Inspiration

What Solo Travel Taught Me About Love

By
Cat Sullivan
on
January 16, 2024

It's remarkable how powerful travel can be. 

Every solo trip has taught me an important life lesson and each new adventure has helped me learn more about myself and the world around me. The further I venture from home, the more I realize that we are all more alike than different, and there are so many beautiful places, people, and passions waiting to be seen.

I've become a huge advocate for traveling alone. Solo travel gives you the unique chance to reinvent yourself. 

Gone are the preconceived notions of you from your peers at home. While traveling, you can be your most authentic self. 

This experience gives you the push to exude confidence, challenge your thinking and meet like-minded people who are doing the same. It is also the most rewarding gift you can give yourself.

caye-caulker-sunset

My most recent trip with Under30Experiences took me from my one bedroom apartment in Chicago to a developing country in Central America. What I learned during my ten days abroad was how easy is it to find love while traveling solo.

I fell in love with a new place

Belize, you unbelizable place.

Your turquoise waters, diverse marine life, and coconut mojitos made me fall for you. 

Not only did you provide me with the perfect escape from my stressful desk job, but you allowed me to slow down a bit and think with a fresh new perspective. Being from a big city, I feel that I am constantly running around, trying to fit too many things into a given day. 

Belize, thank you for letting me practice patience in paradise and for teaching me there is no harm in a “go slow” way of life.

nurse-sharks-in-belize

I fell in love with new people

Team Belize,

From the day we arrived I knew that I had been #blessed with an amazing travel group. 

All of you are so unique, accepting, and genuinely excited to see the world and meet new people. I love your selflessness and your efforts to make everyone feel important, special and included, despite our differences. 

I am grateful that we became a family overnight and could talk with such ease. I think about you often and dream of us floating in inner tubes at Coco King again someday.

san-pedro-belize

I fell in love with people’s passions

FULL DISCLOSURE: I may be singling someone out in this case…

BUT…I fell in love with your passion. 

Thank you for caring about carbonate reefs and rocks and other nerdy stuff. It is so refreshing to meet people who have a deep passion for something and are not afraid to share it with the world. 

I’ve met so many people over the course of my life that have lacked interest in anything. Travelers see the world through a different lens and feel deeply (this is why I love the U30X community).  

I may have not understood your geo-tangents, but I loved listening to you speak with such enthusiasm and love.

I fell back in love with myself

Perhaps most importantly, my time alone gave me a chance to really learn about myself. 

Opening up to new people, being 100% authentic, and living with no fears taught me that I am more confident than I previously thought. I found that I have been overly critical of myself instead of embracing my imperfections. 

This trip to Belize reminded me to love myself unconditionally and always. 

It’s easy to get swept up in the game of comparing yourself to others, but I realized that I don’t want to be like other people, I don't want an ordinary life and I don’t want ordinary experiences. When I meet people, I want them to think I’m extraordinary, and the first step is believing that myself.

Fall in love with solo travel

If you're feeling nervous about traveling alone - GOOD! You should feel uncertain. 

Putting yourself out there in front of brand new people is tough. Doing something you've never done before is tough. 

My sappy love letters and I are here to tell you to take the leap, you'll find love EVERYWHERE.

Fall in Love with Travel Sale

Our Fall in Love with Travel Sale runs Monday, February 3rd - Wednesday, February 12th.

During checkout, select the $195 deposit option & we'll send you an invoice with the discounted rate. The best part? The remainder of your invoice won't be due until 60 days before you trip!

The $200 discount will NOT appear in checkout, but don't fret, it WILL be reflected on your emailed invoice.

Want even more savings? Anything on our Trips on Sale page that is more than 60 days away you can grab for only $195 down. You'll STILL get the discounted sale price without having to pay in full.

Cat Sullivan
Cat is the Senior Marketing Specialist at U30X. She's a Chicago native with a passion for fitness and travel. She enjoys short walks to the fridge and bad karaoke.

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