Set to go
The act of planning and daydreaming about a future adventure that you have organised can help ease everyday anxieties. Our brains can focus on something positive rather than be totally absorbed in the everyday. This is my excuse to allow myself to constantly keep an adventure (or two) on the horizon.
Anticipatory anxiety is neutralised by delayed gratification (so plan a trip!)
Even before I returned from overseas, I started thinking where I could go to next to lessen the inevitable post-holiday blues.
Mini to major
Before embarking on your introvert solo travel adventure, it is normal to have some anxiety. I certainly had some trepidation about tackling two weeks in New York on my own. I mitigated some of the fear by booking a mini solo trip interstate to a city on the other side of the country. Visiting Perth for the first time also gave me an excuse to have a mini adventure before waiting out the overseas trip.
Watch my partially narrated solo trip vlog in Perth here.
As a Gen X solo female traveller, I chose not to be out and about after 5pm. I didn’t have dinners, only snacks and consumed no alcohol. After daytime exploring, I felt I needed my relaxation time at night in my accommodation to recharge for the next day. We are all different obviously between extroverts and introverts but of course not all introverts are the same.
Watch my solo travel vlog New York🗽(part 1) including Lower East Side accommodation here.
Down to business
You may be perfectly happy on budget travel and others on more lux travel experiences. Travelling as an introvert solo, I decided to save for longer to afford business class. After scouring the internet, I found Singapore Airlines was cheapest at the time travelling from Australia to New York. This however is the longest way taking around 28 hours total flying time in addition to a stop-over in Changi between 2 and 4 hours.
Watch my partially narrated New York🗽(part 2) vlog including Changi Singapore airport here.
As I chose not to stop over anywhere on the way to NYC for me business class was the only option. Having a lie flat seat convertible seat and access to a shower at Changi airport helped me reduce jet lag. Arriving with a little energy to spare made me feel more confident to face a new city. Saving for an extra year or so was worth it to me. It’s a personal choice and is dependent on many factors how much money you want to spend on a trip.
Business class is not without some annoyances such as the convertible seat is still just that not a comfortable bed. Comfy accommodation was another non-negotiable, as I knew I planned to stay nights in. Being alone for hours in the evenings I wanted something a bit more than an average small hotel room. Location is important also especially solo to get places you want to visit without getting (too) lost.
Links
If you don’t feel you are ready to go it alone travelling, I recommend reading my blog Be Your Best Friend.
To watch all of my Australian travel experiences (thus far), you can view my playlist here.
To watch both my New York travel vlogs you can view my playlist here.
My next solo adventure plan is Europe specifically London🏰and Paris🥐(October 2026???)
Happy adventure planning and Bon voyage! 🌏✈️
PS for more introvert related blogs read here.
