wanderingswithsarahFrom telling my family I wanted to take my first solo trip, to the trip itself, these are my tips for solo travelers based on my experience.
It’s been a goal of mine for awhile to take my first solo trip. I’ve been dreaming of living the #vanlife for a few years and I wanted to see if I had what it takes. So this summer I finally went on a solo overnight four hours from home. I explored Sleeping Bear Dunes with my dog and slept in my car.
If you’re even considering a solo trip, I hope this can inspire you and empower you to give it a try.
Table of Contents
- Why You Should Go on a Solo Trip
- Telling My Family I Wanted to Take a Solo Trip
- Planning My Trip
- My First Solo Trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes
- My Original Trip Itinerary
- Tips for Solo Travelers
- Car Camping Packing List
Why You Should Go on a Solo Trip
Here are a few reasons why I wanted to go on a solo trip and why you should try it too.
- More freedom and flexibility with itinerary
- You don’t have to wait around for other people to be available
- Become more independent
- Be more comfortable doing things alone
- Learn more about yourself and how you handle things
- Learn how to deal with things going wrong without bouncing ideas off someone else
- Disconnect from the world
Telling My Family I Wanted to Take a Solo Trip
As a young woman still in college, telling my family was a major component to this trip. Not only do I live at home still to save money, but I wanted to borrow my mom’s SUV. I drive a truck and wanted to do car camping for my first solo trip experience, so I needed to use her vehicle. Plus of course she gets better gas mileage.
I wanted to go completely alone and originally didn’t even want to take my dog, Abby. When I asked my mom she was apprehensive, but agreed to let me take her vehicle. At that point it seemed like an easy hurdle. Obviously she was concerned and would’ve preferred that I go with others, but wasn’t going to stand in my way.
When my plans got relayed to my dad, it was another story. Suddenly I was selfish for making them worry and going alone on this trip. I should think of others. I acknowledged these concerns and shared all of the safety precautions that I would be using. After that, I also agreed to take my dog. I think this trip was a definite sore spot until I got home safely.
It’s okay that your parents are concerned, regardless of your age or gender. But if solo travel is something you are really passionate about trying, you can’t let that stop you. Be prepared and take all precautions, but the reality is after you turn 18 you are an adult. Even if you still live at home, you are free to make your own decisions about what you do.
One of my biggest tips for solo travelers after this experience is to not forget that it’s not disrespectful to follow your dreams.
Planning My Trip
As with all of my trips, I had an ambitious trip planned for my first solo adventure. I was going to head up to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The trip got delayed a few times due to weather and another trip, but I finally made it up the Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
I saved all hike info and marked all locations on Google Maps. Then I figured out how early I would have to set my alarms and leave in the morning. I also found a backpacker meal and oatmeal and planned to borrow my friend’s electric kettle.
Since I was bringing my dog, all hikes had to be dog-friendly. Sleeping Bear Dunes does not allow dogs on some beach areas, so I downloaded the map for this to make sure I knew where I was allowed.
For camping, I planned to grab a walk-in site at one of the state forest campgrounds in the area. I marked a couple on Google Maps and figured out which one I preferred so I knew where to go first. It’s important to read reviews on this campgrounds and check out the surrounding area to gauge how safe you will be alone.
I packed everything into my mom’s car the night before and set everything up. I felt a little nervous, but also ready for the experience.
My First Solo Trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes
The Food Situation
I’ll be honest, things started going wrong before the trip even started. When I went to pack up the car converter and electric kettle, my dad looked at it and pointed out that the wattage was too high on the kettle so it wouldn’t work. A pro tip if you have a power block or converter: always check the wattage and power outputs to make sure it is compatible.
My mom told me that I would need to stop for food and I couldn’t eat granola bars. Does the bag of Chex Mix I bought at the grocery store to go with my granola bars count?
The Weather Dilemma
The weather turned the day I was headed up and it was supposed to rain in the morning and then afternoon. I left a little later to avoid the morning rain. However, the thing about Sleeping Bear Dunes is that when rainy weather sets in, a dense fog will hang over the region very close to the ground. It settled in and obstructed all of the views.
I got some experience shooting solo pictures at Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. After that, I parked at Glen Lake to wait out the rain. While it rained, I did computer work laying on my camping mat in the back of the car.
After that, I did a short hike at Windy Moraine Trail. I found a tick on Abby after the hike and was itchy all over for hours. Most of the hikes I wanted to do involved lookout points that I knew would be obscured by fog. I began to struggle with motivation and definitely didn’t want to do a hike for no views. Because of this, I ended up driving to Good Harbor Bay Beach earlier than planned.
Upon getting to the beach, we were chased back to the parking lot by hordes of flies that landed all over Abby and I. Ditching that idea, I headed to Garey Lake State Forest Campground.
I got good vibes from this campground. It was mostly older couples with their campers and I found a secluded site to pull into. I set up my camp chair and hung out there until it got dark.
The Second Day
In the morning I had planned to catch a sunset, but every alarm I reset still felt early and fog still hung over the area. I ended up getting up significantly later than planned.
When I left to go to Empire Bluff Trail there was still fog. After waiting around for awhile, I decided that I should just drive towards home. There was a chance it could clear up later, but I couldn’t wait around that long.
I kept driving south through the fog, stopping at Point Betsie Lighthouse and then Arcadia Scenic Turnout. Here I was able to watch the fog roll out as I shot some pictures and videos with my tripod.
After a complete pivot on my plans, I ended up stopping at Ludington State Park. I opted to hike the Lighthouse Trail, one that I had only done in the winter. It was windy day, but the views were amazing.
Only 20 minutes from home, traffic came to a dead stop on the freeway. This was the perfect finale to a series of unfortunate events on the trip.
My Thoughts About the Trip
This was still a great trip in my opinion. Not only can I say that I’ve had the experience of solo travel, but I had to make decisions for myself on the fly and completely change my plans. This made me feel more independent and empowered.
And I learned that I’m okay on my own traveling. I definitely would’ve been more lonely without Abby to talk to, but it was manageable all the same. I learned both my strengths and my weaknesses from this trip and I’m so grateful for the experience.
My Original Trip Itinerary
If you’re interested in taking this trip or just want an idea of how much I had to improvise, this was the original plan.
Day 1
- Leave at 7 and drive up to Sleeping Bear Dunes
- Hike Empire Bluff Trail
- Visit Inspiration Point
- Hike Windy Moraine Trail
- Hike Pyramid Point Trail
- Campfire at Good Harbor Bay Beach
- Camp at Garey Lake State Forest Campground
Day 2
- Leave campsite at 5:30 am to catch sunrise at DeYoung Natural Area
- Visit Point Betsie Lighthouse
- Hike Elberta Dunes
- Hike Green Point Dunes
- Hike Arcadia Dunes and Baldy Dune
- Visit Arcadia Scenic Turnout
- Drive home
As you can see, I hardly did anything on my itinerary. I’m such a planner, so having to improvise the whole time was an added stress to the experience.
Tips for Solo Travelers
Based on my experience, these are all of my tips for solo travelers.
First-Time Tips for Solo Travelers
Start small.
Your first solo trip doesn’t need to be a flight to another country and a week long stay. And I personally don’t think it should be. Start with something close to home and only an hour or two away. This way you can always drive home if something goes wrong. A short duration is also helpful to prevent burnout and give you a taste of solo travel without being overwhelmed.
Pick accommodations that feel safe to you.
This is all dependent on your comfort level. Personally, I wasn’t comfortable being in a tent alone my first trip, so I opted to car camp. This felt safe to me. But you might feel perfectly safe in your tent. Or maybe car camping isn’t good enough. In this case you could always book a hotel or an Airbnb to stay at. Just don’t pick something that you aren’t comfortable with, because your stay could make or break your trip.
Have a backup plan.
If you’re not familiar with what’s in the area, research surrounding destinations and have an idea of other things you could do if the weather isn’t in your favor. Maybe this is a completely different activity, or maybe you head out a different direction. This also goes for campsites if that’s your accommodation of choice. If you’re looking for a walk-in site, there’s always the chance they will be full. Have other campgrounds nearby in mind in case this happens.
Don’t cut yourself off socially.
Whether it’s via text, social media, or nice people at your destination, if you feel lonely, you can still talk to people. I kept up with people about as much as I normally would and I found this helped a lot. I also talked to a few people at scenic lookouts. Solo travel can be very isolating if you aren’t careful.
Check in with someone periodically.
Someone at home should know your itinerary and stay in contact with you. Let them know that you are okay throughout the day. Additionally, you should check in with them when you get to your campsite and again in the morning.
Trust your intuition.
If you don’t feel comfortable somewhere, you don’t have to stay. Don’t ever feel like you have to do something that makes you uneasy. This is where your backup plans are essential to bypass whatever situation feels unsafe to you. Whether this is a sketchy campground or strange people at a trailhead, you can never be too careful. Especially as a solo woman traveling, it’s important to watch out for yourself.
Safety Tips for Solo Travelers
Especially if you are a woman, there are so many necessary safety precautions to be taken.
On my trip, I had my dog for protection. I also kept my keys, pepper spray, and a flashlight right next to me while I slept. This offered me either a quick getaway, a way to fight someone off, or the ability to spot someone or blind them. In addition, I had a club-like walking stick alongside me while I was sleeping. Obviously all of the doors were locked and the window was only opened the smallest crack for ventilation.
I also parked strategically in my campsite. They make blackout shades for cars, but my mom’s car has tinted windows on the backseat and back of the vehicle. Because of this, I just pulled in so the front windshield was facing the woods. This was so no one could see into the car from the campground road.
There are also many strategies for staying safe overnight that I didn’t use but have heard from others. These include leaving out camp chairs and putting out two, leaving men’s boots outside of your tent/car, or removing any feminine products from the front seat or visible areas of the car. If anyone makes you uncomfortable or asks too many questions on the trail, pretend you have a significant other nearby or back at the car.
The biggest safety tip I have goes back to trusting your intuition. Go into it with the mindset that if you can’t find a campsite you feel comfortable staying at, you will be driving home or to the nearest hotel. Same goes for any activities you want to do. Be willing to give up entirely if something doesn’t seem right to you.
Other Things to Keep in Mind
I wrote this with a solo woman wanting to go camping or traveling overnight in mind. But if this description doesn’t fit you, there is still a lot of this that applies. You will also have to take into account what activity you are looking to do and whether it is suitable for a solo trip. For example, going to a concert downtown in a big city might not be the optimal solo trip.
Another big thing that I struggled with on my trip was motivation. Part of the problem was the subpar weather, but I found myself unmotivated to get up at the planned time or start the hikes. This wasn’t because I didn’t want to do it, but rather because there was no one to keep me accountable.
To prevent this problem, my biggest tips for solo travelers is to stay busy and pick things to do that you are excited about. Staying busy will help curb this mindset and keep you from giving up on adventures. I found that when I took long breaks or became too content sitting in the car, I was less likely to have the motivation to get out and do something. It’s also crucial to be really excited about anything you have planned. You’ll be far more motivated to do it if you’re looking forward to it.
Car Camping Packing List
My accommodation of choice was car camping. I had never been car camping before, so this was the first time I needed to figure out what to pack. In a lot of ways, it’s just like packing for tent camping, but without the tent.
- Overhead lights and flashlight
- Either mattress or camping mat (I used this mat from Klymit linked here*)
- Sleeping bag/sheets or pillow
- Camp chair or hammock
- Cook stove, cookware, utensils
- Safety items (pepper spray, bat, etc)
- Personal items and chargers
- Bug spray, duct tape, first aid kit
- Any snacks or food
If you’re more interested in what to pack for tent camping or are looking for a more organized checklist, subscribe to my newsletter here to receive a FREE Camping Checklist.
*This is an affiliate link. This means that I will make a small commission if you choose to purchase this item, at no additional cost to you.
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