BY : Courtney
I love the fact that more people, especially women, are letting go of their fears and traveling more as the years go by. It’s always fascinating to be in a conversation with women about our travels and I mention that I take a lot of my trips alone. I am sure you can imagine the widened eyes, gasps, and tilted heads, but it’s cool. So, naturally, I get a lot of questions about traveling solo as a black woman in today’s society. I get excited and do an attempt at explaining how it’s the most freeing activity but my major gem key response is typically the same. Until you take a solo trip for yourself, you won’t understand, and unfortunately for all of the people asking me about solo travel, I know most of them might not end up going. Therefore, I am praying that I can do a bit of convincing in this post and can get you lured into some travel deals so that you get your solo travel poppin’ for Q2 of 2017. Whether you are single, married, a mother, or a widow, I think every woman should take at least one solo trip in their lifetime.
1. We as women, do NOT get enough “me” time.
Getting “me” time is sometimes a chore. We all know that I don’t have any mini-me’s yet, but that does not mean I’m not active with other commitments. Have you all seen that meme where it talks about trying to stay fit, please your man, go to work, text people back on time, see your mother, and everything else under the sun while keeping a smile? Guess what? It’s HARD. We give give give and unfortunately, do not receive a lot of that energy back. If you are constantly thinking to yourself that you are tired, stressed, underappreciated, etc., it’s time to get some of that power back and do something for YOURSELF.
One of the hardest travel decisions I made earlier this year was committing myself to a trip to Puerto Rico. I, along with my family, were in the beginning stages of grieving my late aunt and uncle, but I knew I needed this trip. I needed time alone on the beach by myself to pray, read, write, and do whatever else I needed to do. The New Year is already a reflective time for me and being away on a solo trip really allowed me to recharge prior to returning to work after almost a month away.