5 truths I wish I had known about solo travel before my first trip

When I booked my first solo trip way back when, I imagined it would be pure freedom. Early mornings with coffee overlooking the ocean, long hikes through quiet trails, dinners at candlelit tables for one.

And while some of it was exactly that — liberating and beautiful — there were moments I didn’t expect. The awkward, the emotional, and even the deeply humbling.

Solo travel changes you. It’s not just about discovering new cities, but about rediscovering yourself in unfamiliar places. Looking back, there are a few truths I wish someone had told me before I packed my bags.

Let’s get into them.

1) Independence feels empowering—until it feels isolating

When you’re planning a solo trip, everyone says, “You’ll love the independence!” And they’re right. There’s a real high in waking up and realizing you can do whatever you want — no compromises, no waiting around, no one else’s schedule.

But what they don’t mention is that independence can morph into loneliness faster than you think. After a few days of quiet dinners and long walks without conversation, you start to crave connection.

I remember sitting at a small café in Lisbon, surrounded by laughter and chatter, suddenly hit with an unexpected wave of loneliness. It wasn’t dramatic — just a quiet ache, like realizing you’re the only one without a dinner companion.

Here’s what I wish I had known: being alone doesn’t have to mean being disconnected.

Start small — talk to the barista, join a walking tour, or sit at the bar instead of a table when you eat out. Most people are far friendlier and more curious than we expect.

Solo travel teaches you that connection doesn’t always require familiarity. Sometimes it’s just a shared smile, a conversation about where you’re from, or the universal language of getting lost together.

2) You won’t always feel brave—and that’s okay

There’s this unspoken expectation that solo travelers are fearless — jumping on night buses through new cities, striking up conversations with strangers, wandering down unknown streets.

The truth? You’ll have moments where you feel completely out of your depth.

My first night alone abroad, I barely left my hotel room. I ate granola bars from my bag because the idea of sitting alone in a restaurant felt too intimidating. And that’s okay.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving through it. Every time you face that discomfort — ordering in a new language, figuring out public transport, asking for directions — you build confidence that sticks with you long after the trip ends.

If I could go back, I’d tell myself this: bravery doesn’t always look like boldness. Sometimes it’s just showing up for yourself, even when you feel small and uncertain.

3) The version of yourself that comes home won’t be the same

This is a big one.

No one warns you how much solo travel messes with your sense of self — in the best way possible.

When you’re alone in a new place, you eventually stop playing your usual roles. You’re not “the reliable one,” “the friend who plans everything,” or “the quiet coworker.” You’re just you — unfiltered, unlabelled, free to be whoever you feel like that day.

On one of my trips, I remember renting a bike and getting hopelessly lost in the countryside. Normally, I would’ve panicked — old me would have blamed myself for being unprepared. Instead, I laughed, stopped by a roadside café, and spent an hour chatting with an old man who spoke barely any English.

It’s in those unexpected moments — the small mistakes, the detours, the unplanned pauses — that you get to meet a version of yourself that’s been buried under routine and expectations.

And here’s the kicker: when you come home, that version doesn’t quite fit back into your old life. You might feel a little restless, a little misaligned. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just a sign that you’ve grown — and growth always creates space.

4) Planning gives you control—but letting go gives you magic

If you’ve ever worked in a structured job like I did (hello, spreadsheets and five-year plans), it’s easy to treat travel like another project to manage. Flights, check. Hotels, check. Daily itineraries, double check.

But the truth is, no matter how well you plan, things will go sideways. Trains get delayed. Weather ruins your beach day. That “highly rated” restaurant turns out to be a tourist trap.

On my second day in Japan, I missed the train I’d meticulously scheduled to catch. I was frustrated, tired, and convinced my entire day was ruined. But because of that missed train, I wandered into a nearby garden, where a group of women invited me to join a tea ceremony. It ended up being one of the most peaceful, grounding experiences of my life.

That’s when it hit me: control keeps you safe, but surrender gives you wonder.

Solo travel forces you to practice adaptability — to lean into uncertainty rather than fight it. And in doing so, you start to realize that the most beautiful moments rarely come from plans; they come from pauses.

5) The best souvenir is self-trust

When you travel alone, you become your own safety net. There’s no one else to double-check the map, remind you to grab your passport, or translate the menu for you.

It’s terrifying at first. But with every small challenge you handle — navigating a foreign metro, managing a delayed flight, figuring out how to ask for vegan food in another language — something shifts inside you.

You start to trust yourself in a way you never have before.

That trust doesn’t disappear when the trip ends. It shows up later in unexpected ways — in how you handle work stress, in how you make decisions, in how you navigate uncertainty.

For me, solo travel became less about the places I visited and more about the internal compass I built. The quiet confidence that says, “I can figure this out.”

If I could give my past self one piece of advice, it would be this: you already have everything you need. The trip just reminds you.

Final thoughts

Solo travel isn’t just about ticking countries off a list or taking pretty photos. It’s about getting comfortable with yourself — your fears, your habits, your strengths, and even your loneliness.

There will be moments when you question why you ever thought traveling alone was a good idea. And there will be moments when you feel an overwhelming sense of peace, sitting quietly in a place where no one knows your name.

Both are part of the journey.

If you’ve been thinking about taking that first solo trip, do it. Not because it will be easy or picture-perfect — but because it will stretch you in ways nothing else can.

And when you come back, you’ll realize you didn’t just visit new places. You discovered new parts of yourself too.