Summer 2022 man… I had the most enriching experience, planning and traveling around the world ALL BY MYSELF!! This post is going to be a brief overview of my solo travel experience. I wanted to give this overview for context to many of my future posts and plan on going in more detail in the future! This summer, I went on my first solo trip around the world, and when I say around the world, I mean it.
- Washington, DC, USA
- Paris, France
- Barcelona, Spain
- Florence, Italy
- Berlin, Germany
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Krabi, Thailand
- Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
- Nairobi, Kenya
All of this was planned by me, some beforehand and some of it just going with the flow! This was hands down the best trip of my life, and not to sound cliche, but it was definitely life changing. I grew so much in many different ways and although it was difficult at times, I am so thankful for the experience. I had to figure everything out on my own and I really had time with myself to find out what I love, what I don’t love, how I’m truly feeling, and how much I love spending alone focusing only on how I’m feeling and how I navigate being by myself. It was so rewarding and I can’t wait to share more about it in future posts. So, I’m going to give a brief overview on each location, so feel free to ask questions about any locations to inspire some future posts!
Washington, DC
I came here since it is cheaper to fly to Paris from DC than it is North Carolina. I got to see some of my friends who were there for the summer! We went to see the fireworks at the capital and go to some of the museums. We also went to an afrobeats darty which was pretty fun. I’ve been to DC before, but spending time there with these friends was really fun and it was a great way to start my journey.
Paris, France
First leg of the solo part! I stayed in a hostel which was pretty nice but not very social, so I didn’t really meet anyone there. But I pretty much spent the entire time walking around and sightseeing. And I got to see one of my friends who had moved to Paris which was so fun! Overall, it was such a beautiful place and I loved seeing so many landmarks in person!
Barcelona, Spain
This was my favorite experience in Europe! I went here to attend an African dance festival where I learned from some of my favorite African dancers and learned more about different styles of dance. It was the Oyofe Festival and it really opened my eyes to the many styles of African dance from all over the continent, and how much bigger this scene is in Europe than it is in the US. I did dance in college so attending this festival was so amazing, and I got to meet my absolute favorite dancer, Bad Gyal Cassie!!!
Florence, Italy
The most beautiful place that I’ve ever been to! I did the tour of Tuscany while there, and my hostel was in an old Catholic church so the architecture was incredible, and the gelato definitely lives up to the hype. I also met some of the nicest people while there!
Berlin, Germany
I was only here for a day, but other than the fact of almost getting scammed on the train lol, it was so cool to sightsee here. I loved learning about the holocaust in school (I know that sounds crazy but I just love learning about countries before and after mass destructive events), so seeing places in real time was very interesting to see.
Bangkok, Thailand
Here is where I really started the social aspect of my trip. The hostels were so social and the other people are also mostly solo travelers. I made some friends on my first day, some people that I saw again all throughout Thailand when I went to different cities. The temples were beautiful and the food was amazingggg!
Chiang Mai, Thailand
I know that I said that the food in Bangkok was amazing, but Chiang Mai take the cake. I even did a cooking class while there and it was so great! The north is beautiful and I had the most fun there. I think this is the first place where I actually enjoyed the nightlife on the trip!
Krabi, Thailand
Pretty great place down by the water and it was really peaceful! I definitely used the portion as a recovery from the trip because I was so incredibly exhausted, but I did get a full body luxury massage for $30 USD so no complaints at all.
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
If you go here and stay in a hostel, stay at Dormsin. Everyone is in one room and the boss is always there with us and giving recommendations. It definitely gave “homey” vibes! The nightlife was crazyyy and beautiful beaches. It was definitely more touristy but I had a blast here!
Nairobi, Kenya
10/10 definitely recommend. As I said before, I’m Liberian but I haven’t been able to go back there or go to the African continent at all. So landing here, I actually shed a tear because I was so happy. Even though I was on the other side of the continent, I felt like I was at home being there. I spent most of the time with my friend who lived there, and the nightlife in Nairobi is like no other! Can’t wait to go back.
But yea I had the best time, this trip was for a month, so I spent about 2-3 days in each location other than Nairobi where I was there for a week. If you want to know more about about the planning process, check out my *future* post where I write more about that, and please comment below any questions or experiences that you’ve had in any of these place!