1. There won’t be a “better time” than now

How many times have we heard that? As we age, life tends to get more complicated. Yes, financially you might be better off in the future, but the truth about life is you will always have things to pay for and there will always be something to tell you to wait for a better time. As Jack Kornfield says.

“You know Buddha once said, the trouble is you think you have time..”

This isn’t me telling you to rack up debt, this is me telling you to invest in what you believe is important in life. This is me telling you to pick and choose what is most important to you, ad come up with a financial plan to attain those goals. Traveling solo as a female at 23 was that goal for me, and I put in the effort to make it happen. (and I am so glad I did).

2. You will gain confidence

Do you find your confidence is not exactly where you want it to be? Do you not fully believe in yourself? Traveling across the country by yourself might be exactly what you need to prove to yourself just how capable you are. When you travel solo as a female in your 20’s it gives you the confidence you can do anything. If you can travel solo to a foreign country and rely on only yourself to take care of yourself, you will never need to rely on anyone else again. That is the kind of freedom we all want and deserve.

When I was 23 and I traveled solo to Italy, on my very first day I got lost in Florence. I realized I walked to my hotel and did not pay attention to directions on how to get back (I also didn’t have an international phone plan.) I had a map that I could not understand for the life of me and I didn’t speak Italian so I was having trouble asking for help, so I just panicked. I started running around and it truly hit me that I was alone in a foreign country. 

A very nice lady who understood me helped direct me to my hotel. It was at that moment that I realized, no one is looking out for me so I need to look out for myself. I learned how to be good at being aware of my surroundings, knowing where I was going, and being prepared. You learn to be your own best advocate and with that, you come home differently You come home confident in yourself that you can do anything, and you can do it all on your own.

What I learned from this experience, is always get an international phone plan and have a good portable charger. Having these things would have saved me from this situation of getting lost when traveling solo through Italy.

3. You learn about who you are

I’m a true believer that travel can teach you more about life than any book or show ever could. You can learn as many things about another country from books or shows, but you will never truly know until you experience it for yourself. 

When you travel solo away from your hometown it forces you out of the comfort zone of what you know. You remove yourself from the norms of where you’re from and live according to the norms of a place totally different. It forces you to see the world and people in a different light.

 You might realize that things you believed in all your life that your parents taught you changed, and that’s okay. It is actually good. It means you are growing, growing into who you’re supposed to be. It may be scary and unpredictable to make the decision to get out into the world on your own, but that is the only way to know who you truly are.

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

–Neale Donald Walsch

4. You are totally FREE

There are not many times one can say they are across the world in an unusual city or town without knowing a single soul. Yes, that sounds scary… but how FREE does that feel? 

When you travel solo and have not one person to answer to, not one person to compromise with, not one person that knows where you are or what you’re doing. You wake up and do exactly what you want, when you want, where you want. 

It’s one time in your life you will live for YOU and do the things that make you feel the most alive. To travel solo as a female in your twenties is a way to be completely free.

 

5. Making new friends

Not having the comfort of your friends and family will force you to get out there and connect with people you probably wouldn’t, if you had traveled with people you know. Traveling solo as a female in your 20s will give you more time for yourself, and therefore other people. You crave a social interaction with others and therefore make the time to get to know people you normally wouldn’t. 

Traveling solo as a young female also encourages meeting people from all over the world and they can be forever lasting friendships. I still am connected with friends I made on my solo trips over 7 years ago! Making friends around the world gives you a wholeness you never knew you needed.

 

Yes, making the decision to travel solo is scary, but I promise you it is worth it. These experiences have given me the confidence and purpose to grow into the woman I am today and I am forever thankful for getting out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to do the things that make me feel the most alive. 

It’s normal to be afraid, going to a foreign country is scary, but you can be a strong independent female and travel solo safely. Read my blog about How to Travel Solo as a Female Safely for my tips on how I did it and felt completely safe.

The money always returns, your hometown will always be there, and the job is just a job. Do something for yourself in your 20s that will make you proud to tell your kids about.