Last updated on September 17th, 2020 at 02:09 am
About a year ago, I was talking to Luke about travel and he was saying that he would like to go on a solo trip at some point. I could not wrap my head around that statement. I thought that was crazy! And yet, somehow, a year later, I found myself embarking on a solo trip to Utah that I would never forget.
My initial thoughts about solo travel were: Why would you want to go anywhere alone? What if something happened to you? What if you got lost? How would you go to restaurants or bars or anywhere? Wouldn’t people think that’s weird?
A Change of Heart
Fast forward a year, and here I was, turning off my street, heading towards the endless highway, fear bubbling up in the back of my throat. All the sudden, these thoughts from one year ago resurfaced.
How did I get here? I thought. This isn’t me. I can barely go to the bathroom alone.
A month ago, Luke and I had been planning a trip to Moab. It honestly wasn’t the best time for us to be going anywhere and about two weeks before the trip, Luke decided he couldn’t go. He told me that I should still go.
In the last year, I had filled my social media feed with other travel bloggers, many of whom traveled solo on the regular. You know how they say you are the five people you hang out with most? In my experience, this is definitely true and applicable to social media.
After hearing so many people talk about solo travel, I was interested. I wanted to experience it for myself. Utah didn’t seem too intimidating for my first solo trip.
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We had been planning on camping, but I didn’t feel prepared to camp alone, so I booked the Lazy Lizard Hostel. This would be my first time staying a hostel, but it was much cheaper than any hotel or Airbnb and they had a really good cancellation policy, so I felt good knowing I had a way out. I didn’t want to tell anyone in case I chickened out and decided not to go.
Somehow, though, the time came to pack and I still had my reservation. So Friday morning I packed up my car, feeling unprepared, said a regretful goodbye to Luke, and started driving towards the mountains in a little bit of a daze.
Solo Trip to Utah
The Road to Moab
Five hours is a long way to drive by yourself.
I staggered out of my car in Grand Junction and ate lunch at a table alone. I pulled off at the Utah Border to see the “Welcome to Utah” sign, thinking I could set up my tripod and get a picture of myself with the sign. As I got out of my car though, a huge bus full of tourists pulled up and poured out. Feeling anxious and overwhelmed I wandered back to my car and continued down the highway.
After I had made it through two of my playlists I was starting to feel a little lonely and my hands were cramping from clutching the steering wheel. Who knew driving was such hard work?
Arriving in Moab
Any amount of calm that I had acquired on the road vanished as turned down US-191. The rocks crept up on me and soon they towered above on both sides, giant red cliffs hanging over, encasing me in their grasp.
It was suffocating.
The fear bubbled up, constricting my throat again. I was terrified. What am I doing here? Why did I choose to stay in a hostel? What if the people were mean or creepy or stole my things? What if they thought I was weird?
Staying at the Lazy Lizard Hostel
The hostel was behind a storage facility, which didn’t sit well with me, but at this point I was just on autopilot, carrying out my plan because that’s all I had.
I pulled up in the dirt parking lot. A picnic area was in front of a small door which said “Office” although it didn’t look very welcoming.
“Is this the door?” I asked the two people who were milling around. They nodded, so I entered.
I was informed that they were cleaning from three to four, but I was handed a key after the front desk girl ran her finger down a list of names and found mine.
I went to private room number 6 and unlocked the door. It was hot and stuffy inside, as one would expect a hostel to be in Utah in June. An old cooling unit sat in the window, turned off and looking incapable of providing any relief, and the bed was a simple spring mattress.
I glanced around, feeling very unsure about the whole situation, and then hurried out, swallowing my panic. I buried the key in my bag, a problem for later.
Exploring Moab Solo
My first couple hours in Moab I felt lost. Always the girl with a plan, leading my travel companions around, I was not used to this type of freedom. I had a loose plan, but being by myself made me feel less inclined to follow the plan. There were so many things I could do, and wanted to do, that I couldn’t choose.
I parked in town, wandered around, and decided I was wasting time. Instead I headed to Arches National Park.
My first trail in Moab, also technically my first solo hike, was only two miles round trip and highly trafficked, but when no one passed me for about fifteen minutes, I started getting anxious. After playing around with my camera for a while, I started to relax and have some fun.
There were definitely some awkward moments on my solo weekend in Moab, like when I got dinner alone at Moab Brewery and the waiter was horrible and kept giving me weird looks, or when I went to visit Delicate Arch and, surrounded by about 40 other people, couldn’t seem to muster the courage to ask someone to take my picture.
The hostel was interesting, for sure, but suited my purposes well. It felt a little like summer camp (and all the fears that came along with it), but the room and bathrooms were clean and free of spiders (my only real requirement).
My first solo trip was an incredible experience that still feels like a dream. I am astonished that I was able to venture out on my own, even though it wasn’t a long trip or very far from home. I can see why solo travel is attractive to many because you learn so much about yourself and your capabilities, while doing things you previously thought impossible.
Tips for Solo Travel
There were a couple things about solo traveling, especially in Moab, that made me apprehensive.
I was concerned about how much I would be relying on my car. Before I left, I took it took Brakes Plus for a check up (which they did for free). This made me feel a lot safer about driving into mildly remote areas.
Hiking was one of the main things that interested me in Moab, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing remote trails by myself. I purposefully choose trails that were popular so that I knew I wouldn’t be totally alone. Even though it sounds like something I might want to do someday, being off the grid by myself on this trip was not something that interested me. I also made sure I sent Luke a text each time I was heading off to a new trail so someone would know my location.
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Talking to people or meeting people was another thing that worried me. While I did talk to a few people, I got some weird looks and didn’t make any friends. I think this is likely because 1) I had a private room, 2) I was only there for a weekend, and 3) I likely looked very uncomfortable. If you’re hoping to make friends, I think staying in a dorm would be better. In the future, I plan to make more of an effort to meet people.
There are a lot of things I didn’t consider about solo travel before I left – like that I would have to carry everything myself when hiking and there wouldn’t be anyone to watch my stuff if I had to go to the bathroom.
There were also some things about the hostel I didn’t consider. For instance, I didn’t consider that a hairdryer is a luxury that wouldn’t be provided. It also would have been nice to have a shower bag to carry stuff to and from the bathrooms.
Next time, I would plan better for these things, but I adapted as needed on this trip.
Need more advice on solo travel? Check out 5 Tips for Traveling Alone for the First Time.
Try Solo Travel Yourself
When I first thought about solo travel, I thought it was impossible. There was no way I could do that. I wasn’t even interested in the idea.
But I did it! It feels like I did a complete 180 over the last year, as I reflect on this trip.
If traveling solo has ever crossed your mind or if you’ve ever thought about how much you would like to travel but your significant other, friend, or family member is unavailable, do it. If I can do it, you can! It felt so good to overcome my fears and realize how much I can rely on myself.
Stop worrying about what people think, the things you might miss out on, and all the things that could go wrong. You will only regret not going.
Although solo travel is not something that will be a big part of my life right now, I’m not taking it off the table. You never know when I might get antsy and venture off on my own.
Watch out world!
Would you ever consider taking a solo trip to Utah?
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thanks for sharing your experience- so many of us feel this discomfort when we’re alone around people. I think in the end the only one uncomfortable with this is ourselves- other people are in their own worlds and don’t give us a second thought even though we are sure they’re judging us. Glad you went! Arches is so striking. And, as always, an interesting trip and post!
Very well put! I’m sure you’re right!
I’ve never traveled solo so feel really inspired reading stories by people who do. I found this particularly refreshing as you were honest. Dining out alone is difficult and driving alone I’d also find quite overwhelming, never mind trying to take the photographs however this was a very inspiring read and congratulations for going for it!!
I think it takes a truly special kind of person to travel solo. I’ve never done it – not sure I’m brave enough but it must be an incredible experience! This is very motivating though. If I’m ever in the position where I need to travel alone I will hopefully be able to just take the plunge 😊
Such a lovely story of taking a leap and being vulnerable!! It’s so true that I’ve become so accustomed to being alone (eating, driving, travelling, hiking, etc.) that I can’t even remember how it first felt – or so I thought. This definitely brought back memories. It’s also so fascinating how you can “train” yourself in some ways to prepare for solo travel. Spending a summer tree planting where I spent 10 hours alone in the forest every day wasn’t travel: but it certainly prepared me for being alone with my thoughts. Thanks for this 🙂
That’s a great idea to train yourself so that it’s a little less shocking! I might have to do that next time!
Thank you for this post. I don’t travel alone as much because of these feelings. And don’t book hostels for the same reason.
But happy you broke through that fear. I will save this post to encourage me to take that step.
You should try it! If I can do it, anyone can do it!
Agree with your opinion. It depends where to go. I used to travle alone as well but somehow I never had any fear.
Oh wow, I wish I hadn’t had any fear!
Solo trip as an introvert? Yup, I can relate! My biggest fear has always been sharing a room in a hostel. I could barely share a room in college! Thanks for sharing your journey and showing your bravery!
My first solo trip was to Paris and I absolutely loved it! There is something amazing about being in a country alone where no one knows you – I stayed in a studio and ended up feeling like a local. But I don’t know if I could picture doing a national park alone – at least not yet. Glad you were able to accomplish such a big feat!
I think traveling solo in a big city sounds pretty scary too!
The longest solo drive I’ve done is seven hours and it’s quite hard especially when you are tired. I used to travel solo all the time for work, so I got pretty used to doing things solo 🙂
It’s a great skill to have!
I HV never travelled solo and would HV been felt the same as you..I feel it’s a courageous act to travel and explore all by yourself. Great job 😊
This is such an inspiring post! I applaud you for taking this first step. I am really inspired after reading this