Well hello to you my reader chums! Taking a solo trip has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but the opportunity never came up or truly, I never had the confidence to be like 'I'm going to book a trip for only me today.'  I had too many anxious thoughts surrounding whether I'd get lost, something bad would happen to me, or if I would get lonely. 

It wasn't until the last minute my friend had to cancel my trip for unexpected circumstances that I was put in the position to do a solo trip. Even though at first, I was incredibly anxious about what would happen, returning back to the UK, I couldn't have been prouder of jetting off on my own and experiencing not only a new city but a new country.

If you're thinking of travelling solo or have anxieties about travelling solo, here is the experience of my first solo trip.

How did I prepare for my trip?

I only had a couple of days to prepare for the trip solo, because of the circumstances but to be honest, I think that was best. If I had longer, I would have doubted myself and walked away from the situation as I would have worked myself up. In terms of 'how did I prepare' for the trip, the main thing I did was reassure myself, and hyped myself up that I could do it. My itinerary was already planned, the hotel and flights were booked so I only had to mentally plan.

I read up many solo travellers' experiences, researched safety tips about Budapest and put things in place to ensure I felt reassured about my trip. There is only so much you can do to mentally prepare but with the support of friends and family, they gave me the boost I needed.

What was my favourite thing about traveling solo?

There are many things which I loved about travelling solo. I think my favourite thing was doing everything on my own accord. I could follow my itinerary, go to the restaurants I wanted to go, mooch where I decided and wake up whenever  I wanted. I really liked having full control of my day and not having to consult or compromise on what I wanted to do on my trip. It gave me such a strong and independent feel as I was in full control. I also loved spending time on my own. Usually, I never have a lot of time to myself to have fun. When I'm alone, I'm mainly working so it was nice to have quality time to myself to actually do something exciting and relax too, to have that break away from the everyday.

Another favourite thing of mine was pushing myself and stepping out of my comfort zone. Living with anxiety and going through the motions of overcoming my travel anxiety, travelling solo was the last thing to fully accomplish. And, I left the trip feeling so proud of myself.

How did I handle being lonely when travelling?

This was probably one of the hardest parts of my solo trip. In the day, mooching around, I actually really loved just being by myself so the loneliness didn't hit me then. However, when the evenings came and I was dining alone, that's when the loneliness was at its peak because there was nobody to bounce off of about my day and what I've been up to. The best way I handled being lonely was talking to family and friends back home and touching base with them. Also, speaking to other people I met whilst travelling shaked off some of that lonely feeling - and making friends too.

What was my least favourite thing about travelling solo?

As I touched on in the other question, the hardest thing I experienced was the loneliness. I'm a big foodie and I love nothing more than visiting new restaurants and socialising that way. However, on my trip, I felt like I was missing that as I didn't get the same fulfilment going to restaurants or the draw to want to find the best place to eat. I also struggled with feeling a little unsafe at night being on my own in a big city, so I spent the evenings in my apartment chilling rather than exploring the night scene.

How did I find the overall experience of travelling solo?

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience. I didn't know what to expect from the trip because it was a new destination and I'd never travelled solo before. However, I loved being able to see a new place on my accord, I enjoyed experiencing Budapest and mooching around as much as I could. I loved meeting new people and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, in every single way. Plus, I certainly learnt a lot about myself on the trip.

Would I travel solo again?

I definitely would give travelling solo a go again! I probably would go for a slightly shorter amount of time or stay in a hostel so I'm able to make friends easier and have someone to go to dinner with or spend the evening with.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you travelled solo before?

Thank you for reading <3