At 30, quitting a stable job to travel the world solo seems as crazy as it is liberating. Yet, this decision, tinged with apprehension and dreams of adventure, turned out to be much more than just a series of tourist discoveries. This year of wandering and encounters on the other side of the globe offered me a deep dive into solitude, both its trials and its beauty, shedding light on unsuspected facets of humanity. Between mishaps, laughter, and introspection, here’s what I gleaned from this unforgettable interlude where the solitary traveler I became learned to tame solitude and savor its strength.
Calling to Adventure: The Big Leap into the Unknown
The trigger is often that famous milestone of turning 30. While others stack up candles or loans, I piled up the courage to leave everything behind for somewhere else. The world was calling me, and behind the excitement, vertigo was never far away. Jumping into the unknown means facing ridiculous situations: missed flights, luggage too heavy to heft up four flights of stairs under the Tuscan sun, incomprehensible menus. When traveling solo, every problem becomes a small epic trial (with, at times, someone waving their arms in the street, Google Translate stuck to their ear).
But soon, the journey erases its troubles to offer gifts: total freedom, time that slows down, the unexpected that arises around a corner or on the beach of a secret cove on the Var coast (hidden treasure of the Var coast).
Solitude, That Strange Companion
It is little talked about, but the real star of solo travel is her: solitude. We fear her, we flee from her, until the moment when, as inevitable as rain in Glasgow, she asserts herself. Yet, it is in those moments when nothing and no one fills the silence that we finally learn to listen to ourselves. I often feared solitude, but it turned out to be precious. It forced me to slow down, to observe rather than flick through, to savor the present moment… even if there was no one to share it with at that moment.
This fragility, in hotel rooms or on terraces facing the Aegean Sea (by the way, if you’re looking for your next paradise stop, these beaches in Greece are breathtaking), can be overturned by the grace of a smile exchanged with a stranger, a kind gesture. Paradoxically, it is solitude that opened the doors to others and to myself.
Unexpected Encounters: The Art of Weaving Fleeting Connections
It’s fascinating to see how traveling alone attracts authentic exchanges. As strange as it may seem, the most beautiful conversations often emerge with strangers, whether over dinner in Glasgow or a stroll in Florence. Thus, when this traveler asked me, in passing in a Scottish pub, a conspiratorial, “So how do you manage solitude?”, she hit upon the essential. Sharing our vulnerabilities breaks down barriers, and solitude becomes a pretext for exhilarating and unforgettable connections.
In every country, in every city, I crossed paths with souls as questing as I was – those who, barely met, offer you a slice of their story or invite you for a night of discussions or an impromptu getaway to discover new horizons, like the Scottish castles that seem straight out of a fairy tale (enchanted castles in Scotland).
The Beauty of the Moment: When Humanity Reveals Itself
Solo travel has gifted me with a heart more open to the sweetness of the little things. For kindness, far from being a myth, slips in everywhere: that Danish waiter who tends to an injured finger, that stranger who captures your wonder before a painting… Every country crossed, from Costa Rica to the Mediterranean (Pacific or Caribbean, it’s up to you to choose), holds these “gift moments” that make solitude bright rather than heavy. We discover that it’s normal – and even desirable – to be amazed by mundane gestures, shared questions, and spontaneous laughter around a table.
Changing Skin: Rebirthing Oneself through the Other
Traveling solo also means granting oneself the luxury of reinvention. Like that octogenarian I met on a Florentine bench, recently returned home after 35 years in Brussels to “start over” – or Dreina, that Hungarian artist settled in Tuscany, determined to (re)discover herself. Their message was clear: it’s never too late to write a new chapter. By hitting the roads, I learned to embrace my uncertainties as virgin territories to explore.
The spectacle of the world, whether it unfurls on the banks of the Arno or in the hustle of the streets of Split, invites an inner workout: to take a step back, change perspectives, surprise oneself every day. Traveling solo has not just taught me to manage solitude – it has taught me to love it, to turn it into a strength to better savor beauty (a bit like choosing one’s own beach or travel companion, why not different every day? Discover why some travelers prefer to go solo).
Finding Freedom in Vulnerability
What strikes most, when all fears fall away, is the freedom that arises from fully embraced vulnerability. Between two flights and some logistical hiccups, I learned to trust. In my good star, my intuition, and above all, in the unknown. Each journey, each detour, each misadventure offered me a little lesson in humility: when you let go, life is full of surprises.
In the end, this year of solo travel not only swept away my prejudices about solitude, it opened me up to a world where we explore as much the outside as we disrupt our own inner boundaries. With, on top of that, the exhilarating certainty that the most beautiful adventure is the one where we dare to confront and meet ourselves, under all climates.
