Does the thought of solo travel leave you feeling a bit anxious? What if, instead of focusing on feelings of loneliness and awkward conversations with strangers, you focused on the idea of the Solo Travel Splurge? In other words looking at all the ways, both big and small, that you can enjoy being on your own when you’re away from home?

Solo travel can mean many things. Some people will hear the phrase “solo travel” and the words freedom, flexibility and adventure come to mind. For others the thought of solo travel conjures up feelings of loneliness, fear, boredom and even anxiety.

As I’m sure you can tell from the title of this post, I’m definitely a member of the first group of travelers. While I will happily travel with friends and family, I also relish the opportunity to travel on my own. But the truth is, even the most enthusiastic solo traveler will at times feel pangs of loneliness or nervousness about being on their own.

What does solo travel look like? It can take on countless forms. It might be a business trip alone for a married mother of two or it can be a trip of self-discovery after a major life change. Whether you are backpacking through Asia alone as a recent college graduate or you are rediscovering travel as a widower, we are all bound to step into a new land on our own one day.

As a single woman, I often make the choice to travel alone. If I only traveled when my vacation schedule aligned with that of my friends’ or if I waited for Mr. Right to show up with a suitcase in hand, well, I’d be sitting home on my couch more often than not.

Now you might say: “There are plenty of amazing blogs out there that focus on advice for solo travelers, so what makes this one different?” The difference is that this blog will focus on the sweet side of solo travel, encouraging you to splurge a little (or a lot). Indulge! Treat yourself!

Truth be told, when you are traveling on your own, you hold all the cards when it comes to how to spend your money, how to spend your time, where to go, what to eat and the endless opportunities that await you on the road. Embrace that!

If you have been following this blog for years, you will notice a shift in the conversation. In short the new focus of There’s So Much to See is the Solo Travel Splurge.

No, this blog will not turn into just a laundry list of the way you can empty out your bank account. Splurging does not always require an Amex Black Card or access to a trust fund. A splurge is not always related to the amount of money you spend.

Sometimes an entire trip can be a splurge. Other times you may decide to choose one meal or one shopping purchase to go all out. That splurge may come in the form of a completely decadent dessert that you normally wouldn’t eat at home. Or there’s the time splurge where you let yourself be totally without a schedule, taking the time to do exactly what you want, when you want.

So do you have to be single with no kids, no friends and no family members to benefit from this blog? Absolutely not!

No matter the size of your community at home, you may find yourself traveling on your own either by choice or by circumstance. And an advantage of solo travel is that you often have either the time or the money to spoil yourself at least a little bit. Just the act of planning the solo trip can feel like an indulgence. That’s the kind of behavior I want to encourage. Go ahead! Spoil yourself.

So, what is an example of a recent solo travel splurge I indulged in?

On a solo trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, I had selected a perfectly good, standard hotel room at the Thompson Beach House. As a huge fan of hotels, I often spend as much time choosing the hotel as the actual destination. I was about to hit the “reserve” button for the perfectly good, standard room when, for no good reason, I started looking through the room upgrade options.

I was traveling alone, so did I need the extra space of an Ocean View suite? Probably not. But a splurge is not about something you need – it’s about something you want. (Yes, a quote paraphrased from one of my favorite movies, Love, Actually).

I figured I may be spending a decent amount of time in my room working on writing and photo editing, and wouldn’t it be better to do so with a furnished balcony overlooking the pool and the ocean? Of course it would! So I chose the upgrade and enjoyed every second of it.

But how can I splurge on myself if I don’t have the extra cash to spend?

Even as a broke college student, I found ways to splurge during my travels. My love affair with international travel started out with a solo trip. In my junior year at Georgetown University I decided to study abroad in Tokyo to satisfy my Japanese language requirement. I was the only person from my university attending this program and when I landed on the ground at Narita airport I didn’t know a soul for thousands of miles in any direction. Was I nervous? Yes. Did it stop me from going? Hell no!

Through the university program and my homestay families I quickly met new friends (some that I still have to this day), but I also found myself wandering the streets of Tokyo alone on many days. Some days I had a pep in my step and I wandered with a sense of adventure. But I won’t lie…other days I moved a bit slower feeling lonely and homesick.

On one of those homesick days, I realized I needed a taste of something familiar. That’s when I decided to seek out a bagel bakery I had heard about. As a college student in the US, I ate bagels nearly every day for breakfast or a snack. I had convinced myself they were a healthy option (clearly, I was not studying for a degree in nutrition) plus they were cheap and filling – the ideal college food. So when I heard about this bakery, I decided to seek it out to get a taste of home.

I wish I could remember the name of the bakery, but at the time, I believe it was the only one in Tokyo. It was located in the international neighborhood of Roppongi, meaning there would be a lot of signs in English and English-speakers to ask for directions. How hard could it be to find?

But this was before the time of Google maps, or even mobile phones, plus the winding alleyways and limited Japanese reading skills meant my little culinary excursion took hours to complete.

I’m pretty sure if I had dragged anyone else along, they would have left me about 20 minutes into this adventure. You could find a tasty bowl of ramen on every corner – why spend the time looking for a bagel you could get at home? But as I was on my own, I didn’t have to take anyone else’s agenda (or love of bagels) into account. Even though I wasn’t about to plunk down a bunch of money, I still felt like I was splurging by doing exactly what I wanted to do when I wanted.

From what I remember, when I finally found the bakery, I was much more pleased with the journey than I was with the bagel. Truth be told, it tasted as if it were made by someone who had never tasted an actual bagel before. Still, I felt so much better having splurged on the time to take the journey and the little victory of finding my destination. The feelings of homesickness faded as I headed back to my host family’s home and I even found humor in the fact that it took me 3 hours to get food that would have taken all of 15 minutes back in the US.

So whether it is taking the time navigating your way to a bagel bakery in Tokyo or spending money on a hotel room upgrade in Mexico, identifying and taking advantage of a solo travel splurge makes a trip so much more memorable. These are the kind of experiences I want to feature on this blog.

I realize this new focus may not speak to everyone, and if it doesn’t, I totally understand. But of course I do hope that most of you still find content, articles, advice and conversations that speak to you. If so, I am glad to have you stick around and perhaps even share this blog with friends and family that you also feel would enjoy the Solo Travel Splurge.

And as always, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think of the blog. Are you new here or are you a long time follower? Tell me your suggestions for ways you like to splurge when you’re on the road. Or even just say “Hi” and tell me something about yourself. After this past year of relative isolation, I am beyond happy to connect or reconnect.

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