The holidays are a time of joy, fun, reflection, and family. When you think of the holiday season, you picture family and friends gathering, cooking, laughing, and exchanging gifts. If you are in a romantic relationship, the holiday is a magical season where you and your partner can enjoy festivities while holding hands, kissing, and annoying single people around you. However, the holidays can be a trying time for some people who do not have a healthy family life or live away from their families. Being single and in a foreign country during the holidays can be very lonely, and some people, especially women, can suffer from depression because being alone on the holidays is tough. Plus, being away from your family and a sense of normalcy can deepen that feeling of being alone and lonely. In this post, we will discuss how to celebrate the Christmas holidays abroad as a single woman. Using personal experiences, we will provide 10 useful tips single solo female travelers can use to alleviate loneliness during the holiday season. Let’s dive in!
Solo Female Traveler Holiday Guide
Being a single solo female traveler can be liberating. You have nobody to answer to. You travel the world freely and do not have to wait for people. However, on some occasions, you may feel lonely. The holiday season is one of those occasions because everything is close. People are indoors with their families or loved ones. Living in a foreign country during such emptiness is challenging. I have been single for 26 years of the 27 years of myself on earth. I only had one Christmas when I celebrated with a boyfriend, and even that was uneventful. However, before then, holidays, especially Christmas, were a semi-triggering experience. My family did not mark the holidays like the ones you see on TV. We only started putting up Christmas trees two years ago. Most Western Christmas traditions have not persuaded my mother to adopt them in our family. Outside of going to church and buying each other gifts, we have never gone above and beyond to celebrate Christmas.
However, the Americans in me crave that Christmas magic. I started my own Christmas traditions after going to college. Over the last few years, I have been abroad, away from my sense of normalcy. I spent the Christmas vacation in Shanghai in 2017. In 2018, I spent the holidays between France and Germany. I spent the 2020 Christmas season in Belgium. Living abroad as a single woman during the holidays helped me start new traditions I always dreamt of. Traveling and living abroad helped me realize my holiday fantasies as a single woman. Being alone allowed me to enact the traditions I always wanted. I found that being single and away from my mundane life allowed me to take care of myself and see the things I like. The liberty that being single and abroad afforded ensured I never felt lonely during the holidays. Hence, you should not be intimidated about spending the Christmas holidays alone. Here are 10 ways to celebrate the holidays abroad as a single woman.
10 Activities To Do As a Single Woman Abroad
- Decorate your house
The first thing I do during the Christmas holiday to feel the season is decorating my house. Although your house is a haven, it can be lonely for some single women. Not having someone to come home to and being alone after a long day without someone to call or text can be daunting. Many singles don’t like to go home and face their realities. Sleeping alone can trigger some people. Some single woman experiences their dark times in their house. As an extrovert who is always “on,” when I get home, I crash and burn because I use all my energy to please people. Therefore, being alone in a foreign country allows me to take care of myself, and decorating my house is a way to practice self-care. When the holidays come, it is vital to revamp your living quarters. Do a Christmas cleaning.
Buy yourself lots of Christmas decorations. Get yourself a Christmas tree with many lights. Revamp your living spaces. Change the setup of your apartment. Move the furniture around and make it look new. Add new pictures to your wall. Change the placement of your bed and nightstand. Get yourself candles like the Quince Currant Noir Candle that brings a new scent to your living spaces. As a single woman who spends five holiday seasons away from family and without a partner, I find decorating empowering and liberating. Bringing your living space alive, decked with lights and candles, rejuvenates your life. Your living space feels new, and you look forward to returning to that fresh Christmas smell every day. Decorating your apartment abroad helps you feel better, and you get to do what you love during the holidays. You can also revamp your room on Christmas day to give yourself a day of peace and joy.
- Visit Christmas Markets
The second way to spend the Christmas season abroad when you are a single woman is by visiting Christmas markets. If you are abroad in Europe, you are sure to stumble upon a Christmas market everywhere you go. Although other countries may not have Christmas-themed markets, you will find markets anywhere you visit. Enjoy the bustling market life. Check out local delicacies. Buy fresh produce and get to know the locals by asking the vendors about their products. Some cities have markets every weekend. Use it as an opportunity to wander and discover local spots. If you are living in a city with Christmas markets, then you can choose to bask in the Christmas joy every single day. Christmas markets allow you to ring in the holiday season, see new vendors, try different foods, and shop for yourself.
Experience the joy of the holidays and forget that you are alone. The live music makes visiting Christmas markets more welcoming and exciting. You do not need to be with a partner to enjoy this holiday festivities. It is also a way to care for yourself and lose yourself in the Christmas spirit. I enjoy going to Christmas markets during the holidays. It is a tradition I kept since my first time visiting a Christmas market in Rennes France. Before going to Europe, I did not know it was a thing in my hometown. However, after visiting the Christmas markets in Rennes, France, it became my favorite way to pass the time. As a single person, exploring different shops and buying things for myself is one of my most empowering things. I visit the Christmas market every day to buy myself a gift to mark the 25 Days of Christmas. Since some Christmas markets run until the first week of January, they are a great pastime to ensure you remain in the magic of Christmas even into the new year. To find information on Christmas markets’ openings and durations, check the news and flyers around the city or at the city hall. If you are in Europe, check out Saturday markets or street markets. Christmas markets will likely be at the exact locations.
- See A Show
Another way to celebrate the holidays abroad is by treating yourself to a Christmas show or live entertainment. One of the Christmas traditions I have started is going to different shows around the Christmas holidays. In 2019, I saw Chris Tucker live at Providence Performing Center. When I am back home, I always book a ticket when WWE is in town for their December shows. This year, I went to a Mariah Carey Christmas concert, which allowed me to enter the Christmas season with joy! Going to the theater and watching a live show has become one of my holiday traditions. The Christmas holiday is a good time to watch live events.
Being abroad during the holiday season gives you the perfect opportunity to enjoy things you never imagined. Imagine watching the Nutcracker in London at the Royal Albert Hall or listening to the Opera at Palais Garnier in Paris. How about enjoying a Christmas concert in a small town in the South of Italy? Being single and abroad during the holidays does not have to be boring or lonely. There is so much you can do and see with the freedom that traveling and being single grants you. Seeing a show is a perfect way to enjoy life and bring joy to yourself. It is the ideal way to love yourself by gifting yourself a magical experience. To discover places to watch shows, check the news, flyers at the city hall, or entrainment establishments like the cinema or the Opera House. Make sure to do research and check events online. You can also go to the Office of Tourism to find information, and you may also find some discounts to attend events at a reasonable price.
- Call Family Members & Friends
The fourth way to combat loneliness and celebrate the holidays abroad as a single woman is by reaching out to family and friends back home. Being away and physically alone does not mean you do not have a robust support system. Sometimes, we focus on the things or the people we cannot see and fail to recognize that although our support system is not physically with us, they are still there. We should reach out to them. With the improvement of technology, distance is irrelevant. You can call your friends and family and keep up with the local news and gossip. You can host a family Zoom call where you gather with your loved ones and catch them up on life abroad, what you have been doing, and places you visited. This way, you feel like they are part of your journey abroad. You get to introduce your family to different things and traditions.
When I lived abroad, I felt like I took my mother with me. I would video call her to show her around Paris, Brussels, Brugge, or Rennes. I would send her pictures of the food or clothes I bought in real time. Including her in my time abroad made me feel like I was not alone. It was also a way to bond, and being abroad brought us closer. When you are single and abroad, keeping up with family and friends helps you feel surrounded by your support system.
- Go on a Date
Another thing you can do during the holiday season abroad as a single woman is to join the dating scene. Going on dates and having different dating experiences abroad is fun. Traveling allows you to explore unfamiliar things, and dating is one of them. Through dating, I realized what I like in a relationship and what I do not want. When I dated while living abroad, I did not put pressure on myself to be perfect or present a persona I am not. Dating abroad allows you to appreciate different dating cultures, meet people who do not want to spend the holidays alone, and maybe start a romance for the ages. Going on a date ensures you have something exciting to look forward to. It’s an opportunity to have a companion as you explore a new city, culture, or activity. You can use this opportunity to do something you never done but with someone. For example, when I lived in Belgium, on one of my dates, we went to the Atonium Park in Brussels together. It was our first time visiting the park and it was a great way to spend the day with someone new in a new city. If there are activities you are afraid to do alone, use a date as an opportunity to bring a companion along on your adventure.
- Take a Walk
Of all the sports, walking is my all-time favorite. There is no better time to walk than when you are abroad. Although I rarely hit my 10,000 steps a day goal in my hometown, I consistently surpass them when I am abroad. Walking is a healthy sport and allows you to unwind and destress. It is the perfect activity to do when you move to a new city or country. It allows you to discover your local community. It helps you find your new favorite hotspots. It allows you to start your homemaking process in a new city. It also allows you to unwind after a long day. Whenever you feel stuck, taking a walk allows you to think and process things calmly. It helps you to refresh and regain your confidence. I love taking a walk after a long day at work.
During the holiday season, walking takes on another goal. Walking lets you unwind and entrust yourself with the Christmas spirit. Being surrounded by Christmas displays and decorations lets you enjoy the Christmas season everywhere you walk. Window shopping around the Christmas holidays and going in and out of cafes are two ways I spent my holidays abroad on my walks. Walking alone is romantic. You do not need to rush to get to a specific destination. You can take as many turns and detours as you need and lose yourself exploring the city. One of my best walks during the holidays was at the Champs Elysees. The famous Parisian streets decked with Christmas ornaments and lights provided an atmosphere that I still play in my head. It is one of the most memorable things to do in Paris during Christmas time. It was the best act of self-love I gave myself. Next time you find yourself abroad, don’t be afraid to take a walk. It might end up being a walk to remember.
- Watch Christmas Classics
One of the signs that Christmas has begun is with the holiday movies. One way to bask in the season is by pulling out all of the Christmas classics. Some of my favorite classics are the “Home Alone” movies. It is ironic to be abroad alone in your apartment, not knowing many people in your surrounding area, and watching a film about being home alone. However, I love it. Watching this classic takes me back to my childhood when I first watched it with my younger brother. The movie makes me laugh and allows me to live in the moment.
Watching your favorite movies takes you away from feeling alone, single, or the negative feeling of sometimes being a foreigner. It is a way to connect with yourself and escape into another world. Watching your favorite movies is also part of the homemaking process. It is a way to bring your sense of normalcy to your new environment. It brings back old memories and creates new memories. Watching the movies you like or saving for special occasions like the holidays enables you to focus on something that will bring you joy. Being alone ensures you have no distractions and you can replay a movie as much as you like without worrying about annoying someone. Watching Christmas classics allows you to indulge in childhood nostalgia and relive the memories that bring you joy during the holiday seasons.
- Cook Your Favorite Food
One of the best ways I care for myself is by cooking. Cooking is a form of love because you create an art that is supposed to feed you and contribute to your health. Although I enjoy cooking for others, I feel more empowered when I cook for myself. I love trying different recipes. I use my mother’s recipes while creating my recipes. When I cook, it’s a whole vibe. I play Christmas music and pretend to be the next Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Then I play Congolese Rumba, which always makes me happy and reminds me of home. When I finish cooking, I set the table and make sure I give myself the luxury I would give if I were hosting or cooking for others.
During the holiday season, I also try to bake. Throughout the year, baking is not on my mind, but during the Christmas season, baking is a part of the Christmas holiday. Therefore, I read Christmas cookie recipes while cooking and try to bake. Some cookies turn out good, and when I fail, there is no one to judge me or know about it. Cooking every day during the end of the year holidays is a good way to maintain a good attitude while savoring delicious cuisines. You can try your family recipes to bring them with you wherever you are. When you forget a seasoning, you can call home and ask, creating another intimate moment with your family as passing down recipes is a great tradition of cooking during the holidays. Should you be adventurous, you can challenge yourself by making famous dishes of the country you are visiting. Overall, cooking for yourself is a great way to celebrate the holidays because it allows you to celebrate yourself through the dishes you create.
- Invite People Over
When people ask me, how I enjoy myself abroad alone, I always say “Being alone abroad does not mean I am always alone.” In my experience, when you live abroad for school or work, you will make an acquaintance within the first few days or weeks you move into a new city or country. Your classmate can become a good friend that you will go get coffee with. A coworker can become a tour guide, giving you information on where to go, what to see, and where to shop. You will meet someone who has something in common with you. It can be a language, they may come from the same country or you both have the same coat and it becomes your point of connection. Whatever the situation, you will surely have a few acquaintances that you can invite to your apartment for dinner or so.
Utilize the network you make from school, work, or club to create your community while living abroad. During the holiday season, invite them to eat food with others. Create the atmosphere you would have if you were back in your hometown with family and friends. By inviting people over and hosting a party, you are sure to enjoy the holiday season. You can share your culture with them and they will share theirs with you, creating an environment for mutual understanding. Being in a cozy setting like a house, allows people to build more intimate connections than they would if they only saw each other in public places. Having people over can help deepen your relationship, allowing you to have a new support system in your new local community. In case of emergency, the acquaintances you built an intimate connection with would be your primary contact. Hence, having people over or going over to people’s houses is a great way to spend the holidays, and foster the connections you make abroad.
- Go on a vacation.
My favorite thing to do in another country is travel to other parts of the country or another country. Exploring different places is one of the best ways to spend time abroad. When your area starts to feel mundane, travel to another city. Visit cultural sights. Travel to neighboring countries. I spent my weekends in Paris when I lived in Rennes, France. I visited the Chateau de Versailles and Eifel Tower and explored every shop on the Champs Elysees. After I felt like I saw everything there needed to see in Paris, I traveled to other parts of France. I went to Normandy, in the south of France. I visited other cities in Bretagne, like Saint Malo. I went to Germany, Monaco, and the Netherlands.
Traveling and embarking on new adventures during the holidays when you are single diminishes the feeling of loneliness. Seeing a new sight distracts you and helps you to focus on what is in front of you. You busy yourself with wanting to explore the new environment, try fresh foods, take pictures, and enjoy different Christmas traditions. Going on vacation to another city or country while abroad is liberating. Living in Europe for example, allows you to go to different countries within an hour’s plane ride or a three-hour train ride away. You have access to many fascinating cities and can be in one country for one hour and another country for another hour. It all depends on how adventurous you want to be.
Conclusion
In conclusion, celebrating the holidays abroad as a single woman can be an empowering and liberating experience. Decorating your living space, visiting Christmas markets, and attending shows or events are great ways to get into the holiday spirit and create new traditions. As a single woman, it’s essential to take care of yourself and find ways to enjoy the holiday season, even if you’re far away from family or don’t have a romantic partner. By embracing new experiences and creating your traditions, you can make the holidays a joyful and meaningful time, regardless of your relationship status or location.
As always, thank you for reading. Subscribe to our newsletter for more travel tips.
Until next time, happy holidays!
xoxo,
Cy
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