November 17, 2024 • 29 mins
Ever wondered how solo travel might reshape your world? I, Ryan from the Miller's in Motion podcast, invite you on a journey of discovery as I share my personal experiences of stepping out alone while typically being part of a duo with my wife in our RV. This episode promises a deep dive into the exhilaration and growth that comes from embracing solo adventures, whether you're navigating the lively atmosphere of a Disney park or setting sail on a solo cruise. You'll hear about the unique connections that form over shared meals and spontaneous conversations, as well as how solo travel often turns out to be both budget-friendly and liberating.
Join me as we navigate the art of traveling alone, offering insights into maintaining individuality within relationships and sharing tips on how to prepare for international solo travel. From ensuring you have all your travel documents ready to leveraging technology for staying connected, this episode covers it all. Learn the rewards of engaging with local cultures and the unexpected friendships that can blossom along the way. Don’t miss the shared stories from our listeners and advice that could inspire your next solo endeavor. Whether you're a seasoned solo traveler or contemplating your first trip alone, this episode is packed with insights to motivate your journey.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever thought about traveling solo, whether
you just don't have somebody totravel with or you need to get
away for a littleself-reflection time from
whatever is going on in yourlife?
We're going to talk about how,why and some of the different
scenarios with solo travelcoming up.
Next, welcome back to thepodcast.
(00:32):
My name is ryan and if it'syour first time here, welcome to
the miller's in motion podcast.
What is miller's in motion, youmay ask?
Well, that's my wife and I.
We travel as much as wepossibly can.
For the last two and a halfyears, we've actually been
living full-time in our AllianceValor RV and traveling on
cruises and other types of tripsall around it.
(00:52):
So why are we talking aboutsolo travel today?
Obviously, it's my wife and I.
We live in an RV.
We travel together a lot, butthere are some scenarios coming
up that is requiring us to do alittle bit of solo travel.
Now, there's two differentkinds of solo travel.
There's traveling for businesssolo, and then there's traveling
(01:14):
for pleasure solo.
We're focusing on the pleasurebecause if you're going
somewhere for business, that's alittle different, because
you're going to get there, youhave people you're going to work
with, you have things that youhave to do and or achieve.
And so by doing that, you knowthere's inherently going to be
something to do in community andless nervousness and all of
those things associated withthat, as it is Now, the flip
(01:40):
side of that is why in the earthflip side of that is why in the
earth would someone want totravel solo?
Well, there's the obvious rightFlat out you're by yourself.
So you know there's plenty ofpeople in this world that either
are just dating, haven't beenmarried, whatever scenario.
That is the reason why that youwould travel by yourself.
(02:03):
And I think what's important toknow is that you know people
get this anxiety with travelingsolo and I completely understand
it.
I had it the first couple oftimes.
I did it by myself, but youknow you don't want to
completely disregard the factthat.
You know if you like to travel,if you like to learn more about
(02:25):
different cultures andintegrate, that it's okay to be
uncomfortable, right, it's notnecessarily a bad thing to be
nervous or uncomfortable.
I mean it can cause someanxiety, but you know, just know
that depending on the scenario,and I think you can build up to
a different types of solo trips.
So, obviously, what are we goingto be talking about solo trips.
(02:47):
So, because we are so heavilyimmersed in the RV world,
there's obviously solo RVing.
Then, in addition to that, youhave the typical trip right, I'm
just going to get on a plane,go somewhere for X amount of
days and then I'm going to comeback.
And there's even different.
You know variations of thatwhich we'll get into in a little
more detail in a second.
And then you have, like cruisesand other types of things and
(03:09):
group travel, even though you'reriding solo.
So we're going to start kind ofin chronological order or
whatever.
The easiest would be Now.
The easiest thing would be isto join like a group of people
that are traveling, even thoughyou might be going by yourself.
So the easiest way I canexplain this is, for instance,
(03:30):
we're doing a group trip withour friends Phil and Stacey,
from Today is Someday, and it'snot like you could like.
If it was just going to be me Iwould still go but you have
that group atmosphere alreadyinherently built in.
So that's the easiest versionof solo travel.
So you're really not minusgetting to the destination and
getting home, wherever that maybe.
(03:52):
You know, in this scenario we'redoing a cruise and we're both
going and this is later on inthe year, in 2025, actually in
March and you know, if I wasgoing to go by myself on
something like that, this wouldbe where I would start, because
there's already a group oflike-minded people that you may
know some of.
You may not know some of them,but you know you can meet some
(04:14):
people quickly, easily integrateinto the culture of the trip
very, very fast.
So from there I would actuallyput probably like either a
Disney trip, if you're into thatkind of thing, or a cruise as
next, because inherently thereare so many like-minded people
(04:34):
on those two types of things andboth do a pretty good job of
helping solo travelers integratetogether a little bit.
So after that, then I'dprobably put RVing just slightly
behind that and I say just ageneral RV trip.
Now you can go to a rally or anin-person event or an RV show
(04:55):
and get a little bit more ofthat group.
So I'm kind of using a widespreading compass here.
You know, if you're goingsomewhere to see sites and all
that stuff a lot of times in theRV community, just hanging out
outside, meeting people at thecampground, all of those kind of
things, especially if you'regoing to be somewhere for a
little bit more time, can be agreat way to meet some people
(05:16):
and then, who knows, maybe go onan adventure with some of them
as you go through that.
So from there, obviously thehardest to do is if you're just
going to go somewhere for a longweekend, like you want to visit
new Orleans or Paris, itdoesn't matter where it's,
obviously you're going to have aharder time integrating and
that's where you know start withthe hotel kind of a thing and
(05:40):
and chat with like a conciergeor something and figure out
where people like to go, andthen maybe find a bar.
If you're a drinker, if you'rea non-drinker, you know you just
kind of hang out and just asksome people right, take an Uber
somewhere, go experiencesomething, but then talk with
people.
And I think the important partabout kind of learning more
about different cultures andgetting into it and this is
where a lot of people's anxietylikes to flare up is just have a
(06:06):
conversation with a local,assuming you can speak their
language and or they can speakEnglish, that kind of a thing.
Obviously, if you're in Franceand the person doesn't speak
English and you don't speakFrench.
There's a whole different levelof complexity there.
But you know, if you're in NewOrleans, then then try and go
meet some people, kind of.
You know, in the age of socialmedia there's two different ways
you can go about doing this.
(06:27):
Now, one is the old school way,you know.
You can go to bars, you can goto restaurants, you can go out
where people are in more of asocial environment and from
there, you know, you can meetsome people, do some things and
then potentially by mid or theend of the trip you've kind of
met some friends that you canget to know in that area before
you head back home.
(06:47):
Now you flip that around and inthe age of social media, you
know there are plenty of groupsthat are solo travelers, that
are, you know, in a specificarea, on a specific cruise, all
that kind of stuff where all ofa sudden you can have a little
bit more integration prior togoing and kind of start building
(07:08):
those relationships before youever step foot on whatever it
happened to be that trip, andhave a little bit of a game plan
, if that makes sense.
So, planning that perfect solotrip, you know what's popular
and where to start, I would tellyou to start with cruises.
If you're a fan of Disney andor Universal, those are also
(07:28):
pretty easy to integrate places.
You know, from the cruiseperspective, a lot of the cruise
lines are doing you knowthey're actually catering to
solo travelers.
Now the one thing I have totell you from a booking
perspective, you know a lot ofcruise lines will do what's
(07:51):
called a second supplement.
So they assume every room isgoing to have two people on it.
So if you're looking at a, ifyou haven't changed the search
criteria to one person, andyou're looking at a price of a
cruise, you're probably going tohave to double that dollar
amount that's on there.
So if it says starting at $499,it's probably going to be
$1,000.
If it's $500, you're going tobe at $1,000.
Now there are some cruise linesthat do a better job of this.
I have found um norwegian isprobably the best where they
(08:14):
have a very, very, verydiscounted what they call second
supplement.
Um royal caribbean, dependingon the cruise, is pretty good
about it.
The worst are going to bedisney, um holland, america
princess.
They just they're going to makeyou pay that full second person
.
So you know there's some prosand cons to that, depending on
how you're doing it, um, andalso this is a little insert
(08:35):
here moment I am actually goingto be doing a solo cruise in
about two and a half to threeweeks.
I don't have a calendar in frontof me, so I'm guessing a little
bit there, but in about threeweeks, at the beginning of
December, I'm going to be doinga solo cruise.
Lauren can't go Quite.
Frankly, we need to get somecontent built in because we have
some fun, fun, fun thingshappening in early 2025, but, uh
(08:58):
, some of them require a littlebit of lead time, and so, going
to get some content on a solocruise plus, I've never done
that before and I want to beable to speak to it.
I've done Disney solo a coupleof times.
Uh, it's been slightlyintegrated with the work trip,
um, but I'm looking for feedback.
So we have three ports, a call,and I also want to know what
questions do you have about solocruising?
(09:19):
What you know, I'm going to letyou guys pick what I do in some
of these ports, and so thethree ports I'm leaving from
Miami and so I'm not reallygoing to do anything in Miami
besides get to the ship, get offthe ship and then fly in and
out, but I'm going to be inNassau, bahamas, which I think I
(09:39):
have a game plan.
But if there's somethingspecifically that anybody out
there would like to know moreabout, whether it be through the
podcast or the main videos, byall means shoot us an email.
Also, key West is one of theother ones, and so I'm excited
about Key West.
Lauren and I have been therebefore, so I kind of have an
(10:00):
idea of some stuff I'd like togo do.
But if there's something youguys would like to see in the
videos, by all means reach out.
And then, last but not least,great Stirrup Cay.
That is actually Norwegian'sprivate island, so that one
we're probably just going to goexperience whatever there is to
do on the island, because I'mnot even 100% sure what I've
gotten into on that one, andthen we're coming back.
So then there's a couple of atsea days.
So if you have questions aboutsolo cruising, specifically on
(10:22):
Norwegian or anything else,we're on the Norwegian Pearl or
Norwegian Jade.
I'm sorry, we're on NorwegianJade, that you know.
You can reach out to us and youcan shoot us an email info at
Miller's in Motion or you canfollow us on any other socials
Instagram, facebook, it's justat Millers underscore in
underscore Motion or just searchMillers in Motion and our
(10:42):
little logo icon our faces willpop up and it's the same across
all platforms.
So shoot us an email, send us amessage.
I would love to know any placesyou'd like us to experience and
share on the channel, or ifyou've just got some good food
recommendations and that kind ofstuff in key western nassau and
then great scurp k.
If you've ever been, let usknow.
I'm curious about that becauseI don't have no clue what I've
(11:04):
been into.
So, um, getting back to kind ofplanning the rest of that trip,
the you know, being able to beon a cruise ship and and kind of
have that integrated where youcan go to a like a nightlife
party if you want to.
Um, I know on Norwegian whatthey do is they have like a five
or five o'clock um kind ofcocktail hour for solos and then
(11:27):
after that the idea is that youcan meet some people and then
if you want to go to dinner withthem, you can um, because
dinner's like right after thatfirst hour, and so you know,
there's a lot of things thatthey do to integrate people so
that you can try to meet fellowsolo travelers.
However you want to do that.
So again, follow the YouTubechannel and we'll show you how
we kind of go about doing allthat.
I'm sure I'll talk about it.
Post here on the podcast aswell.
(11:48):
Disney I know that there's asolo traveler for Disney
Facebook page.
There's a lot of Facebook pagesfor things these days, so you
can definitely check those outas well.
You know the thing about some ofthe tips I have like when
you're eating at differentplaces, like as a solo person,
especially like at Disney, itfeels a little weird sitting at
(12:09):
a table for like two or four byyourself.
Now it's really weird for usbecause I always have a camera
crust from me so I get doublethe weird looks.
But one of the things I like todo is actually sit at the bar.
People typically that aresitting at the bar are a little
more open to conversations.
It's a little more cohesive.
You have a little more of theability, just kind of how a bar
(12:30):
is set up, versus sitting at atable and having a conversation
with someone on a differenttable.
When you're at a table, you'revery kind of inclusive to that
table.
When you're at a bar, it's alittle easier to have that
conversation, and most placeshave the exact same menu at the
bar, so it's not like you haveto go there to drink.
You can sit there and have ameal.
I would tell you that if you'regoing to sit at a bar, do
something.
Don't just sit there and drinkwater all night.
(12:52):
Get a drink, get some food,whatever and hang out, relax,
enjoy it and on top of that,talk to.
Maybe the bartender start offwith and then you never know,
you know get outside thatcomfort zone.
So many people with socialmedia now kind of close down in
those situations, and I see it alot with the younger generation
.
They just don't know how tostart a conversation anymore,
(13:12):
and so there is a little bit ofan art form to it and I'm having
to go back 20 years to when Iused to do it.
But you know, that is one wayyou can do it as well, and when
you're in a place like a Disneyor a cruise, there's already
people around you that arelike-minded.
Right Now, if you'd go to NewOrleans, you don't know if
they're a local, if they're onvacation, you have no idea.
So I would say, start solotravel.
(13:34):
In some of those you know morecondensed, people have the same
views, and I say views are therefor the same reason, like
Disney.
You know people are there toenjoy Disney on a cruise.
You know people picked itbecause of the ports of call or
they like cruising or whatever.
Those are very like mindedheavy scenarios versus just
(13:55):
going out somewhere and jumpingon a trip.
So it's hard to not talk aboutkind of some of the budgeting
We've already talked a littlebit about on cruises.
But in hotels and airfare, oneof the bonuses by traveling
yourself is it is cheaper andyou can kind of do it how you
want.
Like when Lauren and I travellike we're planning a couple of
(14:17):
different trips right now andwe're going back and forth, you
know we're having theconversation of, well, I'd
rather do it this way and she'drather do it that way.
So like I may say, well, I'drather fly first class with a
connection, she'd rather flycoach and be direct.
Um, just because of howeverything falls and lands.
So for us to make a decision,there is a give and take, just
(14:40):
like everything else in thisworld.
When you're married or withsomeone is because I want her to
be happy, I also want to behappy, and we find what works
the best in the middle and we goforward.
So neither of us are 100%getting our way, but at the same
time too, we are getting toexperience all those things
together.
So it has its pros and its cons.
When you travel solo, like, forinstance, when I've gone down to
(15:03):
Disney for a work trip and Isay a work trip at Disney
Orlando, but I'll go visit theparks for a day or two, like in
the afternoons, because I wouldnormally do my morning stuff at
a conference and then I would beable to have the afternoons to
myself.
At the end of the day, I dowhatever I want and while I love
Lauren and I would never tradeexperiencing anything with her
(15:26):
for me getting to do it my waywhen she physically can't go or
be there at the end of the day Iget to eat what I want, again
within reason.
The what I want versus what Ishould eat comes into play, but
I also have the ability to dothe things I want, again within
reason.
The what I want versus what Ishould eat comes into play, but
I also have the ability to dothe things I want.
Like you know, I'm not a biglike she doesn't like going on
(15:47):
Tower of Terror at HollywoodStudios.
I love going on Tower of Terror.
So when we're there together wetypically don't do that ride
because she doesn't want to.
And that's perfectly fine.
We move on, we find somethingelse to do.
But when she's not there, I goon the stuff she doesn't want to
go.
On the flip side of that too isI don't necessarily I'm a
bigger guy.
I don't necessarily fit or verycomfortable on a lot of roller
coasters.
So if she was there, I know shewould be going on more roller
coasters than I can go.
(16:09):
In addition to that, I've had ahandful of concussions playing
football in my younger days, andso you know I can't ride every
roller coaster because I'mscared I'm going to black out.
So I know that if she was therewithout me she would do things
a little differently as well.
Plus, at the end of the day wehave different tastes.
She's going to go for saladsand that kind of thing.
I love a good hamburger steakpretty much red meat Not that we
(16:32):
can't integrate both across.
The other thing too is I have atendency to go a little later
in the night she doesn't, and soyou know, being able to do
something solo versus that isn'tnecessarily the worst thing in
the world, and there's a benefitof this, even if you're in a
relationship or not.
Is it's always good to kind ofself reflect and be able to
function as an individual?
(16:52):
Sometimes, you know, I think webecome so self-reliant on our
partners that we forget how tofunction by ourselves, and this
requires you to do that.
Now, as much as she now and Isay this full disclosure she
helps even when I'm gone,because I, you know, we can't
take care of the dogs byourselves.
There's a lot of things wecan't do without the other
(17:13):
person, even when we're notthere.
So I help her with bookingreservations and those types of
things.
She helps me by taking care ofthe dogs and all that other
stuff when I'm gone.
So now, that being said, youknow some logistics, you know.
You know talking aboutaccommodations, transportation,
there's nothing really specialabout booking that kind of stuff
(17:33):
, except for the fact that youknow hotels are going to be
about the same price.
There's no discount, magically.
But obviously airfare, you know,you have to be a little bit
more open, like I have atendency to fly more premium,
economy and first class when Igo solo.
And it's not because I don'twant Lauren too, but, again,
being a bigger guy, you know,when we're in economy together
(17:54):
or flying Southwest, forinstance, we don't mind
snuggling up to each other,especially on shorter flights,
as long as we can keep it coolenough and I don't sweat her out
.
But we typically will get closeanyway and so that doesn't
bother us when we're traveling,whereas I don't want to get to
know this random person.
Am I right that?
Well, so I will typically flypre-economy or up in first class
(18:16):
when it is solo.
You know, packing that's theother thing too is like a lot of
times I don't pack as much asLauren does.
Typically.
Now it ends up being close tothe same size worth of stuff,
because my clothes areinherently bigger than Lauren's.
She's quite a bit smaller thanme but there's a lot of times
where we'll throw stuff in theother person's bag just like oh
(18:39):
crap, I forgot that.
Can you have room for, you know, my pills or my deodorant, or I
forgot this.
Oops, you mind if I throw it inyour bag, and there's a sure,
why not when you're travelingsolo, it's all you, you know,
and that goes for when you'retraveling through airports and
securities and whatever youhappen to be traveling on, you
know you have to be selfsufficient.
You cannot rely on help at thatpoint.
(19:01):
And so you know how you pack,changes some things and how you
kind of move your luggage around.
You have to be coherent, thatyou know.
Like with Lauren, I'lltypically take one of her bags.
This is assuming we're notfilming, or if we are filming,
she might take my bag so that Ican get a shot a little bit
easier.
You know, if it's one of thosesituations where you know we're
going on a cruise, like I'mreally curious and you have to
(19:24):
stay tuned for late March andApril for the series.
But we're going to do a cruiseseries, like I said earlier, in
March we're going to be gone forlike nine days.
We don't travel light,especially on cruises, because
on cruises we typically havewhat we'll wear during the day
and then we clean up and putsomething a little nicer on for
the evenings.
Well, it's a seven night cruise.
We'll be in LA for a couple ofdays, uh, and then getting back,
(19:44):
um, I don't know how packing isgoing to work, because we're
going to have a lot of stuff andso, you know, I don't know how
much I'm going to be able tofilm whilst moving luggage from
one place to the other, becauseI'm pretty sure I have at least
three bags that we're going tocheck.
Plus, she'll inherently haveher purse or some sort of a bag
(20:07):
like a satchel.
I will also have my camera bagor some sort of a bag like a
satchel.
I will also have my camera bag,and so, you know, being able to
film and move kind of thatstuff, we've had to improvise
along the way or stop, film whatwe need to film and then keep
moving, kind of a thing, becauseit's so difficult.
Now, you know, one of the bigthings and this is what I hear
most from people when they saywell, my biggest concern with
(20:28):
traveling solo is safety.
You know, there's some genericsafety stuff and we talk about
this a lot with the RV stuff andthat's if you feel uneasy with
a boondocking spot or maybe aslightly questionable campground
, the best security system whenyou're doing that is your gut.
Well, that's kind of the samething when you're solo traveling
(20:48):
, like, if something feelsuneasy, change the situation,
right, you know, get out of thatparticular area hotel, whatever
the situation may be, you know,change it Because at the end of
the day, your gut's probablythe best security you have.
But also be super aware, likeagain, this comes back to the
younger generation.
I've noticed that they're lessaware of what's going on around
(21:10):
them, whereas I'm very aware.
I just I kind of like I'm thatguy that likes to sit in the
corner of restaurants and beable to see the doors and all
the exits and know where theyare, and I don't know why.
I just always have been.
Some of that's because I'mbeing protective of my family or
the people that are with us,but it also has a lot to do with
that.
(21:30):
I have a better understandingof my surroundings when I'm in a
corner and I can see the entirefacility, kind of a thing,
versus, you know, having my backto the door right near the
entrance.
That's my biggest pet peeve.
I hate tables that end up likethat in restaurants.
So, you know, just be aware ofyour surroundings, you know, and
book things at correct times,like you know, booking a 6 am
(21:50):
flight and knowing you're goingto have to go park in a you know
, in a parking garage or aparking lot at 5 am, 4 am,
whatever time you need to get tothe airport, is setting
yourself up for potentially abad situation.
So in your planning phases youcan think through that stuff,
like just take the later flight,assuming you can, now, if you
(22:11):
can't, you can't.
But then it comes back toparking in the correct places,
right, like, pay for a lotthat's monitored.
So, like for us, I always usethe parking spot and I will.
You know, the nice thing aboutthat is typically the shuttle
van at that hour will follow youto wherever you park and then
help you get your bags out.
Um, to wherever you park andthen help you get your bags out.
(22:31):
And so that's another one ofthose scenarios where instead of
parking, you know, at anairport, in the back of a
parking garage where there's noassistance, I'm parking offsite
with a shuttle, but there'ssomeone there to help.
Now that's not as big of a dealto me because at six, two to 75
, you know I'm a bigger guyPeople have a tendency not to
mess with me, but if you'remaybe female or or smaller,
(22:52):
maybe that's an actual concern.
Um, so it comes back to kind ofmaking the correct planning and
then make smart choices alongthe way, like understand where
you're going, you know have, doyour research before you
actually leave, like make sureyou have things.
It's.
It's funny because I was talkingto a couple in the airport
(23:12):
leaving for Dallas Actually,they were on the shuttle as we
were leaving Dallas and going upto Wisconsin a few weeks ago
and they were talking about theydidn't know 100% where they
were staying when they weregoing to Cabo, because her boss
had a home and that's where theywere staying.
Well, when you go into anothercountry, understand what you're
going to need.
They didn't know they needed toactually have the address of
(23:32):
that, otherwise their touristvisa is going to get denied at
the border.
Now you can travel between,like you can enter the Mexico
just from the US, just on a USpassport, right, but you still
have to fill out your forms anddeclarations.
And one of those things iswhere are you staying?
When are you returning to theUS?
Right, and so most people.
It's a long weekend, a week,that kind of 10 days max, 10, 12
(23:55):
days max, but you know, youneed to know the address and or
the hotel name, or if it's avilla, you need to know the
address that kind of a thing.
And so they actually startedtrying to figure that out right
then and there and did Otherwisethey're going to get to Mexico
and not know they're not gonnabe able to put something on that
form and they're going to bedenied entry until they can fill
(24:16):
that out.
Then you end up in purgatory,just like Tom Hanks in that
movie, the Terminal.
You're just stuck there for alittle bit.
I mean, you're going to get theinformation, but now does your
phone work in Mexico?
Well, ours does, but noteverybody's.
May you know?
Do you actually have aconnection?
Do you have the ability to havea connection, that kind of
stuff?
So just if you're a solo, kindof, look through those things
and understand the requirements.
If you're travelinginternationally, if you're on a
(24:38):
cruise, make sure you have theproper documentation, whether
it's digital or physical, youknow.
Make sure you have yourboarding pass for your airlines,
all the basic stuff that goeswithout saying on travel.
But with a solo, becausethere's so much other anxiety,
you really want to make sure allthat stuff is kind of all your
ducks in a row and all of thosethings.
Maybe have some emergencypreparedness just in case.
(25:01):
So like, for instance, thiscruise I'm going on without
Lauren.
I already have the emergencyphone number for the ship.
So if something were to happen,um back home and Lauren
absolutely had to get ahold ofme, she has a phone number she
can call.
I'll let her know my state roomas soon as I know it, um, and
then that way there can be asituation where I can still get
(25:22):
a hold of her.
Now I am, I'll have an internetpackage which I'm adding once I
get there.
Um, that'll be on my computer,because I'll need to be able to
kind of do a few things, andthen I'll talk to Lauren at
least, probably once a day.
But I'll have to FaceTime herfrom my computer, because if
you've ever bought on a cruiseship, the way Norwegian works,
it's based on time.
Well, if I turn it on on myphone, my phone's going to
(25:45):
constantly want to use theinternet and so it's going to
burn through it really fast,whereas my laptop I can just
turn it off and I know it's notusing it, right.
So I know I'll have so manyinternet hours and I'll just be
able to use the computer to callLauren and or text message that
kind of a thing.
So, um, from there, you knowkind of talking through, you
(26:07):
know making friends andsocializing on the road, like we
talked about, use social apps,find meetup events, take group
tours, that kind of stuff.
You know a lot of challengesyou're going to overcome.
Anxiety being a big one is whenyou get to where you're going.
You're going to kind of want toI call it being a hermit.
(26:28):
You want to just stay in theroom and stay, because you get a
little bit too anxious aboutgoing out and meeting people and
that's where you kind of haveto have that drive to step past
that if that makes any sense andget outside, even if you just
go wander around and those kindsof things.
So you have to kind of embracethat alone time and know how to
(26:54):
deal with it.
Like eating, like we talkedabout earlier, being able to
have a meal and those types ofthings.
But look at Facebook you might.
There might be some group things, group travels.
Another one, like Viator, is agreat use of a.
It's tours, no matter where youare, and you might be able to
find a group tour to go on andwho knows, maybe you made
friends with some of the peopleon the tour so you can put
(27:15):
yourself in the right scenarioof being able to maximize and
see things and meet people and,who knows, maybe you'll even
integrate into the culture alittle bit and learn more about
why people live there Some ofthe you know, whether it be
religious or cultural exchangesin that area and then learn more
.
Ultimately, that's why Laurenand I travel is we like to
(27:38):
embrace, you know, localcultures, food, all of that kind
of stuff.
So the rewards of solo travelright.
So it can be very rewardingbecause you will, if you can,
step outside that comfort zoneand be a little, be okay with
being a little uncomfortable, ifyou may, for that kind of a
(27:59):
thing.
It's it's great, but you aregoing to have to step outside
that comfort zone.
So, have you ever traveled solo?
Are you considering travelingsolo?
Or if you just want to give usa tip on that cruise to Key West
, nassau and Norwegian's privateisland, we would love to hear
from you.
You can shoot us an email atinfo at Miller's In Motion, or
(28:20):
you can go to the website or anyof our social media and shoot
us a message through those aswell.
If you're thinking about doinga solo trip and you decide to do
it.
We would love for you to shareyour pictures with us, tag us
and, by all means, ask us anyquestions you might have coming
up.
Thank you, guys, so much forjoining, and don't forget, get
out there and enjoy the world.
We'll see you next week.
(29:04):
Thank you.
Have you ever thought about traveling solo, whether
you just don't have somebody totravel with or you need to get
away for a littleself-reflection time from
whatever is going on in yourlife?
We're going to talk about how,why and some of the different
scenarios with solo travelcoming up.
Next, welcome back to thepodcast.
(00:32):
My name is ryan and if it'syour first time here, welcome to
the miller's in motion podcast.
What is miller's in motion, youmay ask?
Well, that's my wife and I.
We travel as much as wepossibly can.
For the last two and a halfyears, we've actually been
living full-time in our AllianceValor RV and traveling on
cruises and other types of tripsall around it.
(00:52):
So why are we talking aboutsolo travel today?
Obviously, it's my wife and I.
We live in an RV.
We travel together a lot, butthere are some scenarios coming
up that is requiring us to do alittle bit of solo travel.
Now, there's two differentkinds of solo travel.
There's traveling for businesssolo, and then there's traveling
(01:14):
for pleasure solo.
We're focusing on the pleasurebecause if you're going
somewhere for business, that's alittle different, because
you're going to get there, youhave people you're going to work
with, you have things that youhave to do and or achieve.
And so by doing that, you knowthere's inherently going to be
something to do in community andless nervousness and all of
those things associated withthat, as it is Now, the flip
(01:40):
side of that is why in the earthflip side of that is why in the
earth would someone want totravel solo?
Well, there's the obvious rightFlat out you're by yourself.
So you know there's plenty ofpeople in this world that either
are just dating, haven't beenmarried, whatever scenario.
That is the reason why that youwould travel by yourself.
(02:03):
And I think what's important toknow is that you know people
get this anxiety with travelingsolo and I completely understand
it.
I had it the first couple oftimes.
I did it by myself, but youknow you don't want to
completely disregard the factthat.
You know if you like to travel,if you like to learn more about
(02:25):
different cultures andintegrate, that it's okay to be
uncomfortable, right, it's notnecessarily a bad thing to be
nervous or uncomfortable.
I mean it can cause someanxiety, but you know, just know
that depending on the scenario,and I think you can build up to
a different types of solo trips.
So, obviously, what are we goingto be talking about solo trips.
(02:47):
So, because we are so heavilyimmersed in the RV world,
there's obviously solo RVing.
Then, in addition to that, youhave the typical trip right, I'm
just going to get on a plane,go somewhere for X amount of
days and then I'm going to comeback.
And there's even different.
You know variations of thatwhich we'll get into in a little
more detail in a second.
And then you have, like cruisesand other types of things and
(03:09):
group travel, even though you'reriding solo.
So we're going to start kind ofin chronological order or
whatever.
The easiest would be Now.
The easiest thing would be isto join like a group of people
that are traveling, even thoughyou might be going by yourself.
So the easiest way I canexplain this is, for instance,
(03:30):
we're doing a group trip withour friends Phil and Stacey,
from Today is Someday, and it'snot like you could like.
If it was just going to be me Iwould still go but you have
that group atmosphere alreadyinherently built in.
So that's the easiest versionof solo travel.
So you're really not minusgetting to the destination and
getting home, wherever that maybe.
(03:52):
You know, in this scenario we'redoing a cruise and we're both
going and this is later on inthe year, in 2025, actually in
March and you know, if I wasgoing to go by myself on
something like that, this wouldbe where I would start, because
there's already a group oflike-minded people that you may
know some of.
You may not know some of them,but you know you can meet some
(04:14):
people quickly, easily integrateinto the culture of the trip
very, very fast.
So from there I would actuallyput probably like either a
Disney trip, if you're into thatkind of thing, or a cruise as
next, because inherently thereare so many like-minded people
(04:34):
on those two types of things andboth do a pretty good job of
helping solo travelers integratetogether a little bit.
So after that, then I'dprobably put RVing just slightly
behind that and I say just ageneral RV trip.
Now you can go to a rally or anin-person event or an RV show
(04:55):
and get a little bit more ofthat group.
So I'm kind of using a widespreading compass here.
You know, if you're goingsomewhere to see sites and all
that stuff a lot of times in theRV community, just hanging out
outside, meeting people at thecampground, all of those kind of
things, especially if you'regoing to be somewhere for a
little bit more time, can be agreat way to meet some people
(05:16):
and then, who knows, maybe go onan adventure with some of them
as you go through that.
So from there, obviously thehardest to do is if you're just
going to go somewhere for a longweekend, like you want to visit
new Orleans or Paris, itdoesn't matter where it's,
obviously you're going to have aharder time integrating and
that's where you know start withthe hotel kind of a thing and
(05:40):
and chat with like a conciergeor something and figure out
where people like to go, andthen maybe find a bar.
If you're a drinker, if you'rea non-drinker, you know you just
kind of hang out and just asksome people right, take an Uber
somewhere, go experiencesomething, but then talk with
people.
And I think the important partabout kind of learning more
about different cultures andgetting into it and this is
where a lot of people's anxietylikes to flare up is just have a
(06:06):
conversation with a local,assuming you can speak their
language and or they can speakEnglish, that kind of a thing.
Obviously, if you're in Franceand the person doesn't speak
English and you don't speakFrench.
There's a whole different levelof complexity there.
But you know, if you're in NewOrleans, then then try and go
meet some people, kind of.
You know, in the age of socialmedia there's two different ways
you can go about doing this.
(06:27):
Now, one is the old school way,you know.
You can go to bars, you can goto restaurants, you can go out
where people are in more of asocial environment and from
there, you know, you can meetsome people, do some things and
then potentially by mid or theend of the trip you've kind of
met some friends that you canget to know in that area before
you head back home.
(06:47):
Now you flip that around and inthe age of social media, you
know there are plenty of groupsthat are solo travelers, that
are, you know, in a specificarea, on a specific cruise, all
that kind of stuff where all ofa sudden you can have a little
bit more integration prior togoing and kind of start building
(07:08):
those relationships before youever step foot on whatever it
happened to be that trip, andhave a little bit of a game plan
, if that makes sense.
So, planning that perfect solotrip, you know what's popular
and where to start, I would tellyou to start with cruises.
If you're a fan of Disney andor Universal, those are also
(07:28):
pretty easy to integrate places.
You know, from the cruiseperspective, a lot of the cruise
lines are doing you knowthey're actually catering to
solo travelers.
Now the one thing I have totell you from a booking
perspective, you know a lot ofcruise lines will do what's
(07:51):
called a second supplement.
So they assume every room isgoing to have two people on it.
So if you're looking at a, ifyou haven't changed the search
criteria to one person, andyou're looking at a price of a
cruise, you're probably going tohave to double that dollar
amount that's on there.
So if it says starting at $499,it's probably going to be
$1,000.
If it's $500, you're going tobe at $1,000.
Now there are some cruise linesthat do a better job of this.
I have found um norwegian isprobably the best where they
(08:14):
have a very, very, verydiscounted what they call second
supplement.
Um royal caribbean, dependingon the cruise, is pretty good
about it.
The worst are going to bedisney, um holland, america
princess.
They just they're going to makeyou pay that full second person
.
So you know there's some prosand cons to that, depending on
how you're doing it, um, andalso this is a little insert
(08:35):
here moment I am actually goingto be doing a solo cruise in
about two and a half to threeweeks.
I don't have a calendar in frontof me, so I'm guessing a little
bit there, but in about threeweeks, at the beginning of
December, I'm going to be doinga solo cruise.
Lauren can't go Quite.
Frankly, we need to get somecontent built in because we have
some fun, fun, fun thingshappening in early 2025, but, uh
(08:58):
, some of them require a littlebit of lead time, and so, going
to get some content on a solocruise plus, I've never done
that before and I want to beable to speak to it.
I've done Disney solo a coupleof times.
Uh, it's been slightlyintegrated with the work trip,
um, but I'm looking for feedback.
So we have three ports, a call,and I also want to know what
questions do you have about solocruising?
(09:19):
What you know, I'm going to letyou guys pick what I do in some
of these ports, and so thethree ports I'm leaving from
Miami and so I'm not reallygoing to do anything in Miami
besides get to the ship, get offthe ship and then fly in and
out, but I'm going to be inNassau, bahamas, which I think I
(09:39):
have a game plan.
But if there's somethingspecifically that anybody out
there would like to know moreabout, whether it be through the
podcast or the main videos, byall means shoot us an email.
Also, key West is one of theother ones, and so I'm excited
about Key West.
Lauren and I have been therebefore, so I kind of have an
(10:00):
idea of some stuff I'd like togo do.
But if there's something youguys would like to see in the
videos, by all means reach out.
And then, last but not least,great Stirrup Cay.
That is actually Norwegian'sprivate island, so that one
we're probably just going to goexperience whatever there is to
do on the island, because I'mnot even 100% sure what I've
gotten into on that one, andthen we're coming back.
So then there's a couple of atsea days.
So if you have questions aboutsolo cruising, specifically on
(10:22):
Norwegian or anything else,we're on the Norwegian Pearl or
Norwegian Jade.
I'm sorry, we're on NorwegianJade, that you know.
You can reach out to us and youcan shoot us an email info at
Miller's in Motion or you canfollow us on any other socials
Instagram, facebook, it's justat Millers underscore in
underscore Motion or just searchMillers in Motion and our
(10:42):
little logo icon our faces willpop up and it's the same across
all platforms.
So shoot us an email, send us amessage.
I would love to know any placesyou'd like us to experience and
share on the channel, or ifyou've just got some good food
recommendations and that kind ofstuff in key western nassau and
then great scurp k.
If you've ever been, let usknow.
I'm curious about that becauseI don't have no clue what I've
(11:04):
been into.
So, um, getting back to kind ofplanning the rest of that trip,
the you know, being able to beon a cruise ship and and kind of
have that integrated where youcan go to a like a nightlife
party if you want to.
Um, I know on Norwegian whatthey do is they have like a five
or five o'clock um kind ofcocktail hour for solos and then
(11:27):
after that the idea is that youcan meet some people and then
if you want to go to dinner withthem, you can um, because
dinner's like right after thatfirst hour, and so you know,
there's a lot of things thatthey do to integrate people so
that you can try to meet fellowsolo travelers.
However you want to do that.
So again, follow the YouTubechannel and we'll show you how
we kind of go about doing allthat.
I'm sure I'll talk about it.
Post here on the podcast aswell.
(11:48):
Disney I know that there's asolo traveler for Disney
Facebook page.
There's a lot of Facebook pagesfor things these days, so you
can definitely check those outas well.
You know the thing about some ofthe tips I have like when
you're eating at differentplaces, like as a solo person,
especially like at Disney, itfeels a little weird sitting at
(12:09):
a table for like two or four byyourself.
Now it's really weird for usbecause I always have a camera
crust from me so I get doublethe weird looks.
But one of the things I like todo is actually sit at the bar.
People typically that aresitting at the bar are a little
more open to conversations.
It's a little more cohesive.
You have a little more of theability, just kind of how a bar
(12:30):
is set up, versus sitting at atable and having a conversation
with someone on a differenttable.
When you're at a table, you'revery kind of inclusive to that
table.
When you're at a bar, it's alittle easier to have that
conversation, and most placeshave the exact same menu at the
bar, so it's not like you haveto go there to drink.
You can sit there and have ameal.
I would tell you that if you'regoing to sit at a bar, do
something.
Don't just sit there and drinkwater all night.
(12:52):
Get a drink, get some food,whatever and hang out, relax,
enjoy it and on top of that,talk to.
Maybe the bartender start offwith and then you never know,
you know get outside thatcomfort zone.
So many people with socialmedia now kind of close down in
those situations, and I see it alot with the younger generation
.
They just don't know how tostart a conversation anymore,
(13:12):
and so there is a little bit ofan art form to it and I'm having
to go back 20 years to when Iused to do it.
But you know, that is one wayyou can do it as well, and when
you're in a place like a Disneyor a cruise, there's already
people around you that arelike-minded.
Right Now, if you'd go to NewOrleans, you don't know if
they're a local, if they're onvacation, you have no idea.
So I would say, start solotravel.
(13:34):
In some of those you know morecondensed, people have the same
views, and I say views are therefor the same reason, like
Disney.
You know people are there toenjoy Disney on a cruise.
You know people picked itbecause of the ports of call or
they like cruising or whatever.
Those are very like mindedheavy scenarios versus just
(13:55):
going out somewhere and jumpingon a trip.
So it's hard to not talk aboutkind of some of the budgeting
We've already talked a littlebit about on cruises.
But in hotels and airfare, oneof the bonuses by traveling
yourself is it is cheaper andyou can kind of do it how you
want.
Like when Lauren and I travellike we're planning a couple of
(14:17):
different trips right now andwe're going back and forth, you
know we're having theconversation of, well, I'd
rather do it this way and she'drather do it that way.
So like I may say, well, I'drather fly first class with a
connection, she'd rather flycoach and be direct.
Um, just because of howeverything falls and lands.
So for us to make a decision,there is a give and take, just
(14:40):
like everything else in thisworld.
When you're married or withsomeone is because I want her to
be happy, I also want to behappy, and we find what works
the best in the middle and we goforward.
So neither of us are 100%getting our way, but at the same
time too, we are getting toexperience all those things
together.
So it has its pros and its cons.
When you travel solo, like, forinstance, when I've gone down to
(15:03):
Disney for a work trip and Isay a work trip at Disney
Orlando, but I'll go visit theparks for a day or two, like in
the afternoons, because I wouldnormally do my morning stuff at
a conference and then I would beable to have the afternoons to
myself.
At the end of the day, I dowhatever I want and while I love
Lauren and I would never tradeexperiencing anything with her
(15:26):
for me getting to do it my waywhen she physically can't go or
be there at the end of the day Iget to eat what I want, again
within reason.
The what I want versus what Ishould eat comes into play, but
I also have the ability to dothe things I want, again within
reason.
The what I want versus what Ishould eat comes into play, but
I also have the ability to dothe things I want.
Like you know, I'm not a biglike she doesn't like going on
(15:47):
Tower of Terror at HollywoodStudios.
I love going on Tower of Terror.
So when we're there together wetypically don't do that ride
because she doesn't want to.
And that's perfectly fine.
We move on, we find somethingelse to do.
But when she's not there, I goon the stuff she doesn't want to
go.
On the flip side of that too isI don't necessarily I'm a
bigger guy.
I don't necessarily fit or verycomfortable on a lot of roller
coasters.
So if she was there, I know shewould be going on more roller
coasters than I can go.
(16:09):
In addition to that, I've had ahandful of concussions playing
football in my younger days, andso you know I can't ride every
roller coaster because I'mscared I'm going to black out.
So I know that if she was therewithout me she would do things
a little differently as well.
Plus, at the end of the day wehave different tastes.
She's going to go for saladsand that kind of thing.
I love a good hamburger steakpretty much red meat Not that we
(16:32):
can't integrate both across.
The other thing too is I have atendency to go a little later
in the night she doesn't, and soyou know, being able to do
something solo versus that isn'tnecessarily the worst thing in
the world, and there's a benefitof this, even if you're in a
relationship or not.
Is it's always good to kind ofself reflect and be able to
function as an individual?
(16:52):
Sometimes, you know, I think webecome so self-reliant on our
partners that we forget how tofunction by ourselves, and this
requires you to do that.
Now, as much as she now and Isay this full disclosure she
helps even when I'm gone,because I, you know, we can't
take care of the dogs byourselves.
There's a lot of things wecan't do without the other
(17:13):
person, even when we're notthere.
So I help her with bookingreservations and those types of
things.
She helps me by taking care ofthe dogs and all that other
stuff when I'm gone.
So now, that being said, youknow some logistics, you know.
You know talking aboutaccommodations, transportation,
there's nothing really specialabout booking that kind of stuff
(17:33):
, except for the fact that youknow hotels are going to be
about the same price.
There's no discount, magically.
But obviously airfare, you know,you have to be a little bit
more open, like I have atendency to fly more premium,
economy and first class when Igo solo.
And it's not because I don'twant Lauren too, but, again,
being a bigger guy, you know,when we're in economy together
(17:54):
or flying Southwest, forinstance, we don't mind
snuggling up to each other,especially on shorter flights,
as long as we can keep it coolenough and I don't sweat her out
.
But we typically will get closeanyway and so that doesn't
bother us when we're traveling,whereas I don't want to get to
know this random person.
Am I right that?
Well, so I will typically flypre-economy or up in first class
(18:16):
when it is solo.
You know, packing that's theother thing too is like a lot of
times I don't pack as much asLauren does.
Typically.
Now it ends up being close tothe same size worth of stuff,
because my clothes areinherently bigger than Lauren's.
She's quite a bit smaller thanme but there's a lot of times
where we'll throw stuff in theother person's bag just like oh
(18:39):
crap, I forgot that.
Can you have room for, you know, my pills or my deodorant, or I
forgot this.
Oops, you mind if I throw it inyour bag, and there's a sure,
why not when you're travelingsolo, it's all you, you know,
and that goes for when you'retraveling through airports and
securities and whatever youhappen to be traveling on, you
know you have to be selfsufficient.
You cannot rely on help at thatpoint.
(19:01):
And so you know how you pack,changes some things and how you
kind of move your luggage around.
You have to be coherent, thatyou know.
Like with Lauren, I'lltypically take one of her bags.
This is assuming we're notfilming, or if we are filming,
she might take my bag so that Ican get a shot a little bit
easier.
You know, if it's one of thosesituations where you know we're
going on a cruise, like I'mreally curious and you have to
(19:24):
stay tuned for late March andApril for the series.
But we're going to do a cruiseseries, like I said earlier, in
March we're going to be gone forlike nine days.
We don't travel light,especially on cruises, because
on cruises we typically havewhat we'll wear during the day
and then we clean up and putsomething a little nicer on for
the evenings.
Well, it's a seven night cruise.
We'll be in LA for a couple ofdays, uh, and then getting back,
(19:44):
um, I don't know how packing isgoing to work, because we're
going to have a lot of stuff andso, you know, I don't know how
much I'm going to be able tofilm whilst moving luggage from
one place to the other, becauseI'm pretty sure I have at least
three bags that we're going tocheck.
Plus, she'll inherently haveher purse or some sort of a bag
(20:07):
like a satchel.
I will also have my camera bagor some sort of a bag like a
satchel.
I will also have my camera bag,and so, you know, being able to
film and move kind of thatstuff, we've had to improvise
along the way or stop, film whatwe need to film and then keep
moving, kind of a thing, becauseit's so difficult.
Now, you know, one of the bigthings and this is what I hear
most from people when they saywell, my biggest concern with
(20:28):
traveling solo is safety.
You know, there's some genericsafety stuff and we talk about
this a lot with the RV stuff andthat's if you feel uneasy with
a boondocking spot or maybe aslightly questionable campground
, the best security system whenyou're doing that is your gut.
Well, that's kind of the samething when you're solo traveling
(20:48):
, like, if something feelsuneasy, change the situation,
right, you know, get out of thatparticular area hotel, whatever
the situation may be, you know,change it Because at the end of
the day, your gut's probablythe best security you have.
But also be super aware, likeagain, this comes back to the
younger generation.
I've noticed that they're lessaware of what's going on around
(21:10):
them, whereas I'm very aware.
I just I kind of like I'm thatguy that likes to sit in the
corner of restaurants and beable to see the doors and all
the exits and know where theyare, and I don't know why.
I just always have been.
Some of that's because I'mbeing protective of my family or
the people that are with us,but it also has a lot to do with
that.
(21:30):
I have a better understandingof my surroundings when I'm in a
corner and I can see the entirefacility, kind of a thing,
versus, you know, having my backto the door right near the
entrance.
That's my biggest pet peeve.
I hate tables that end up likethat in restaurants.
So, you know, just be aware ofyour surroundings, you know, and
book things at correct times,like you know, booking a 6 am
(21:50):
flight and knowing you're goingto have to go park in a you know
, in a parking garage or aparking lot at 5 am, 4 am,
whatever time you need to get tothe airport, is setting
yourself up for potentially abad situation.
So in your planning phases youcan think through that stuff,
like just take the later flight,assuming you can, now, if you
(22:11):
can't, you can't.
But then it comes back toparking in the correct places,
right, like, pay for a lotthat's monitored.
So, like for us, I always usethe parking spot and I will.
You know, the nice thing aboutthat is typically the shuttle
van at that hour will follow youto wherever you park and then
help you get your bags out.
Um, to wherever you park andthen help you get your bags out.
(22:31):
And so that's another one ofthose scenarios where instead of
parking, you know, at anairport, in the back of a
parking garage where there's noassistance, I'm parking offsite
with a shuttle, but there'ssomeone there to help.
Now that's not as big of a dealto me because at six, two to 75
, you know I'm a bigger guyPeople have a tendency not to
mess with me, but if you'remaybe female or or smaller,
(22:52):
maybe that's an actual concern.
Um, so it comes back to kind ofmaking the correct planning and
then make smart choices alongthe way, like understand where
you're going, you know have, doyour research before you
actually leave, like make sureyou have things.
It's.
It's funny because I was talkingto a couple in the airport
(23:12):
leaving for Dallas Actually,they were on the shuttle as we
were leaving Dallas and going upto Wisconsin a few weeks ago
and they were talking about theydidn't know 100% where they
were staying when they weregoing to Cabo, because her boss
had a home and that's where theywere staying.
Well, when you go into anothercountry, understand what you're
going to need.
They didn't know they needed toactually have the address of
(23:32):
that, otherwise their touristvisa is going to get denied at
the border.
Now you can travel between,like you can enter the Mexico
just from the US, just on a USpassport, right, but you still
have to fill out your forms anddeclarations.
And one of those things iswhere are you staying?
When are you returning to theUS?
Right, and so most people.
It's a long weekend, a week,that kind of 10 days max, 10, 12
(23:55):
days max, but you know, youneed to know the address and or
the hotel name, or if it's avilla, you need to know the
address that kind of a thing.
And so they actually startedtrying to figure that out right
then and there and did Otherwisethey're going to get to Mexico
and not know they're not gonnabe able to put something on that
form and they're going to bedenied entry until they can fill
(24:16):
that out.
Then you end up in purgatory,just like Tom Hanks in that
movie, the Terminal.
You're just stuck there for alittle bit.
I mean, you're going to get theinformation, but now does your
phone work in Mexico?
Well, ours does, but noteverybody's.
May you know?
Do you actually have aconnection?
Do you have the ability to havea connection, that kind of
stuff?
So just if you're a solo, kindof, look through those things
and understand the requirements.
If you're travelinginternationally, if you're on a
(24:38):
cruise, make sure you have theproper documentation, whether
it's digital or physical, youknow.
Make sure you have yourboarding pass for your airlines,
all the basic stuff that goeswithout saying on travel.
But with a solo, becausethere's so much other anxiety,
you really want to make sure allthat stuff is kind of all your
ducks in a row and all of thosethings.
Maybe have some emergencypreparedness just in case.
(25:01):
So like, for instance, thiscruise I'm going on without
Lauren.
I already have the emergencyphone number for the ship.
So if something were to happen,um back home and Lauren
absolutely had to get ahold ofme, she has a phone number she
can call.
I'll let her know my state roomas soon as I know it, um, and
then that way there can be asituation where I can still get
(25:22):
a hold of her.
Now I am, I'll have an internetpackage which I'm adding once I
get there.
Um, that'll be on my computer,because I'll need to be able to
kind of do a few things, andthen I'll talk to Lauren at
least, probably once a day.
But I'll have to FaceTime herfrom my computer, because if
you've ever bought on a cruiseship, the way Norwegian works,
it's based on time.
Well, if I turn it on on myphone, my phone's going to
(25:45):
constantly want to use theinternet and so it's going to
burn through it really fast,whereas my laptop I can just
turn it off and I know it's notusing it, right.
So I know I'll have so manyinternet hours and I'll just be
able to use the computer to callLauren and or text message that
kind of a thing.
So, um, from there, you knowkind of talking through, you
(26:07):
know making friends andsocializing on the road, like we
talked about, use social apps,find meetup events, take group
tours, that kind of stuff.
You know a lot of challengesyou're going to overcome.
Anxiety being a big one is whenyou get to where you're going.
You're going to kind of want toI call it being a hermit.
(26:28):
You want to just stay in theroom and stay, because you get a
little bit too anxious aboutgoing out and meeting people and
that's where you kind of haveto have that drive to step past
that if that makes any sense andget outside, even if you just
go wander around and those kindsof things.
So you have to kind of embracethat alone time and know how to
(26:54):
deal with it.
Like eating, like we talkedabout earlier, being able to
have a meal and those types ofthings.
But look at Facebook you might.
There might be some group things, group travels.
Another one, like Viator, is agreat use of a.
It's tours, no matter where youare, and you might be able to
find a group tour to go on andwho knows, maybe you made
friends with some of the peopleon the tour so you can put
(27:15):
yourself in the right scenarioof being able to maximize and
see things and meet people and,who knows, maybe you'll even
integrate into the culture alittle bit and learn more about
why people live there Some ofthe you know, whether it be
religious or cultural exchangesin that area and then learn more
.
Ultimately, that's why Laurenand I travel is we like to
(27:38):
embrace, you know, localcultures, food, all of that kind
of stuff.
So the rewards of solo travelright.
So it can be very rewardingbecause you will, if you can,
step outside that comfort zoneand be a little, be okay with
being a little uncomfortable, ifyou may, for that kind of a
(27:59):
thing.
It's it's great, but you aregoing to have to step outside
that comfort zone.
So, have you ever traveled solo?
Are you considering travelingsolo?
Or if you just want to give usa tip on that cruise to Key West
, nassau and Norwegian's privateisland, we would love to hear
from you.
You can shoot us an email atinfo at Miller's In Motion, or
(28:20):
you can go to the website or anyof our social media and shoot
us a message through those aswell.
If you're thinking about doinga solo trip and you decide to do
it.
We would love for you to shareyour pictures with us, tag us
and, by all means, ask us anyquestions you might have coming
up.
Thank you, guys, so much forjoining, and don't forget, get
out there and enjoy the world.
We'll see you next week.
(29:04):
Thank you.
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