I took my first solo trip in many months today. It was just a day trip, but it was so refreshing and helped me get back to feeling like myself.
I drove three hours out of LA to Alabama Hills. It was magical. I had never been before and am stoked to have finally checked it off my list. Camping there will definitely happen soon!
We're thinking of doing a camping trip with a couple friends over New Year's Eve. This couple is trying to do more outdoorsy activities, so we're hoping to bring them on some of our trips.
The last solo trip I took was back in March when I went to a climbing festival in Bishop. Today was a nice reminder of that since Alabama Hills is in the same area and I drove through much of the same scenery.
I felt so alive! It was amazing being in the car, listening to my books and music, and running around the incredible scenery over in Lone Pine. My Prius even survived some sketchy roads. My driving in reverse definitely leveled up today as I had to back out of several roads that ended up being a little too treacherous for that low car.
I saved a handful of places for the next round. The long drive and short daylight hours made this a super condensed visit, but I got a nice feel for the place and scoped out the campgrounds.
It was so important to me to get back out to what I love and rekindle my joy of solo traveling.
There's nothing more freeing to me than hitting the road alone. I can spend hours driving through pretty areas and just hopping out here and there to snap some photos and really take in where I'm standing.
If you've never traveled solo before, I highly recommend taking a road trip by yourself. We spend so much time in our cars, commuting to and from work, running errands -- but how often do we drive solely for enjoyment?
Traveling alone in the comfort of your car takes a lot of the anxiety out of being by yourself. There's a constant safe place to come back to and you can easily scoot over to another area if you're feeling at all iffy about where you are. If you don't want to get out, you can watch the environment change through your windows. You can pop into a drive through and grab a cup of coffee or meal. Bring your favorite snacks and blast your guilty pleasure music.
The joy of traveling solo is that you can go wherever you want, for however long you want. Linger anywhere that catches your eye, skip the stops you don't need, take bathroom breaks whenever.
Community is one of the most important things in life, but nurturing your relationship with yourself is just as (if not more) important. Being in new places by yourself helps you learn what you do and don't like and allows you to be your fullest self. And you can bring more of that back into "real life" when you return home. Plus you'll have stories to tell of the wonderful things you saw :)
I think I lost a bit of myself this year, being in a new relationship, focusing on my content, and generally being busy and absorbed with other priorities. Next year, I'm going to make an effort to spend at least one day a month doing something just for me. Whether it's solo camping, a day trip, a quick hike, taking a class, or simply staying home and reading.
I've realized (and am still working on) I can only bring the best version of myself to my work and relationships when I've had this time to recharge. Being a pretty severe introvert, I need that alone time to thrive (see day 7). For me, this usually means going out into the middle of nowhere. Not only because "alone time" really means being away from everyone else, but because being in nature helps ground me and makes me reconnect with who I am and my purpose.
If you've never tried traveling alone, where would you want to go first and what's holding you back? If you have, what's your favorite solo travel memory?
Thank you for reading and I'll see you all again here tomorrow :)
Happy adventuring,
A
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