This summer I made a solo travel ‘things I love’ list
Traveling alone is scary for some people. For me (and many others), it’s my favorite way to travel. Don’t get me wrong, sharing dinner or a beautiful view with someone else is wonderful, and I love traveling with other free spirits.
However, traveling alone is an experience, for an extrovert (and people pleaser), of meeting new people, and giving myself time to be quiet and relax in a way I don’t know yet how to do around others.
Now, this being my first trip post-pandemic, I am tripping over myself with ideas to do more. I can’t wait to go go go go go all over the world. Maybe in 2023.
The list below is not exhaustive. But – I figure it will help me remember what I loved about this trip to London. I can come back and do them again – or remember this when I go somewhere else.
Admittedly, at the moment, I am very in love with the hotel and neighborhood (The Resident, Covent Garden) I chose, so that sort of makes itself known in the ‘loves’ below.
Love Love Love
Unique experiences and time to enjoy them.
Quiet hotels and friendly assistance.
Kitchen in my room so I don’t have to eat out for every meal.
Exploring the things that locals love.
Trying new things, like taking the tube which was scary but I did it!
Time to sit and read without feeling like I’m missing out.
Restaurant reservations so I feel secure in my plans.
Walking into a great restaurant, especially unplanned, and finding out that I love it. Some of this comes down to the great planning of the neighborhood you are staying in. Some of it is luck.
An intensely comfortable bed and a nice shower with room to sit in an area that’s not your bed.
Sometimes one of the luxuries of travel is not worrying about transaction fees (or where to get new toothpaste).
Being alone and not having to make conversation.
Walking from place to place and taking my time to look at what’s around me.
Long days meandering and getting lost in the city.
Apple maps.
Taking pictures of little things like brick walls or street signs that look different than the ones at home.
Taking a slow morning. Having all slow mornings.
Coffee (good coffee) in the room/apartment/b&b and simple breakfast at home.
Slow evenings at home, resting, packing, cleaning clothes, writing, whatever
Also …
Using city guides and picking and choosing what actually looks good to me.
Three plays in three days. That makes me happy.
Vintage stores.
Conversations with people who live in this town
Peace and quiet
Local food and grocery stores/bodegas
Netflix shows specific to that region
Talking to people who aren’t from this town
Enjoying a quiet morning to journal and think and drink coffee and wake up.
Taking my time to pack.
Natural lighting, dimmed lighting, neon lights.
Extremely comfortable pajamas that include a matching set with a sweater for when the room is chilly.
A clean room. The ability to have a messy room.
A pretty view, whenever possible.
Charging stations for electronics.
A warm shower. Hot coffee.
Answering the question “just you?” at literally every stop with “yes” – it’s empowering
Writing down things I love about what I’m already doing and planning to do that thing again
In-hotel washer/dryer
Co-working spaces to remind me to write
Hotel happy hours to meet other people and get good ideas for the city
Brianna is a businessperson with a passion for social science and healthy living. They seem to always intersect and come together on Indie. If you’d like to read more articles like this one, check out Indie. Thanks, as always, for reading!
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