- For a long time, I was terrified by the idea of being alone in a foreign country.
- However, I was thrown into my first solo trip when a friend unexpectedly left me alone in France.
- Exploring France by myself gave me more confidence and made me excited to plan future solo trips.
In my 20s, I traveled with friends all over the globe, from Oktoberfest in Germany to the Bedouin Tents in Israel. Now that I'm 33 and most of my friends are married (some with kids), I've found myself booking fewer flights.
So, last year, when I scored two tickets to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in France, I hoped I could convince someone to come with me. Going alone briefly crossed my mind, but solo travel felt out of my comfort zone, and I was worried that I wouldn't have as much fun that way.
So, I ended up booking a weeklong trip to Paris and Lyon with a friend from work who I'd known for almost a decade.
At the time, I was just happy that I wouldn't have to go by myself. Looking back, I had the wrong priorities.
The truth is, not all friends work well together as travel companions
Before the trip, my friend and I struggled to get on the same page about choosing hotels and agreeing on an itinerary.
Our problems continued as we left for Paris. As she complained about our flight, I felt drained by her negativity. When we arrived, I marveled at a rainbow over the Seine River as she appeared to be answering work emails on her phone.
Tensions felt high, and I worried we might not be very compatible travel partners — but I figured we'd both feel better by day two and ready to continue exploring.
Instead, that was the last day we spent together on the trip. The next morning, she texted me to head out for the day without her.
I took myself on a walking tour from the Eiffel Tower to the Palais-Royal. I should have been excited to cross off bucket-list items, but instead, something felt off.
Later, she let me know that she would be flying home to New York City, leaving me to unexpectedly continue the trip by myself.
Although I was scared of being alone in a foreign country, I embraced it
For a long time, the thought of being by myself in a foreign country (especially one where I don't speak the language) made me feel anxious and afraid.
However, instead of feeling completely terrified when she left, I mostly felt relieved. The tension was gone, and I no longer had to worry about someone else.
Determined not to let being ditched ruin my experience, I changed our original itinerary to be one entirely on my own terms with excursions I wanted to do most.
As an extrovert who is energized by others, I worried that I wouldn't have as much fun in Paris by myself. However, I realized I didn't need to share an experience to value it. It was impossible not to enjoy visiting places I'd dreamt of seeing for years.
I continued on from Paris to Lyon alone and even went to see the Eras Tour solo. As I navigated public transit and city streets on my own, I felt strong, confident, and like I could truly do anything.
This experience gave me more confidence to take on the world alone
As it turns out, getting ditched in a foreign country may be the best thing that could've happened to me.
Being suddenly pushed into solo travel showed me that I'm capable of something I was originally afraid of even trying out. This realization has empowered me to travel more without waiting around for anyone else.
Plus, I've come to appreciate how traveling solo means setting your own schedule and making your own decisions without having to accommodate anyone else's needs.
I hope to travel to Europe by myself again this year, and I'm even considering booking a longer stay.
As for this trip? My only regret is not booking it solo in the first place.
