What Solo Travel Really Feels Like (Not Just the Highlight Reel)
A common misconception is that taking these trips has always been easy for me. While it appears on the surface that I am this brave, free-spirited, soulful woman, I am also someone who carries real responsibility and understands the raw reality of solo travel with fear and doubt.
How My Solo Travel Journey Began
My First Solo Trip to Ireland
I started the journey of solo traveling (with and without my kids) several years back. My first real experience stepping into solo travel was my trip to Ireland. It became a turning point in how I live today.
I didn’t ease into it with small steps—I jumped across the world into another country. Talk about a leap of faith. Go big or go home, right?
But the truth is, it wasn’t just a simple decision of “I’m going to Ireland solo.” All the doubts showed up. I had to decide whether I would let them lead… or bring them along for an adventure of a lifetime.
I chose to go anyway.
The Role Doubt Plays in Our Decisions
We often allow our doubts and fears to become the deciding factor in how we live our lives. When we allow them to override our dreams and desires, we lose pieces of ourselves in the process.
We lose opportunities for growth, expansion, and experiences.
Is it safe to travel solo? Absolutely.
Should you do your research? Of course.
Is it worth it? Without a shadow of a doubt.
How Ireland Changed My Perspective
Ireland opened something in me. When I came home, I knew I would travel solo again. There was a freedom in it that felt deeply aligned with who I am.
After that trip, I decided it was time for something new: a two-week road trip to Maine with my kids.
Because why not? I had just been to Ireland. A road trip should feel easy in comparison… right?
Well… not exactly.
Curious what that looked like for us? You can read all about our 2-week road trip to Maine here.
When Doubt Came Back on the Road to Maine
Doubt showed up again.
It told me stories like:
“You think because you went to Ireland, you can just take a two-week road trip and handle everything alone? You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
And for a moment, I listened.
I questioned myself. Am I really capable of this kind of life? Was I getting carried away? These worries flashed through my mind like a never-ending slideshow.
My mind tried to pull me back into overthinking and second-guessing everything I had already decided I wanted. Traveling with fear and doubt doesn’t mean you stop—it means you learn how to move forward with it.
The Maine Trip That Became a Core Memory
I took the trip anyway.
And to this day, it remains one of our most meaningful family experiences.
Looking back, that two-week Maine road trip became one of the most rewarding adventures we’ve ever taken.
To say I let fear and doubt take the wheel would be unfair to what actually happened. I showed up with preparation, intention, courage, and a willingness to figure things out as we went.
Fear and doubt came with me, but they did not get to lead.
What People Don’t See About Making These Trips Happen
People often wonder how these kinds of trips happen—logistically, financially, practically.
I know all about this because I used to wonder the same thing.
But over time, I learned how to say yes to what matters to me and figure things out as I go.
If I want something, I go for it. I give it my best, and I adjust along the way.
What Travel Has Taught Me About Resilience
I’ve had to learn resilience through experience.
Courage becomes something you practice, not something you wait to feel.
Strength becomes what you lean on when things are uncertain.
And trust—especially self-trust—becomes the foundation for everything.
Doubt still shows up. Fear too. It questions, it warns, it hesitates.
But they no longer get to make the decisions.
Living With Fear as a Passenger
Fear would rather keep you where everything feels predictable and familiar. It doesn’t disappear when you start living differently. It just changes its role.
It used to try to drive.
Now it rides along.
Sometimes in the backseat. If I’m feeling generous, sometimes in the passenger seat.
But never in control.
Looking back, that two-week Maine road trip became one of the most rewarding adventures we’ve ever taken.
Traveling with fear and doubt has taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s the decision to keep going anyway.
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