Lindsey’s Top Five Tips For Planning A Solo Trip

Lindsey here! I LOVE a good solo trip. They are the perfect opportunity to heal and tune into your own needs, wants, and desires. You’re so powerful — take time to recognize that on your own. You can engage alone and uncover any codependency — that has been so impactful for me. Solo trips also help you turn off autopilot and enable that disorientation you need to recognize your own energy.

When I was single, I started going on a lot of solo trips. I got so many questions about them: How do you plan them? How do you not freak out? How do you manage anxiety or loneliness? 

So I’m sharing my best tips and learnings for planning a solo trip: 

1. Declare Your Intention

Declaring my intention is the very first thing I do when I feel an inkling that I want to go on a solo trip. The declaration can be something like this: “I am ready to take a solo trip.” or “My intention is to feel…” and fill in the blank! For me, sometimes my intention is to feel at peace, feel inspired, feel like myself, or be slow, be unplanned, or be adventurous. The biggest part is declaring it! Say it out loud AND write it down.

2. Say A Prayer

The next thing I do, often combined with declaring my intention, is to say a prayer. I pray that this trip will come together with ease, or that I’ll be provided with all the resources and opportunities that can make this happen in a way that fills my heart with joy and makes me remember who I am. This prayer is super powerful. It is serious and shows that this is a priority that you desire. The intention and prayer are the foundation! Then everything will come into place.

3. Feel Into What You Desire

What do I desire from this trip? Do I want to be slow and have no plans? Do I want to be fast-paced, seeing and experiencing as many things as I can? Truly and fully feel into what you desire — close your eyes, hand over heart, and see yourself, suitcase rolling on up to this destination. How do you feel? Take a deep breath, exhale, and when you lift your gaze up in this visualization, what do you see? How do you feel? Are there people? Are there cars? Do you hear birds? Do you feel the warmth of the sun on your face? Are you relaxing or on an adventure, or is it a balance of both? Are you in a warm or cool place? Are you in the city or the desert or the mountains? Once you’ve leaned into where you desire to be, write these down! Write down what you feel and see. This is where you start your list for your dream solo trip.

4. Find Accommodations

Airbnb, VRBO, Hotels Tonight, or any hotel website are all great places to start. I tend to go to Airbnb, Hotels Tonight, or see if I can use points. My environment is extremely important to me, so I focus a lot on accommodations. Some people save on accommodations and go ham on excursions, and some are the opposite. When you feel into this in your visualization, you’ll experience what you desire. Be real with yourself with your desires! Spend money on things that are important to you and really cut back on the things that aren’t. My biggest tip is to know yourself and decide how to spend and splurge.

5. Make A Mood Board

Honestly, I’m not a HUGE Pinterest gal, but I LOVE to make a Pinterest board for my solo travels. I add everything from food, nature and accommodations to feelings, books, and music. I pull in whatever I want during my solo trip. I also use Instagram to find accommodations — there are some great accounts with fun destinations like @best_airbnb.

The first thing I book is the accommodation to anchor myself. Then I wait to book activities until later. The absolute most important thing to me is safety. Closer to the trip, I tell people I trust where I’m going for safety. I give them an address and a phone number to the hotel in case anything happens while I’m gone.

One last thing! As you get closer, you’ll want to cancel. You might feel shame, embarrassment, doubt, or fear. You might start asking yourself, “Do I even want to go? Is it cool that I’ll be sitting by myself at dinner? Will it be as good as my other trips?” All of this is normal!!! All these points are where we start. Don’t beat yourself up – just trust yourself. It’ll be amazing. Solo trips are an incredible way to reconnect with yourself and your energy.

So, where are you headed for your next solo trip? Sedona, Zion, Hawaii, and Ojai are all on my list!
Want to hear more about my solo trip experiences + tips? Check out my episode about it here!