You're Already a Solo Traveler and Don't Even Know It

Do you think you've never been a solo traveler? Think again. That trip to the grocery store alone, the errands you run by yourself—these everyday activities actually share elements with what we define as "solo travel." The difference? Just the destination.

In this eye-opening episode, we challenge the common perception that solo travel exclusively means backpacking across continents completely alone. The truth is far more accessible and varied. Whether you're flying solo to meet friends at your destination, joining a guided tour, extending a family vacation with a few days on your own, or even taking a cruise by yourself—all these experiences fall under the solo travel umbrella. The defining factor isn't how much time you spend alone, but rather that you initiated the journey independently.

This broader definition opens doors for women who might have been intimidated by the traditional solo traveler stereotype. Starting small with day trips or structured group experiences can build the confidence needed for more independent adventures later. The benefits remain consistent across all forms: increased self-reliance, freedom to follow your curiosity without compromise, and unparalleled opportunities for self-discovery. Every woman deserves to experience at least one solo trip in her lifetime, and there's no better time than now. As we've all learned, life can change in an instant, potentially limiting our ability to travel. Don't put off these transformative experiences—find your own definition of solo travel and embrace the adventure that feels right for you.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
How many of you out there often will find yourself
going shopping by yourself tothe grocery store by yourself,
shopping for bras and jeans byyourself, or going to run
errands by yourself, or walkingin your neighborhood by yourself
.
Believe it or not, if you lookat all these activities that you

(00:22):
do alone, they would constitutedoing something solo.
Right, but what is thedefinition of being a true solo
traveler?
Well, we're going to get intothat in today's episode,
defining that and talking aboutmaybe the perception that is

(00:46):
often misunderstood when itcomes to the term solo traveler.
Welcome to Solo TravelAdventures.
I'm Cheryl Esch, your host.
Now, many people might have adifferent definition of what is
a solo traveler.
What defines it?
What constitutes you beingclassified as a solo traveler?

(01:10):
Well, I like to say, everybodyis different, we all have our
own definition and it can looklike a variety of different
scenarios.
So let's not look at hey, asolo traveler is someone who
goes off for several weeks witha backpack, all by themselves,

(01:32):
just wondering whether it's Asiaor wherever they have decided
to go, and that's a true solotraveler in most people's minds.
Right, they're planning theiritinerary by themselves, they're
doing everything by themselves,they're using public
transportation by themselves.

(01:52):
It could look like that, yes,but it can look like a whole
different scenario, and thisreally depends on you.
So it is simply arriving atyour destination whether it's,

(02:31):
oh, first time I'm going to flyby myself or I'm going to take
public transportation by myselfto this certain destination and
meet maybe a friend or family onthe other side and meet maybe a
friend or family on the otherside that could be solo travel,

(02:55):
and it could also just look like, okay, I'm going to take that
step and then, once I get to mydestination, I will join a tour
group.
That, too, is solo travel.
Just because you have joined agroup, tour group or trip does
not mean that you are nottechnically solo traveling.
You are there by yourself, youare initiating this whole

(03:17):
experience by yourself, but youare joining others who also you
may find other solo travelersdoing the same thing, and in the
process, you are connecting andfinding community, which makes
the experience a whole lot moremeaningful, but doesn't mean
that if you didn't meet with agroup, that it wasn't meaningful

(03:38):
.
You could also be walking theCamino by yourself and but
connect up with other peoplealong the way and end up
finishing your Camino with thesepeople, so just kind of a
random little connection.
That is still solo travel andit can look like many different

(03:59):
versions Maybe.
I've heard many people do afriend trip right, but they
might arrive a day or two earlyor stay a day or two later from
this friend trip that they'redoing, or even a family trip
trip that they're doing, or evena family trip, just to give

(04:20):
them a day or two of actuallyexploring a particular
destination on their own.
So solo travel there's no onedefinition, there's no one
vision of what this looks like,because it is based on you as a
person, as the traveler.
How much time you spend alonedoes not determine whether or

(04:41):
not it is classified as solo ornot.
So get that out of your headand I want you to approach your
next trip with that in mind.
That, although maybe you haveother scenarios that are in
place for your next trip, isthere some moments where you are

(05:02):
maybe alone and in this travelexperience, those would
constitute also experience asolo travel moment.
It doesn't have to be thisgrandiose three weeks I'm
backpacking, I'm all alone, nosupport kind of trip.

(05:22):
Those are solo.
But there's many differentlevels of solo travel and my
point of having thisconversation, also having this
podcast geared towards solotravel for women.
This podcast, geared towardssolo travel for women, is just
to encourage you whether it's totake that first little step.

(05:43):
Going on that mini trip.
Taking a road trip would be,you know, staying within your
country, maybe it's just a dayor two, starting small and then
maybe trying a group tour right,where you do go for an extended
period of time but you aresurrounded by other people, or
going on a cruise by yourself.
That is still solo travel, bythe way, even though you are

(06:07):
surrounded by lots of people inthe process and you never know
who you might meet.
So I encourage you to kind ofstretch your mindset on what
solo travel looks like to youpersonally.
What would that mean to you?
Define it for yourself and thentake that leap to go ahead and
plan that trip based on hey,this is mentally, physically,

(06:33):
emotionally, what I can handleas what I classify as solo, and
it could look like any of thosesituations or scenarios that I
described in today's episode.
And I want to just encourageyou and this is why I come on
here to really give women theresources, but also that

(06:54):
encouragement and equip them toget out there and do have these
solo adventures mini, medium,big, whatever you classify or
feel like you are in that seasonwhere you can manage or what
you define as your soloadventure.

(07:14):
Don't sit on the sidelines.
I want you to get out there, Iwant you to plan based on what
you define and and what you canmentally and physically handle.
And if you are overwhelmedmaybe with your daily life and
you are willing to take thatleap into a solo adventure,

(07:35):
maybe a cruise, maybe a grouptour where all that planning is
taken care of for you, would beyour answer, or maybe it's just
a day trip somewhere and latermeet up with some friends to get
that support.
Whatever that is for you, Iencourage you to get out there
and don't delay it.

(07:56):
Please, sisters, get out there.
I've been hearing, just in myown family, some situations,
some situations and even withfriends, like getting maybe some
medical or health news thatmaybe prevents them from even
doing any travel, and so wedon't know.

(08:18):
I like to look at, we don'tknow our time, and so I like to
sort of seize the moment when wecan and not put off these
things that you want to do inyour life and I believe every
woman, every woman, not just 50and up should experience at
least one solo trip in theirlifetime.

(08:38):
To have that experience, havethat freedom, have that
transformation that typicallyhappens on one of these trips.
And there are highs and lows,there are goods and bads.
I will tell you that fromexperience.
It doesn't always turn out asyou plan, but you have gained so
much just by taking that leap,that step to do it.

(09:00):
So I encourage you get outthere and have that adventure.