Have you ever wondered what feeling you’ll have after landing at your dream destination? You have been dreaming about a specific place. It was part of your New Year’s travel goal that you planned out. You read all the requirements you needed to ensure you were well prepared. You pack accordingly and follow all the travel day guides to ensure a smooth trip. Now you are at the destination, in an Airbnb or Hotel, and cannot pinpoint your feelings. Are you happy, sad, or experiencing culture shock? Research shows that many travelers experience tiredness, and their brains do not grasp the new changes for a few days. The tensions of travelers trying to manage jet lag clash with the feelings of wanting to start the adventures they traveled for. Some homebody travelers experience FOMO, the fear of missing out when traveling with a group—another essential reason for solo traveling. You don’t have to do something from a pressured point of view. You want to take your time and enjoy things at your own pace. To manage these mixed emotions, try to set realistic expectations for your trip, practice self-care activities, and reach out to fellow travelers or locals for support.
As a solo traveler, I can attest that being abroad alone and feeling mixed emotions can affect your confidence. I remember my first solo trip to Shangai, where I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. I was in an environment where I didn’t know anyone and was the sole manager of my safety, joy, and finances. There were moments when I questioned whether traveling was worth it, especially when my destination didn’t turn out to be what I had imagined(like in Marseilles). I want you to know that you are not alone in these situations. However, when you face these situations, don’t dwell on them because although I was anxious, I also had moments of pure joy and self-discovery. There are activities to do to mitigate uncertain sentiments and boost your confidence when abroad. Before diving into the 10 amazing activities for solo female travelers to boost confidence Abroad, let’s discuss the importance of confidence in solo travel adventures.
The Importance of Confidence in Solo Travel Adventures
Embarking on a solo travel adventure requires a significant amount of confidence. When people ask me about the purpose of solo travel, I tell them, “Solo travel instills an unparalleled confidence that lasts a lifetime.” Whenever I face a challenge in my daily life, I draw strength from the obstacles I overcame during my travels, using them as confidence boosters rather than reasons to despair. “If I could navigate China and back, I can certainly handle anything,” I reassured myself when I considered traveling to Belgium during the pandemic.
People often think because you are alone on a solo travel journey, you must be lonely because you are a solo or female traveler. I realized that most people equate female solo travelers to being lonely and too dangerous for women to undertake. As a solo female traveler, people ask me, “Are you not afraid?” “Doesn’t being alone in a foreign land get lonely?” Others wonder if I am not afraid to be a young woman abroad without any protection. My brother, who was about to take his first solo trip, did not have to be asked about safety. Every aspect of being a solo female traveler scares many people because of our idea about single women. The narrative of women needing protection or male companionship is as old as time.
The rise of solo female travelers has allowed women to show they can embark on such an adventure alone. However, the confidence to embark on a travel journey can be tested by uncertainty, doubts, or realization of how meaningful it is for someone to live alone in a foreign country. Hence, it is important to do activities that will boost your confidence regardless of your duration abroad. Confidence needs to be renewed every day for a task such as solo traveling where you are alone and responsible for yourself. You can do many self-care activities to boost your confidence abroad. From Walking, Journaling, Trying Local Cuisine, Exploring Nature, Engaging in Local Culture, Practicing Mindfulness, Taking Photos, Learning Basic Local Language, Trying New Hobbies, and Relaxing at a Spa. This post will highlight 10 confidence-boosting activities that are low-cost, require minimal effort, and have great rewards. Let’s begin!
10 Confidence Boosters for Solo Female Travelers
- Walking
Walking is one of my favorite exercises in general. It allows me to unwind after a long day at work, think through things when I feel stuck, and refresh my confidence when I feel down. Walking is an effortless exercise that has many benefits. From improving fitness, cardiac health, posture, and endurance, you acquire many health benefits from simply walking. Another crucial health benefit to travelers is that it can affect your mental health and boost confidence. As a mental health aid and a confidence booster, walking improves your mood, reduces depression, which some solo travelers experience when they are abroad, and helps you sleep better. Walking in a new city, you also get to explore and familiarize yourself with the surroundings, boosting your confidence and making you feel more at ease.
As a traveler, walking is my favorite mode of transportation. It’s not just about getting from one place to another but about the journey itself. Walking allows me to discover the neighborhood, meet local businesses, and find my new hot spot. Imagine landing at your travel destination and realizing that you are all alone and responsible for anything that will happen. You will dictate what to do, where to go, what to eat, when to leave, and come back. Having such a responsibility can be overwhelming, especially for women. But it’s also incredibly liberating. We have always been conditioned to know what to do for other people. We are caretakers of different people. When we know we are responsible for others, we know what to do to ensure we do our jobs well to satisfy our audience. However, when it comes to taking care of ourselves, we tend to be overwhelmed by the idea because we do not know how to please or take care of ourselves. We began to wonder what we should do. How do we even begin to satisfy ourselves? We may have a list of things to do, but when we first land, we may not find the courage to embark on those adventures, and that is why walking becomes an act of self-care discovery that helps boost our confidence.
When you stroll into the new city, you give yourself time to process the latest change. Walking allows you to breathe and not rush through your to-do list. You learn about your environment and discover local shops or activities you still need to include in your to-do list. You give yourselves a preview of what your time abroad will look like. You can meet an acquaintance who will advise you on what to do, what to try, and what you must see. When you start your experience by walking around and learning the lay of the land, you build confidence in knowing that you know some streets and the direction back to where you are staying. In an emergency, you know where the local police station is or when the pharmacy is, for example. Walking boosts your physical and mental health, making you feel more secure and prepared in your new environment.
Another reason why walking is excellent is because it helps you fight fatigue and jet lag. Regardless of the duration of your trip, you will face fatigue and want to adapt to the time of your new city. Walking gives you natural light, essential to beat fatigue and jet lag. Suppose you are traveling briefly to Europe, Africa, or anywhere with a big time difference. In that case, you should manage your travel fatigue and beat jet lag quickly to give you the energy to enjoy the planned activities. Walking allows exercise and helps you sleep better to accomplish your planned activities. Therefore, remember to take a walk the next time you travel and feel overwhelmed about beginning your adventures.
- Go Window Shopping
It is no secret that women like to shop. We are the economic drivers of every sector, including travel, because we want to shop. Whether we are buying a plane ticket, food, clothes, or accessories, women are buyers, and one of our favorite sports is shopping. However, when you move to a new country, you want to wait to start shopping because you need time to learn about the city market you moved to. You need to assess how much things cost, which store has the best deals, or whether shopping at a local boutique is better than at a well-known store, hence why you should go window shopping.
Window shopping is one way to be financially conscious when you are abroad. Window shopping teaches us to wait, think before purchasing things, and assess our needs versus wants. As a solo traveler, you do not want to run out of money regardless of the duration of your trip or how much you saved. It may seem inviting to want to buy something grand from Milan or Paris, but when you first land in those cities, spending money on wants should be something other than your priority. Through window shopping, you experience seeing new things, whether it be a purse that has just come out, the reduced price of a perfume that costs more in your hometown, or a Princess Kate-inspired dress coat you always wanted to have. You may go inside a store, assess what they have that you like, ask questions, interact with the cashiers, and make mental notes of what you would like to purchase before you leave. Going window shopping helps boost your confidence by allowing you to see news, get excited about what you want to buy when you are ready, and interact. It is one of those activities that will enable you to learn from your local community.
- Discover Your New Hotspots
Another way to boost your confidence abroad is to discover your new hotspots. You find your new hotspots by googling places based on things you want to do or like and by walking and learning about your new neighborhood. Discovering your new hotspots helps you create your new home, comfort zone, and sense of belonging to the new environment you traveled to. You may come across a local bar, bakery, chocolate shop, or grocery store and have a positive experience that you decide will be your new hotspot. These hotspots are where you will feel at home when you are not in your apartment, Airbnb, or hotel. These hotspots become an extension of your community and homemaking practice.
As someone who traveled to live and study abroad, finding my hotspots became crucial to my integration. As a black woman, I needed to find a hair salon that knew how to do 4C hair, a store with beauty products compatible with my skin tone, and a grocery store with African food for when I wanted to make Congolese meals. Therefore, I had to search for my go-to places. I had to research on the internet, go to different locations, and interact with various businesses to determine which ones would be my hotspots. Which grocery store will be my go-to when I need something? Which beauty shop had products for my skin tone, and which hair salon would I go to get my hair done? As a black woman living in the downtown area of Ghent and Rennes, finding my hotspots regarding food, hair salons, and hair products was tough. I remember feeling out of place during my first months in Ghent because I did not have a place to get food I liked to eat aside from steak and fries. I needed my hotspots, making it hard to feel like I could belong. One day, I had my American Fulbright counterpart take a one-hour train from Ghent to Antwerp to go to a Nigerian restaurant for some African food. This experience taught me how vital discovering your hotspots is to boost your confidence in the integration process abroad.
- Join a Social Club
As mentioned earlier, people think you must be lonely because you are a solo/ female traveler. They do not understand that it is not because you traveled alone that you must be alone while abroad. Solo travelers build communities abroad; joining social clubs is one way to make those communities. If you travel to live or study abroad for a semester or a year, joining a social club will help you boost your confidence. You can join clubs with missions that align with yours or clubs with missions you want to give a chance at doing new things. Joining a social club is another way to integrate, have a routine, and build a sense of belonging abroad.
You may find a social club through research on the internet, or you can ask around the neighborhood or at the town hall. Online social clubs are also a great option to build confidence. During the pandemic, when I lived in Belgium, joining online social clubs was a great source of comfort. I will receive living tips from other international students away from their families during the pandemic. I will get notifications on online gatherings and news on lockdown restrictions since I did not have a TV and was not getting the news as actively as I did about what was happening in the United States. Being in these social clubs boosted my confidence because I knew although I was physically alone and away from my family during this unforgettable event, I was alone. Some people were in the same boat as me, and communicating with people who understood what it was like to be in this situation gave me a sense of normalcy.
You should not wait to be in a pandemic to understand the power of joining social clubs while abroad or reap its benefits. With the number of solo female travelers increasing, you have a good chance of finding a club with like-minded people while abroad. Doing an activity with someone who is also sharing your experience of being a solo traveler builds a bond that lasts a lifetime. As an international student in China, France, and Belgium, most of my friends were also international students because we met at social clubs that cater to international students. On campus, I joined government, debate, and volunteering clubs that allowed me to do meaningful work I cared about while living abroad. Solo travelers traveling for short durations can also benefit from joining social clubs. You can attend a cooking or dance club that will allow you to meet and interact with locals abroad.
- Enjoy TLC’s Activities.
The primary reason why most women go on solo adventures is to practice self-care. Solo traveling has become an expression of self-love and a confidence booster. Therefore, every activity should cater to that goal, and some tender loving care activities like getting your hair nails and going to a spa are some of those activities that will help boost your confidence when you are abroad. As a young woman, I love playing with my hair and trying different things with my hair. When I travel, I enjoy using my hair to introduce myself to my new community.
As women, we know the power of getting a new haircut and having a new hairstyle in our everyday lives. Getting our hair done has had many positive impacts on us. It has boosted our self-confidence, helped improve our appearance, and enhanced our beauty. It has allowed us to express ourselves and communicate who we want to present as, and it also allowed us to stand out. These benefits should not only be consumed when we are in our hometown. When you are abroad, you need tender loving care TLC. Getting your hair nails and enjoying a good spa treatment at home or a salon helps you feel refreshed, new, and ready to embark on your adventure confidently.
- Shop for some new perfume.
Adding on to the previous point of wanting to look and feel your best, another activity that has helped me boost my confidence when abroad was perfume shopping. Going perfume shopping became a favorite pastime of mine when I lived in France and had access to many parfumerie- perfume shops. Because in the U.S., we usually go to Department stores like Macy’s to shop for perfumes, being a parfumerie was a novel thing for me. I would go to my local Marionnaud shop and spend hours learning about different perfumes, testing them, and purchasing them. Perfume shopping is another excellent self-care activity because you can test different beautiful smells that you would like to have. It allows you to decipher what you want and don’t like. With so much to choose from and test, perfume shopping is an activity that challenges your taste buds and provides a flowery thing to do on a Saturday morning.
- Book a free tour
Going out and seeing unique attractions is an excellent way to boost confidence abroad. However, living in a country that offers free admission to one of its splendid attractions should be relatively inexpensive. For example, you can enjoy a free Sunday at a royal palace. Free tours will help you take on a fantastic adventure without spending money. As mentioned earlier, during the first days of your travel, you only want to spend a little cash on wants before your needs. Going on a free tour helps you save money on things you need. There are excellent free walking tours in major European cities that allow you to get to know the new town, its history, and cuisines and meet other travelers discovering the city worldwide. Through a free tour, you gain priceless experience, and it allows you to understand your new city in the first days of your arrival, boosting your confidence in learning and understanding the environment in which you will integrate.
- Enjoy a solo date
You cannot expect to embark on a solo travel adventure without wishing to go on a solo date. A lot of activities listed here are excellent solo date ideas. Going on a walk, getting your hair and nails, or going on a perfume shopping spree are all great ways to enjoy solo dates. However, when I say solo date, I mean booking a reservation at a nice restaurant for a table of 1 or going to the movies alone. Dressing up and going out yourself is a great way to practice self-care and boost your confidence. There is something powerful as a woman, having the confidence to sit at a restaurant alone and treat yourself to fine cuisine. Sometimes eating home alone, in a city where you don’t know anyone, can bring a sense of sadness. I have experienced it on multiple occasions. I’d dress and go to a restaurant alone to cheer myself up. At first, I was embarrassed to tell the waiter, “It’s only me.” However, over the years. I am confident to say, “A table for one proudly.” What is the point of traveling solo if you cannot enjoy your company for dinner, a movie, or a night out?
- Unwind with wine
One of my favorite things to do after I move or reach my destination, is to unwind with wine. After unpacking and settling into my new apartment, I need something to celebrate the accomplishment and relax my nerves. Having a glass of wine after a significant feat like traveling is an excellent way to practice self-care. Wine allows you to relax and enjoy its savor. Having a glass of wine helps you unwind and forget whatever difficulties you face when traveling. Pouring yourself a glass of wine in your new apartment after you finish settling in allows you to admire yourself and your accomplishments in taking a chance to solo travel and overcome hurdles. Having a moment of reflection and admiration over a glass of wine helps boost your confidence as you celebrate yourself and build momentum to undertake whatever challenges, good or bad, come your way.
- Journaling
Lastly, journaling is one of the most productive activities for boosting confidence abroad. When we are abroad, we are constantly experiencing things that overwhelm us, whether those experiences are good or bad. Our brain is continually receiving new information when we are abroad. From what we see, taste, and experience, our brain is constantly overloaded with information. Therefore, having an outlet to let out this information is vital. Journaling is the perfect outlet to help you process what you are experiencing. Through Journaling, you revisit your day, what you did, and how you feel. Journaling gives you time to meditate and converse with yourself, letting everything out without restraint. Your journal acts as a non-judgmental friend. You can tell about how you started something new, met a new guy, or the feeling you had when you stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
I journal five times a week or four times a month, but when I travel, I do my best to journal twice daily. In the morning, I write in a journal to show gratitude and plan my day. Doing this gives me a clear idea of what I want and lets me be intentional with what I plan to do during the day. In the evening, I journal to report on my day. I evaluate whether I accomplished the plan I outlined in the morning. When unexpected things happen during the day, I detail them in my journal and make sense of my feelings and reactions. Being an avid journaler during your trips allows you to give yourself therapy as a solo Female Traveler. When you are aware of your emotions and have an outlet to let things out, you give yourself space to allow new information to come in and peace of mind.
In conclusion, solo traveling is a great spiritual experience that enables you to grow and learn about yourself. As a female solo traveler, your solo journey can begin with uncertainty, especially if you are a beginner. Even for seasoned travelers, different destinations bring different challenges, requiring you to engage in self-care activities that will boost your confidence abroad. To increase their confidence, solo female travelers can engage in many self-care activities to gain a deeper understanding of the local cultures through free tours and social clubs. By walking, taking themselves on solo dates, practicing some TLC, and discovering their new Hotspots, solo Female travelers can benefit from personal growth and self-discovery. Through journaling, solo Female Travelers embark on a valuable self-care activity that significantly boosts their confidence. Reflecting and documenting your experiences, thoughts, and emotions during your journey is therapeutic and empowering. It allows you to process your feelings, celebrate your achievements, and navigate any challenges you may encounter. Journaling serves as a personal keepsake of your travel adventures and can serve as a reminder of your strength and resilience, ultimately boosting your confidence as a solo female traveler. Next time you travel, or if this is your first time traveling, please incorporate these activities into your routine, and you will see a boost in confidence in your decision to embark on a solo adventure.
Thank you for reading. Please like, comment, and share. We would like to hear stories from your solo adventures and how you boost your confidence when traveling.
Until next time, safe travels!
Xoxo,
Cy!
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