Every year I make goals for myself – personal, professional, and financial. I have spreadsheets where I track my progress and check in with myself monthly to evaluate how I am progressing on my goals (NERD ALERT!). One goal category I’ve had for many years is around becoming a more confident and independent solo traveler, while seeing as much of the world as possible!
Sounds super cheesy, but I do feel called to adventure and the outdoors. Growing up, my family had a camp in Central Pennsylvania we visited every summer. I spent the days catching crayfish in the creek, swimming in the natural “Blue Hole”, and riding bikes through wooded back roads while looking for wildlife. My love of the outdoors and independent streak started early.
My Solo Travel History
I’m not totally new to solo travel. At 22 I packed up my life and moved to Europe on my own for 6 years of slow travel during grad school. Living in The Netherlands, Germany, and France as my home bases, I bounced around various other European destinations for scientific conferences and to visit the multinational roster of friends I was accumulating. There were many challenges and tears in the beginning, but I always had the support of my university graduate programs and the comforts of city of living.
In 2014 I earned my PhD in Neuroscience and moved back to the US to begin my career in academia. I made shockingly little as a PhD-level neuroscientist researching new treatments for brain cancer – $39,000 per year. I had to pause my adventures while living in my parents’ basement and working to pay off 10 years of accumulated student loan debt.
By 2018 I had abandoned academia for a more lucrative and balanced career in industry. I had paid off all my student debt, bought a house in Pittsburgh with a sweet sub 3% mortgage, and was ready to get back to exploring the world, or at least my own country.
I don’t love driving, but public transportation is near non-existent in the US. Driving is the best way to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, especially if you want to visit more remote areas with sweeping vistas and scenic hikes. My growth goal for 2019 was to complete my first solo hiking road trip. With aggressive multi-destination itineraries and 2-wheel drive, compact rental cars, I spent the year on a whirlwind tour of 16 National Parks and 20 other state parks/refuge areas. While in Florida exploring Everglades National Park in March 2020, my travel streak came to an abrupt halt as restaurants, AirBnBs, and even parks began closing around me in the midst of the pandemic outbreak.
Traveling by plane in the early days of the pandemic felt dicey, but I still had a craving for the outdoors. I had always enjoyed camping as a kid, but that was more like “glamping” considering we had a camp with a roof, running water, electricity, and appliances. I had never been camping for real, but it seemed like a perfect pandemic time vacation.
My 2022 goal was to go camping at least once by myself. In a flurry of Black Friday online shopping, I got the essentials for my first trip to Bald Eagle State Park. I spent 3 nights alone under the stars and loved the solitude of the forest, easy access to hiking trails, and experimenting with cooking over the fire. Solo camping made its way into my regular vacation rotation with 8 more trips from 2022-2023.
I now feel very confident camping, day hiking, and road tripping by myself, so it’s time to up my travel game. One of my 2024 personal goals is to travel in a new modality, different than my usual hiking road trip or car camping adventures. I considered 3 candidates.
The Vacation Candidates
Train Ride
This would be a scenic, multi-day train ride across the US. I considered the Amtrack Empire Builder route from Chicago to Seattle, or the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco. I took trains often when I lived in Europe so I have some familiarity with them, but never for more than an 8-hour day trip.
PROS
- See a lot in a short period of time
- See regions I am unlikely to ever drive to
- Generous baggage allowances
- Free wi-fi on some trains
CONS
- Limited control over itinerary
- Limited vegetarian food options
- Might get bored/restless sitting for so long
- Not cheap
Backpacking
I like hiking, I like camping – why not combine the two and try my hand at a short thru-hike? The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is near my hometown in Western Pennsylvania. It takes about 5 days to complete, which feels like a manageable duration for a first try. If I decide it’s not for me, I can have a friend or family member be there to pick me up in 30 minutes and whisk me back to the comforts of civilization.
PROS
- Cheap (excluding gear)
- Most immersive in nature
- Full control of how I spend the day
- Easy to bail if I decide I don’t like it
- I need the exercise
CONS
- Requires specialized equipment and strategic packing
- Limited vegetarian food options
- Not sure of my fitness level
- Risk of injury
Cruise
There are sooo many cruise options, it’s actually kind of overwhelming. I used Cruiseplum to narrow it down to cruises leaving from a port on the US East Coast and found most options were some sort of Caribbean itinerary. I’m not big on just sitting around the beach, but I am big on being warm and learning new shore birds, so the Caribbean could work!
PROS
- See a lot in a short period
- Good balance of daytime and nighttime entertainment
- Wide variety of vegetarian food
- Comfy bed and most spacious accommodations
CONS
- Limited control over itinerary
- Many other humans/high exposure to cooties
- Not sure if I get seasick
- Not cheap – Solo cruisers often have to pay double
- Additional costs from flight to Florida and hotel before/after cruise
The Verdict
I watched A LOT of YouTube videos to research each of these options.
Backpacking was coming out on top as the most natural progression in my outdoorsy adventures. I went to REI to get fitted for a backpack and check out some gear in person. In the end though, I was struggling with the amount of equipment I’d need to buy or rent. My basement is already a disaster with piles of totes and bags full of car camping gear, I just couldn’t bring myself to buy even more stuff that would spend most of its time in storage.
Weighing my remaining options, I landed on 2024 being (drum roll…)
The Year of the Cruise!
Ok, well, the year of one cruise, and then we’ll see. Judging by my past travel behavior, I tend to get a bit obsessed and dive all in. If this first cruise goes well I foresee a lot more cruises in the near future (as many as my bank account allows!). If you’re curious about the costs of a cruise, check out my Budget Breakdown.
Have you tried any of these travel modalities? Which one is your favorite?