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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Chapters

• 0:00 What Makes a Solo Traveler?
• 3:03 Different Types of Solo Travel
• 6:19 Defining Solo Travel for Yourself
• 7:47 Don't Delay Your Adventures

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

How many of you out there often will find yourself going shopping by yourself to the grocery store by yourself, shopping for bras and jeans by yourself, or going to run errands by yourself, or walking in your neighborhood by yourself. Believe it or not, if you look at all these activities that you do alone, they would constitute doing something solo. Right, but what is the definition of being a true solo traveler? Well, we're going to get into that in today's episode, defining that and talking about maybe the perception that is often misunderstood when it comes to the term solo traveler. Welcome to Solo Travel Adventures. I'm Cheryl Esch, your host.

Speaker 1: 0:58

Now, many people might have a different definition of what is a solo traveler. What defines it? What constitutes you being classified as a solo traveler? Well, I like to say, everybody is different, we all have our own definition and it can look like a variety of different scenarios. So let's not look at hey, a solo traveler is someone who goes off for several weeks with a backpack, all by themselves, just wondering whether it's Asia or wherever they have decided to go, and that's a true solo traveler in most people's minds. Right, they're planning their itinerary by themselves, they're doing everything by themselves, they're using public transportation by themselves. It could look like that, yes, but it can look like a whole different scenario, and this really depends on you. So it is simply arriving at your destination whether it's, oh, first time I'm going to fly by myself or I'm going to take public transportation by myself to this certain destination and meet maybe a friend or family on the other side and meet maybe a friend or family on the other side that could be solo travel, and it could also just look like, okay, I'm going to take that step and then, once I get to my destination, I will join a tour group. That, too, is solo travel.

Speaker 1: 3:03

Just because you have joined a group, tour group or trip does not mean that you are not technically solo traveling. You are there by yourself, you are initiating this whole experience by yourself, but you are joining others who also you may find other solo travelers doing the same thing, and in the process, you are connecting and finding community, which makes the experience a whole lot more meaningful, but doesn't mean that if you didn't meet with a group, that it wasn't meaningful. You could also be walking the Camino by yourself and but connect up with other people along the way and end up finishing your Camino with these people, so just kind of a random little connection. That is still solo travel and it can look like many different versions Maybe. I've heard many people do a friend trip right, but they might arrive a day or two early or stay a day or two later from this friend trip that they're doing, or even a family trip trip that they're doing, or even a family trip, just to give them a day or two of actually exploring a particular destination on their own. So solo travel there's no one definition, there's no one vision of what this looks like, because it is based on you as a person, as the traveler.

Speaker 1: 4:37

How much time you spend alone does not determine whether or not it is classified as solo or not. So get that out of your head and I want you to approach your next trip with that in mind. That, although maybe you have other scenarios that are in place for your next trip, is there some moments where you are maybe alone and in this travel experience, those would constitute also experience a solo travel moment. It doesn't have to be this grandiose three weeks I'm backpacking, I'm all alone, no support kind of trip. Those are solo. But there's many different levels of solo travel and my point of having this conversation, also having this podcast geared towards solo travel for women.

Speaker 1: 5:39

This podcast, geared towards solo travel for women, is just to encourage you whether it's to take that first little step. Going on that mini trip. Taking a road trip would be, you know, staying within your country, maybe it's just a day or two, starting small and then maybe trying a group tour right, where you do go for an extended period of time but you are surrounded by other people, or going on a cruise by yourself. That is still solo travel, by the way, even though you are surrounded by lots of people in the process and you never know who you might meet. So I encourage you to kind of stretch your mindset on what solo travel looks like to you personally. What would that mean to you?

Speaker 1: 6:22

Define it for yourself and then take that leap to go ahead and plan that trip based on hey, this is mentally, physically, emotionally, what I can handle as what I classify as solo, and it could look like any of those situations or scenarios that I described in today's episode. And I want to just encourage you and this is why I come on here to really give women the resources, but also that encouragement and equip them to get out there and do have these solo adventures mini, medium, big, whatever you classify or feel like you are in that season where you can manage or what you define as your solo adventure. Don't sit on the sidelines. I want you to get out there, I want you to plan based on what you define and and what you can mentally and physically handle. And if you are overwhelmed maybe with your daily life and you are willing to take that leap into a solo adventure, maybe a cruise, maybe a group tour where all that planning is taken care of for you, would be your answer, or maybe it's just a day trip somewhere and later meet up with some friends to get that support. Whatever that is for you, I encourage you to get out there and don't delay it. Please, sisters, get out there.

Speaker 1: 7:59

I've been hearing, just in my own family, some situations, some situations and even with friends, like getting maybe some medical or health news that maybe prevents them from even doing any travel, and so we don't know. I like to look at, we don't know our time, and so I like to sort of seize the moment when we can and not put off these things that you want to do in your life and I believe every woman, every woman, not just 50 and up should experience at least one solo trip in their lifetime. To have that experience, have that freedom, have that transformation that typically happens on one of these trips. And there are highs and lows, there are goods and bads. I will tell you that from experience. It doesn't always turn out as you plan, but you have gained so much just by taking that leap, that step to do it. So I encourage you get out there and have that adventure.