Hey everyone! Wanted to leave a post here as an open invitation to ask anything on solo travel! I'm always happy to help

I learned the hard way so you don’t have to :-) 🌞 I didn’t check local holidays when planning dates! It was around Carnival time in the Dominican Republic but I accidentally planned my trip for when flights/hotels were more expensive leading up to the big events but missed the actual festivities LOL & look out for holidays when lots of places are closed so u don’t end up without food or transportation. 🌞 I went wifi only! I’d been to the same country w/ my sister & we only used wifi but WHOLE different ballgame for solo safety that I didn’t think about. Definitely get a physical or eSIM card so your ppl can track your live location & check in often! Sooo much more peace of mind. @simcornertravel is a reliable option for both & you can use code SOLOSUMMER for a discount! 🌞 I didn’t learn basic words or phrases in the local language beforehand! Most locals spoke some English but once I was actually there, it felt way more respectful to at least attempt so I def did some googling after the first few days! helps with safety, getting around, & just being a good tourist! :) 🌞 I overplanned! This helps you feel prepared & more confident so it’s great to plan ahead as much as you need! But I didn’t leave a ton of flexibility for all of the things that I wanted to do once I got there & got a better feel for the city! 🌞 I didn’t order currency ahead of time! Once I started doing this thru my banking app (a week or so before leaving for a trip) this was a gamechangerrr. The last thing u wanna do after landing with some first-solo-trip-nerves is exchange at the airport (so expensive) or find an ATM (a hassle) btw you’re going to make “mistakes” no matter what & learn from them but hopefully you can learn from a few of mine so that you can make your own little fun ones but still feel prepared :)

The secret is that it might feel like that every time …and that’s a good thing! It means that that feeling actually means *nothing* Especially when you’re getting ready to leave for your FIRST solo trip, those nerves seriously feel like a real gut feeling that it would be naive to ignore… it can feel like a guarantee that something horrible is going to go wrong & that your worst-case-scenario fears were right. Especially if safety is a big fear, it can feel like “this is literally like the start of every kidnapping movie where the girl ignores everyone who told her not to go alone…” The first time, you can’t tell the difference between THAT and the normal but lowkey sickening butterflies that come up for a lot of women - even if they’ve done it plenty of times before! 🌞 You’ll be able to *actually* trust your gut more when you get there to sus out day-to-day stuff, but there’s a good chance you should NOT trust your pre-trip nerves! They don’t want you to have fun & get out of your comfort zone🤷‍♀️ I was beyond dramatic before I left for my first solo trip & was saying my goodbyes to people like I wasn’t sure if I would make it back alive LMAO but the anxiety before a solo trip can feel THAT real! I still get this feeling (just not quite as intense) almost every time! Nerves are still there for even the most experienced solo travelers - you just get more comfortable & familiar with it over time! Then, you can recognize it for what it is instead of accepting it as the confirmation of all of your worst fears! This is your sign that your anxiety about solo travel isn’t a red flag! It’s just well-intentioned butterflies that don’t understand that you’re about to have an exciting new experience 🤷‍♀️ TIP: 1 thing that gives me peace of mind is being prepared w/ international data! My ppl can track my location & I’m never stuck without the ability to look up directions, translations, etc! I use @simcornertravel & you can use code SOLOSUMMER for a discount if ya need it!

The key is not to “jUsT dO iT” or to “just get out of your comfort zone! 🤪”it’s actually the opposite 🤷🏻‍♀️ for a lot of women, the key at first is to STAY in your comfort zone As much as you need to.for your first trip, just getting yourself there *already* a huge deal. if that’s the only new & scary & challenging thing you want to focus on, then that’s okay! Beyond that, you’re allowed to build the whole trip around your comfort zone! It actually helps so much to set you up for a trip that you’ll actually love & enjoy instead of overwhelming yourself. Set yourself up to be as comfortable as you can so that it makes it easier to feel good about getting on that flight! You don’t need to aim to become a whole new person, challenge every single fear, magically become a pro backpacker, learn 3 new languages, or have a wild trip of a lifetime. your first solo trip will still be life-changing either way! Fill your trip with things you already know you love to do & feel comfortable with! you can plan to hit up some cafes & go shopping instead of bungee jumping off of a cliff. you can plan to just hang by the beach instead of learning to surf. There will be plenty of opportunities that come up to try those new things if you want to, but take off some of the pressure to do that immediately! It’s easier to feel confident taking those opportunities when you’re grounded instead of overwhelmed with a plan that might be unrealistic for your personality & for your comfort zone on your first trip. Treat your first trip as a learning curve instead of a “fck your whole comfort zone 🤪” mentality (bc some of us are just not built like that OKAY and that’s fine! your comfort zone will grow at its own pace and part of solo travel is practicing that day-by-day!) If you get on the flight, the rest will follow. So yes - you have to take the leap to “just do it” at some point, but it helps SOOO much to do it YOUR way!

Before all of the fear feelings start to kick in, ask if you feel the GOOD butterflies in your stomach for a second? If you do, it’s worth trying at least once. When something kinda scary feels limiting, then it’s probably something you can pass on. If something kinda scary has even a *little* spark of excitement that you can feel before the “logical” or “realistic” part of your brain takes over, then it’s probably something that will be a game changer for you There’s no better feeling than sitting there with your morning coffee in another country knowing that you’re 5,000 miles away from home just because you felt like being delulu enough to create that experience for yourself! If the idea of that resonates with you at all, then you should probably go 🤷‍♀️