What I Learned From My First Solo Vacation

I’ve always wanted to plan a vacation for me, myself and I.. and this year I finally had the nerve (and the funds$$) to do so. 

When I went to Los Angeles, I fell in love and I vowed to come back in a years time, even if it meant coming by myself and that’s exactly what I did. I absolutely fell in love with the city at first sight and had withdrawals as soon as I stepped foot back on the East Coast.

Overall my solo vacation was DOPE and I enjoyed every second of it but I wish I would have been more prepared for such a nerve-racking trip.

Here’s what I learned planning and going on my first solo trip, that you should keep in mind if you’re looking to do the same.

Seriously plan out your itinerary in the most organized way that makes sense geographically.

When I was in Cali I was literally hopping in a Uber from point A to B to Z to F and back to A. Save yourself the trouble (and the headache) and plan out your activities in a way that makes sense geographically. Going downtown? knock out everything you can do while your downtown instead of bouncing all around.

Make sure your plane landing time and hotel/accommodations check-in time is a close in time as possible

Foolishly, I didn’t do this, and consequently, I ended up having a 6-hour wait to check into my Airbnb after landing in LAX. I killed time thanks to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffle, the nail salon and good ‘ole LA traffic. When you’re alone in an unfamiliar city, this can be somewhat of a daunting task.

You should check out how I book super cheap flights after reading this.

Keep your devices fully charged and keep a spare if you can.

I went hiking in the 3rd largest park in Los Angeles with my phone on 20% and I had no cord to charge it on my portable charger. Did I add, I took a Uber into the middle of the park and had no idea (or battery power) to get out. Yeah, CRAZY.

Nowadays smartphones/devices are our lifelines, so make sure yours is fully charged up so you can navigate. Solo vacation means no one else to rely on when you kill your battery on Snapchat

Start your day’s early

The chances of you wanting to just chill during the daytime and turn up at night are slim to none. Start the day early and just explore to your hearts desire.

Don’t be afraid to dine alone because…Yolo

Of course, you could avoid sticking out like a sore thumb by heading to McDonalds or 7/11 but why? Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself.

I find that servers are SUPER friendly to solo diners (I dine all the time by myself, not only on vacation). Maybe they feel bad for us? Or maybe 1 less person = 1 less headache. Either way, it’s totally okay to do.

You may also like: The Benefits of Going Out Alone

Bring a selfie stick and/or tripod

Regardless of being alone, you have to capture some memories on film… or iPhone.

Remember the address and phone number of the location where you are staying

You never know what predicament you may find yourself in where you won’t be able to take out your phone to access the address to your hotel/accommodation.

Don’t be afraid to hit up someone you kind of sort of know

Sometimes human contact is just needed. It will also make you feel so much safer having someone you know (or sort of know) close by while your hundreds or thousands of miles away from your family and friends.

My first solo trip was a SUCCESS but of course, I learned a lot in the end that I’ll use on my next solo adventure.

Do you have some tips to share with 1st time (or maybe 2nd time) solo travelers? Drop below!

You may also want to know how I got super cheap deals on airfare on my first solo trip and why I chose to stay in an Airbnb instead of a hotel.