I learned my strengths and my weaknesses. I experienced the exhilaration of the ups and the despairs of the lows and most of the feelings in between… I learned courage and I learned it myself

Ann Stirk

Is it any surprise that not everyone loves Valentine’s Day? I thought I would start out the month with an anti-Valentine’s Day post. Solo travel is one of the most enriching experiences I’ve ever had and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone contemplating it.

Traveling with your significant other is something special as well, but that’s not what this week’s post is about. This is about Y-O-U and just you. There are a million travel blog posts out there that tell you exactly where to go on your solo trip. These are great, but I wanted to do something a bit different.

Below you’ll find a few ideas for the types of trips you can take based on the mood or travel vibe you’re looking for. That way there are so many more possibilities you can have tons of fun researching and exploring.

Solo Beach Vacation

Beach vacations are one of my favorites because of how diverse they can be. Want to seclude yourself on an island? Feel like partying it up at a beach music festival? Maybe lounging by the water at a resort while you drink your favorite drink is more your style.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Choose a location that has several options or vibes in case you end up wanting more variety
• Travel to a warm beach destination in the middle of winter to give yourself a break from the winter blues
• Bring all the books and other self care items so you can treat yourself daily
• Try a water sport or water-related activity like snorkeling or jet skiing
• Walk on the beach at sunrise, sunset or both
• Have a picnic with your favorite snacks and meal

Solo Foodie Tour

If you have a favorite food or several and fantasize about eating different variations of them or you just enjoy a delicious meal, this could be your perfect trip. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a decadent meal and/or a delicious chocolate-y dessert, so why not turn a date night into a solo trip to treat your taste buds? Take a food tour of your town or one nearby. Take a road trip to explore your state’s food offerings. The possibilities are endless.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Take a cooking class featuring a favorite food
• Find a cuisine you’ve never tried before to spice up your culinary choices
• Get a variety of mini desserts to taste more than one dessert
• Try an appetizer in one restaurant, a main course in another, and dessert in a final restaurant.
• Get your favorite food in every destination you go in search of the best place in the country (or state or town) to get that food.

Solo Adventure Vacation

Let’s all admit that 2020 and 2021 weren’t exactly as thrilling as they could be. Add a hint or a blast of spiciness into your year by taking a solo adventure vacation. Maybe you’ve always wanted to go four-wheeling through a jungle or scuba diving with schools of colorful fish. Ski diving? Hiking an impressive mountain? Make a plan and go for it!

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Choose an adventure that truly excites you and that is feasible to safely do on a vacation
• Plan more than one adventure for the trip
• Plan a variety of lengths for your chosen adventure so you still have time to explore, relax, and recover for the next one
• Try a location that has a good mix of town/city and nature to give your trip more variety

Solo Back-to-Nature Trip

Sometimes all you need to relax and feel refreshed is a vacation smack dab in the middle of nature. Maybe you want to get away from people *cough* I mean… the hustle and bustle of the city… or you just love spending time in the outdoors, but don’t get to experience it often. Taking a trip solely focused on getting you outside and breathing the fresh air can do wonders.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Start small and build up to the most epic part of the trip. Starting too big at the beginning of the trip will make the smaller experiences seem less magical
• Don’t limit yourself to one type of scenery. Try finding a place that isn’t just a tunnel of green. If you’re hiking, why not choose a place that has a few lookout points, a scenic drive nearby, and a few different hiking paths that make the trip more memorable
• Leave the nature cleaner than you found it. Trust me, you’ll feel like a rockstar doing this
• Stop to appreciate the little things and take tons of pictures

Solo Digital Detox Vacation

When you start getting anxiety about even looking at your phone and get absolutely no time to yourself because of all the notifications bombarding you, it’s time to take a digital detox trip. Take a backpacking trip or a road trip where you just hit the road with no plan. Or choose to limit yourself to wifi only so you can truly connect with what you’re seeing. No matter how you do it, it’ll be rewarding.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Make sure you let people know you’re alive or at least going off the grid just in case
• Visit a variety of spaces where you can spend lots of time like museums, nature, walking tours and challenge yourself to learn something new
• Make yourself a scavenger hunt to complete without the help of Google
• Grab a snack and go somewhere you can people watch. This is highly underrated as an activity
• Take a class or workshop to learn a new skill

Solo Once-In-a-Lifetime Adventure

What’s the one trip that gives you goosebumps just thinking about it? The one you’re always dreaming about, sneaking looks at pictures, and telling anyone and everyone that you can’t wait to make it a reality. Find a way to make it happen. You deserve it.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Live it up. Say yes to everything that interests you.
• Save up funds so you can do the trip how you imagined and then some for extras that will make the vacation more special
• Take as many pictures as possible that will elicit a positive memory
• Focus on activities and accommodations that will provide you as much value as possible
• Be open/flexible when new experiences or opportunities present themselves

Solo Relaxation Vacation

Do you find time to relax on a daily basis, never feel even a hint of stress, and you always practice self care and “me” time? You lucky b*tch. Just kidding…sort of. I don’t know who you are, but if you’re dreaming of a vacation and reading this, you’re probably more like me and find yourselves occasionally turning into a giant ball of anxiety and stress. We all need a vacation. Desperately. This one’s for you.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Bring your favorite self care items with you to treat yourself on the plane, car ride, and in the hotel
• Treat yourself to a relaxing activity like massage, scenic hike, yoga class, etc
• Find a gorgeous spot to just sit and enjoy doing nothing (yes, this is surprisingly difficult)
• Have a day with absolutely no plans so you can wander and explore without feeling rushed

Solo Multi-Destination Trip

This is the vacation for when you just can’t choose and say YES let’s just commit to all of our ideas. Want to go to that city? Done. What about over there? Oh what about that one place that person was talking about? You know what, let’s do it all.

Ways to Make This Type of Trip Epic:

• Start in the busiest city or part of your trip. That way you can travel from large to small without feeling the shock of coming to a giant city after a relaxing few days in the countryside.
• Plan, plan, plan. Don’t micromanage your trip, but have an initial outline of where to go first and choose how long to stay in each place
• Try to book flexible travel so if you decide you want more time you won’t be paying tons of money to change your travel arrangements
• Pick at least 5 of the most exciting things you want to see in each place and make a list to make sure you don’t miss anything
• Choose places with lots of different vibes so you don’t feel like you’re visiting the same place over and over again