Solo Travel. A Pathway to Self-Trust.

What I’ve discovered through my own journey back to Self-trust and through working with many others on their paths; is that there isn’t an easy prescription to follow. Everyone’s journey is going to look different. No step-by-step protocol here.

(Sorry if that’s what you were hoping for.)

But what I will offer today, is one of my personal favorites. Something that has shown me time and time again that the most reliable + credible authority on my life; is me.

Solo travel.

It’s something I’ve been doing since my mid 20's. Starting in those early years with destinations inside the US. Then, I took my first solo international trip for my 30th birthday to Portugal. (Pause here. Go do an image search for the Azores Islands and you can thank me later.)

Travel of all kinds is my jam. With friends. With romantic partners. There’s something enticing about all of it for me. But there’s something extra special about solo travel.

Extra magical.

And while sometimes, there are precise moments you can learn to trust yourself during solo travel (like when you’re in the back of a car in Morocco that gets rear-ended and the driver gets in a yelling match with the person who hit you…🫣😬). The Self-Trust also grows more subtly over time. Sometimes you don’t even realize it’s happening.

But it is.

Each time you make the decision of what YOU want to do.

How YOU want to spend your time.

Every time you have to think about safety and listen to your body when it tells you who to spend time with. And who to avoid.

When you navigate the train system during transportation strikes.

Or drive on the opposite side of the road.

Or figure out what to do when the ATM eats your debit card.

Or what to do when you have to get emergency dental work.

Not to mention, the language barriers galore.

Navigating all this on your own.

Each time you listen and honor your own inner compass; the trust builds. Little victories become big wins. And soon you’re moving through travel experiences with an ease you wouldn’t have recognized before. And maybe that can even translate to other parts of life. You're becoming a person you would trust.

That’s not to say there won’t be plenty of “what the fuck did I get myself into?!” moments along the way. 😉

You also get the opportunity to try on the persona of a bold + confident person while traveling. Maybe you even end up really liking these new parts of yourself that you unlock. Then the next challenge presents…

How can you integrate these novel aspects of yourself back into your daily life?

If you’ve been following along my journey for a while, you may know I’ve been traveling pretty much full time for about two years. “Home” has been pretty transient. I’ve spent tons of time behind the wheel; meeting people along the way. It’s fascinating to see how people respond when I share about my nomadic life. Traveling alone is so comfortable for me at this point, I forget it’s outside many people’s comfort zone.

I can hear the anxiety of others with their questions to me…

Aren’t you afraid?
What happens if your car breaks down?
Aren’t you lonely?

Or the ever-common declaration, I could never do that.

These fear-based queries connect me back to the thing I’ve worked really hard for. The trust I have in myself. To respond to whatever may come my way as I’m out adventuring on my own. I know I’ll be able to do what I need to do. I can count on myself to figure it out. Whatever “it” ends up being this week.

Solo travel is also a mirror. It can expedite your self-discovery journey. You hang out with yourself A LOT. You have opportunities to get to know yourself more deeply. All parts of yourself if you allow it.

And when you stop being a stranger to yourself, you can become someone worthy of trusting.

International travel + years-long nomadic lifestyles aren’t the only paths. These might be unnecessarily extreme for many people. But what about a weekend road trip to a nearby city? Or a staycation; being a tourist in your own town? Maybe the first step is taking yourself to dinner or a movie alone.

I want to hear from you…

What excites you most about solo travel?
What intimidates you most about solo travel?
What lessons have you learned from solo travel?

If the idea of building trust in yourself is intriguing;, check out the Epic Self-Trust program to get started!