Solo Travels

“It shows me once again how regret must be risked in order to discover delight. Because the result is wilder, fiercer, and more exhilarating than you’ve imagined. And you? You are much braver than you think.”
–Maggie Downs, Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother’s) Lifetime

I began traveling solo in Fall 2021. It all started with a trip to Michigan to run a half marathon (yes, I do realize how crazy that might sound). I was nervous, but also very excited. I definitely got some pushback from my parents, who I was living with at the time. While I understand their fears, as I am their baby girl and this world is often not too kind to young women, I do still sometimes get frustrated that my brother, who often travels alone to entire different continents, does not get the same pushback. But so is life.

This trip to Michigan was nothing short of life-changing. I cried a lot. Sometimes sad tears. Often happy tears. It was on that trip that I realized that the person I’m most proud of and most excited to know is myself. Since that trip, I’ve continued to travel to new places and do things that surprise me. Each year continues to excite me, as I never know what to expect even from myself.

And every time I travel solo, I think back to that quote: “And you? You are much braver than you think.”

SOLO ROAD TRIP TO MICHIGAN

Late September/early October 2021

Itinerary:
Day 1: Drive to Algonac State Park (MI) to camp overnight and stop in Cleveland, OH on the way (visit Lake Erie – my first Great Lake!!)
Day 2: Visit Lake Huron, drive to Ann Arbor, MI (got a bonus visit with my cousin’s wife while here!!)
Day 3: Visit my grandma in Chelsea, MI then head to Indiana Dunes National Park to explore and camp
Day 4: Explore Indiana Dune NP, visit Warren Dunes State Park, visit my aunt and uncle in Benton Harbor, MI
Day 5: Drive up the coast of Lake Michigan to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with a stop in Holland, MI to embrace my Dutch roots
Day 6: Explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Day 7: Run a half marathon, then join my cousins in Grand Rapids, MI for a Polish Festival
Day 8: Visit Meijer Gardens and spend time with my cousins and aunts in Grand Rapids, MI
Day 9: Drive home and go to work for one day before getting hand surgery and being out for another week (LOL…my boss was great)

Read more about the trip here

SOLO ROAD TRIP TO MAINE

June 2022

Itinerary:
Day 1: Drive to Providence, RI
Day 2: Drive to Eliot, ME and explore Portsmouth, NH
Day 3: Drive to Portland, ME and stop at the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge
Day 4: Explore Portland, ME
Day 5: Drive to Bar Harbor, ME
Day 6: Explore Acadia NP
Day 7: Run my half marathon and explore Acadia NP
Day 8: Explore Acadia NP
Day 9: Explore Acadia NP
Day 10: Last morning in Acadia NP and begin journey home

Solo Travels

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