My first female solo trip and why you should do it too

For a long time, I was scared to take the leap. I was quite used to travelling as a couple. I had forgotten how to make decisions for myself because I was used to letting my boyfriend making the final call. I was scared to make the ‘wrong’ decision.

When I turned 30, I thought where the heck did my 20s go and someone tell me why is time speeding up?! Time for a bucket list. Solo travel here we go. When I was planning the trip to Bordeaux, I experienced waves of anxiety and also excitement. I actually couldn’t take my boyfriend with me because of his lack of annual leave so there’s that.

So, I had three choices: either I stayed at home and did nothing, travel within the UK or go back to work. Of course, I decided not to do any of those options…

When I booked the flights to Bordeaux, I started getting really anxious. It’s happening now! I was so tempted to just not go. Thankfully, I have a boyfriend who is dying to get rid of me whilst he’s working from home.

But I also had a point to prove to myself: I’m not going to let my thoughts stop me from living my best life.

Four reasons why you should do it

• It’s freeing for your soul. You don’t have to answer to anyone. I could wake up and do whatever I wanted that day. If I felt like napping at 3pm, I could.
• It builds self-worth. This is most important point. You learn A LOT about yourself. You learn what you truly like and dislike. And that’s great! Funnily enough, even after just this one trip, I felt better at setting my own boundaries in the real world. I’ve always had a problem trusting myself. Other people’s opinions meant more to me than my own.

• It taught me that there are no right or wrong decisions. Sometimes you can plan all you want, but things won’t go your way.
  • For example, my flight was delayed by 2 hours and I arrived at 1am at Bordeaux. Now, because I’ve come from an Indian family that panics about safety especially, there I was thinking ‘how the hell am I going to get a taxi that isn’t going to rip me off at this time. I’m a solo female; there’s no one around and I don’t speak the language!’ Long story short, because I couldn’t get Uber to work in my state of panic, I spent an extortionate £65 on a 25-minute taxi ride to the hotel. So, to myself next time: it’s alright to make decisions with the information you have at the time.
• You can get different interactions travelling solo or as a couple. People were friendlier when I was alone! This somehow builds your confidence in a way that’s hard to explain.

Any downsides? Yep. I missed making lifelong memories with someone. Of course, I could just always go back to the same place with them eventually. The best part of a trip is looking back at the pictures and reminiscing together.

Another thing, having a sit-down dinner for one might not be so easy, especially in Europe. So, when I went to Bordeaux, I had to try and eat dinner at 6pm just to avoid the peak time and risk being turned away. You can find places online to book for one if you want to check in advance, which I what I did.

So would I do it again? Yes I absolutely would. It’s something I think everyone should do at least once in their life. I’m personally making it a habit to do this once a year at least. It opens up a world of opportunities to what you think you can actually do, even if it means doing a staycation.