I truly believe that everyone should travel solo at least once in your life. It’s a great experience. I actually prefer it; right behind traveling with my hubs.
When I tell people I’m going on a solo vacation I usually get some funny looks and reactions. “Don’t you have anyone to go with?” “Aren’t you scared?” “Will you be safe?” And then there’s some things they don’t say, but you know they are thinking like, “Are you and your husband ok?” and “Clearly you don’t have any friends.” Yes probably I didn’t ask, no, yes, absolutely and I have plenty. You may be projecting your shiz onto me…please stop.
You see, people travel very differently. My first solo trip I just went for it to one of my bucket list places: Japan. I have always wanted to go to Japan and experience the culture of appreciation and respect and see some amazing cities like Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe. I didn’t want to spend my precious time off (thanks American vacation policies) doing what someone else wanted to do or even compromising. I’m going to a place I may never ever get back to in my life. I don’t want to worry about who can get the time off and when, if they want to spend the same amount of money as me, if they want to pound the pavement as hard as I do to see everything I can possibly see, if they are going to put any time and energy to researching the trip etc etc. When I go solo I get to do what I want when I want. Spend as much as I want. Go where I want to go. Eat what I want to eat. I’m not scared, I love the challenge of getting around, I’m safer in a lot of other countries than I am in a country where active shooter drills are normal in preschool, and I enjoy my own company. If you don’t, you may want to ask yourself why. If you have kids…think about how glorious being alone is. GLORIOUS.
So since Japan I have taken trips to Scandinavia (all four countries), Belgium and the Netherlands, Maui and most recently France and Switzerland. Hawaii was a bit weird, since it’s such a newlywed spot, but I was so stressed from work at the time I needed some aloha and I found a $257 flight to Maui from LA. Yeah you read that right. How can you pass up a ticket price like that?! All I wanted was peace and quiet and fruity drinks. And I got that.
This past May my hubs went to Bhutan for work. He could have opted out and someone else could go (others have done that), but as soon as I heard he got the chance to go to a country hardly anyone gets to go to I was all about him going. We love international travel and being able to go to Bhutan is such a privilege. It would have been nice if it wasn’t when school was closed and over Mother’s Day but that’s how it goes sometimes. He wasn’t sure if he should go but I had no doubts and my parents would help me and were supportive of the trip too.
When they first announced the (Women’s) World Cup would be in France in 2019 in July, I thought that would be a great reason to go and have a victory lap. I’m done making humans and I’m done feeding humans with my body. I’m freeeee!!! Also I love soccer and our USWNT and have I seen us win the cup in the famous 1999 game and in 2015 so I’m basically good luck for the team. From there I thought I’d hit another bucket list location and go to Switzerland. If I’m going to go all the way over there and we hardly take vacations anymore (because kids) then what the heck?!
So my hubs went on his trip, although for work, and he encouraged me to go on mine. It was one of the best trips ever. Another World Cup victory and seeing sights in Switzerland you would think only exist in movies. If you ever get the chance to go to Switzerland go. It’s pricey but it is jaw dropping. Get yourself to the alps. Drink beer, eat cheese, hike, jump in a river, pet a cow. (Some photos from this heavenly land are in this post.)
I would FaceTime my hubs and the boys everyday and my hubs said he could see the happiness and life back in me. Parenting is hard. You gotta take a break now and again. We have all earned it. So my hubs and I decided we will continue to support and encourage each other to make time for ourselves. Take a night for yourself every week if you want it. Go to dinner with friends, see a movie, play soccer, get a drink. And we will take solo vacations until the boys are old enough to either come with or we could leave them with the grandparents and go together. It would be nice to go together now, but one of us has to hold down the fort, so solo trip or adventures with friends it is.
Go get it.
Where will you go?
Life with Littles 