have some extra money left over!

Another life lesson I learned, was learning how to live on my own. Like for the first time I grocery shopped for things I actually needed.

I learned that half the stuff I bought were perishable–lol–so I had to throw out those items by the time I got to my second hotel.

While traveling solo, you also gain a sense of awareness and actually gain an understanding of real world issues–like gas prices and checking your car’s tire pressure.

3. You Meet New People

Giving yourself this opportunity to go out alone, opens you up to new and exciting experiences to meet people who may also be vacationing from another part of the country.

I went out to the botanical gardens the other day and struck up a conversation with a woman and we ended up taking pictures of each other throughout the gardens.

While grabbing breakfast before my voyage to Sedona, I overheard a conversation between two guys who were speaking in spanish.

I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and asked where they were from. And to my surprise– they were from Spain!

It also helps to book tours, so when I went to Antelope Canyon, I was a part of a small group and out of everyone (there were 7 of us lol) there was a couple who was also from New Jersey and it was nice to have something as simple as being from the same state to connect us.

While walking back to my rental car in Old Town Scottsdale, I met a group of people from Minnesota.

I could go on and on, but my point is it’s awesome when you get the opportunity each day on vacation to immerse yourself into new experiences, like talking to people from different parts of the country and even the world.

Some important things to note…

If you decide to go out…

Make sure you go out early in the daytime, so that you can maximize the time you have to do the things you want to do. Especially if you have a group tour planned for early in the day.

Another thing I’d advise, is to not go out at night, especially if you are a woman solo traveler.

Unless you are with a friend, don’t go out to bars or clubs at night.

However, if there are some things that you absolutely have to do, such as getting gas, heading to pick up takeout and running to get some essentials, then do that and then go back to your hotel/airbnb.

If you’re thinking of going on excursions…

Book them as soon as you book your flight. Spots fill up fast depending on what month you decide to go.

Another thing…Rent a car. It comes out a lot cheaper if you rent a car for the duration of your stay.

Aside from rentals being cheaper–as you aren’t relying on an Uber to get around–it is also safer to do so and you allow yourself the opportunity to get familiar where you are.

No Matter Where You Go…

Always, Always, Always send your family and friends messages throughout the day or week as to where you are, what you’re doing, etc.

Especially if you are in a place where you don’t know anyone, text or call your family and let them know what you’re up to, what your plans are for the day… Essentially, catch them up on your day and what you’ve seen and done.

Yes, I’m sure the sole purpose of booking the solo trip was to get away from the family and friends, but you have to understand that regardless of where you are in the world–your family and friends care about you and your well being.

Aim to send out texts at least 1-3 times a day and try to get 2-3 phone calls in.

Depending on how long you plan to be away, the above numbers could vary.

So since I was away for 7 days, I aimed to have contact with my family and friends anywhere between 2-5 times a day and phone calls at least every 2 days.

That may sound like a lot to you, but that’s what worked for me.

When you’re on the solo trip, you find what works best for you… Remember, having some sort of contact with those you love, is better than no contact.

These were all my tips on all things solo trip. I really hope you enjoyed reading through these and feel comfortable booking your first solo trip!

For my more seasoned travelers, if there were some tips that I missed out on, feel free to let me know in the comments below.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you do? Let me know!

Sending you a ton of love and light your way,

P.S: To catch up on all my adventures, follow me on these social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!