Everyone needs to go on a solo road trip, and here’s why. It’s a journey, a special experience just for you and only you. You are capable of going on fantastic adventures all on your own, and it’s time to make that your new reality.
If you’re already bought in to going on that solo road trip, then I’ve done my job well. Use these reasons below to counter anyone who thinks you can’t do it. Yes, your family and friends care about you and your safety. However, you are responsible and intelligent. The mere fact that you are reading this means you have enough wisdom to plan and execute a successful solo road trip. You’ve got this!
Ultimate Freedom
Solo road trips are amazing when you’ve been dying to go somewhere, yet no one else you know wants to go with you. Stop waiting for your friends to decide and do it for yourself! You can design your own route and stop everywhere you want – without debating with the other passengers. Maybe it’s just something really niche you want to go see – something others won’t enjoy as much. That’s great! No need to drag them along if they won’t enjoy it. When you go off alone on an adventure, it’s exciting! You feel free. After the initial fear of being alone, you will relax into a quiet confidence – especially when you’ve pre-prepared safety plans if somethings goes awry.
Sometimes you just need to get out. Get out of the city, leave town, take a breath of fresh air. A solo road trip can be as short as a single day or weekend. You don’t need to take time off of work or miss class to go on a weekend road trip. Just leave on Friday night and be back Sunday night. It’s amazing how empowering it is when you realize the only thing keeping you from all of these amazing adventures was yourself.
If you’d prefer to stay off main roads while driving, you’re free to do so on a solo road trip. You won’t need to worry about other timelines or schedules. You’ll be able to rest as much as you need and stop for the bathroom as much (or as little) as you need. As long as you make wise decisions when it comes to how often you drive every day, it’s much less stressful to drive alone. You are less restricted by the clock, and free to change your plan at any time.
Exploring Your Comfort Zone
When going on a solo road trip, you can stay within your comfort zone or push the boundaries. Since you are alone, it makes sense that you would want to feel safe and at ease during your adventure. You know yourself better than anyone else, so you can decide what to do on your trip. Whether you want to stay within your comfort zone or not, it’s your choice. The great thing about traveling on your own is that you get to choose your adventure.
Although it’s nice to feel comfortable, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow as a person. Think back to a time when you were place in a new and less-than-comfortable situation. What did you learn in that environment – about yourself or the world around you? When planning your solo road trip, consider going somewhere you’ve never been or trying a new activity. That’s where you’ll find the most growth and enjoyment. Without new experiences, life stays the same. Keep your mind open to the possibility of finding a new passion or making new friends. You never know unless you get out there and try.
If you go on a road trip with friends or family, it will be more difficult to get out of that comfort zone. With more adventurous travel companions – sure, they’ll push you to try new things. And that is an amazing adventure to have! I highly recommend traveling the world with your friends. However, solo travel is an entirely different experience. You are thrust into a completely new world with it’s own unique challenges. You learn to love being alone, and realize how important it is to have time by yourself. You’ll meet new people who are also doing the “solo travel” thing. My favorite thing about solo road trips is that you can stop anywhere, at any time, and do anything.
Experience a Huge Confidence Boost
You can organize every single detail of your solo road trip, but there is no guarantee that everything will go to plan. In fact, it’s more than likely that you will have to make adjustments to your plan as the adventure goes on – and that’s okay! You will face challenges, small and big, during your adventure. And every time you come up with a reasonable solution, here’s what happens: you become more and more confident in yourself.
When you first embark on your road trip, you may be nervous or hesitant. Your plan will go smoothly in some areas, and you’ll become more and more confident. When you respond thoughtfully to obstacles during your trip, that confidence grows. There’s no need to call your bestie for help if you know you can overcome anything on your own. You’ll find yourself – the strong, capable part of your that only comes out when you are independent and self-assured. And the more you go off on solo trips, the more this confident side of yourself will grow. It can be scary at first, but trust the process. Trust that with every successful interaction, you become more self-dependent and at peace.
Solo travel requires that you make every. single. decision during your trip. It can be exhausting, but you will soon realize that you really don’t need anyone else to have an amazing journey. With the right amount of preparation, your trip will go off without a hitch. Soon, your friends and family will be asking for advice on how to plan their next road trip. They may even ask you to take them with your on your next adventure.
Unlimited Rest
When your solo road trip is on the longer side, you will need to plan for rest stops and overnight stays. It’s recommended that you rest 45 minutes for every 5 hours of driving time. You should never drive more than 8 hours without taking a break. When driving solo, you can take a break any time you need, and you can rest for as long as you want. If you feel time-pressured, you can combine your bathroom breaks with rest breaks to make your trip more efficient. You’ll want to stay aware of how long your trip is going to take and when you need to arrive at your final destination. Schedules will never go exactly to plan, but you can remove many potential stressors by expecting traffic, bathroom breaks, and rest stops to add time on the road.
If you stop somewhere during your road trip and end up wanting to spend more time there, you can! Being able to change your mind is a huge benefit of solo road trips. If you drove to the Grand Canyon and decided to stay and extra night, no one would be there to fight you on your decision. You are also free to add new stops as you discover opportunities on the road. You might have originally planned to stay in a hotel, but then you discovered there’s a nearby campground with a gorgeous view.
What’s going to stop you from being spontaneous with where you sleep during your trip? You can always sleep in, which you will probably need after a long day of travel. You can even sleep in your car if you need to. However, I wouldn’t recommend sleeping in your car unless you had privacy window covers and a way to maintain a comfortable temperature overnight.
No Dietary Conflicts
Group road trips, or any kind of trip with a group of people, all come with the same problem – deciding what to eat. Not only is it difficult to eat healthy while traveling, but with more people it’s harder to decide where to eat at all. On a solo road trip, you can decide exactly what you want to eat. Throughout the entire journey, you can pack snacks and purchase food that you know you will eat. It’s a small, but significant problem (especially if you have any dietary restrictions).
Dietary restrictions are much easier to deal with when you’re going solo. You can pack and prepare your own snacks without any risk of contamination. You can choose restaurants that can meet your dietary needs. It can be inconvenient, and even awkward, when you travel with a group. Although this is a common problem even when you are not traveling, it’s nice to take a break from these minor inconveniences. Being able to prioritize yourself and your health on a road trip is important. And traveling solo really will allow you to focus on your dietary needs without the need for negotiation.
Being able to plan ahead for your meals and cut down on decision time is a huge benefit of going on a solo road trip. It saves a lot of time! If you need to eat at certain times throughout the day, you can. There’s no need to worry about anyone else when you’re on your solo adventure. You can cut down on even more meal time by packing your own snacks before you leave. If you know exactly what to pack, food-wise, you’re bound to save some money as well.
Introspective Alone Time
Solo road trips are one of the best opportunities to self-reflect and look at your life from the outside-in. With a ton of time to think, you can choose to be introspective and ask yourself some of these questions: How does it feel to go on this trip alone? If this were the last day of my life, would I have the same plans for today? What am I most looking forward to when I get back home? Does it really matter what others think of me? What am I really scared of? You can even use these Goal Setting Tips if you want to come back feeling refreshed with your life back at home.
It’s important to be able to enjoy your own company when you are alone. Throughout your life, there is only one person that will never leave – yourself. You are the only person that will always be there, and who you need to enjoy the company of. It can be a challenging way of thinking at first, but think of yourself as your best friend. Being alone isn’t the same as being lonely. You can be alone without experiencing loneliness. This solo road trip is an amazing way to prove that true. While you’re on this adventure, avoid thinking about what other people are doing. Focus on all of the fantastic things you planned and pulling off! Let your mind wander, enjoy your meals alone, and spend some time in nature if you can. Solitude, when approached from this mindset, is refreshing and restorative.
Usually, the first thing you’ll hear when your family learns about your solo road trip is “but isn’t that dangerous? You shouldn’t go alone!”. The fear projected onto you by your friends and family shows that they care, but it can also damage your self-confidence. This trip is the chance to see yourself from a new perspective. You are capable of planning and pulling off the perfect solo road trip, and it’s time to show the world. It’s okay to have first-trip-alone jitters, but push through. You’ll work through the nervousness and find your confidence along the way. You’ve got this.
Build Your Problem-Solving Skills
The best way to get better at problem-solving is by running towards the problems, not away from them. Embrace the fact that road trips come with tons of potential issues, but that you can handle them all. Problem-solving is a very desirable leadership skill. You can become an amazing problem-solver when you refuse to rely on anyone else to solve the problem for you. Now, if you’re stranded on the side of the road – make smart choices. Stay safe, and don’t commit yourself to solving a problem alone if it’s dangerous. However, when less-important issues pop up, try to find a solution on your own first.
Solo road trip problems can be serious, but many of them just require a bit of clever thinking to find a solution. From navigation logistics to figuring out how to take pictures without someone to take them for you, you can figure it out on your own. And every time you do, feel proud! There is a solution to every problem, a way around every obstacle. Realizing that you can overcome any obstacle in your path will just create a positive feedback loop of healthy pride and self-confidence.
