What I learned traveling solo (as a wife and a mother)
I just had my first ever solo travel experience to New York City!! Now, I do have to add a disclaimer because I didn’t have a completely solo trip. I traveled to NYC to visit my brother who lives there. Most of my second two days of my trip were completely solo around the city and the travel to and from was also solo for me. But coming from someone who has a HUGE amount of anxiety when left alone, I do feel like this whole trip was a win for me.
So, I after being home for a few days after the trip, I just wanted to share a few of the things I learned while being away from my toddler, husband, and basically all responsibilities as well as how I felt in terms of my anxiety. My major three points of how I felt overall are listed below ☺️, and let me tell you, I definitely feel like I learned a lot just by barely traveling solo once.
The trip won't be perfect
So, this is honestly something I struggle with on a daily basis. I want things to go exactly as planned with no bumps. But let’s be honest, guys, it wouldn’t be a trip without having bumps in the road.
My first full day in NYC, I had a great morning. I had coffee with my brother, traveled to the cutest bookshop (Book Club Bar), had ANOTHER coffee (which was honestly my first big mistake), and then went straight back to the subway to go to the next bookstore on my NYC bookstore crawl list. Fast forward a little bit and I’m shaky from the caffeine, it’s hot as heck and I’ve been walking a ton, I haven’t eaten anything and start getting dizzy (blood sugar issues), and then that’s where the panic attack starts.
I find a place that I’ve been dying to eat at for lunch, eat a little, can’t seem to shake the anxiety, and decide to just play it safe and go back to the apartment. That’s where I stayed for three ish hours trying to just feel normal again.
We had tickets to go see Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway (highly recommend, it was amazing), and I knew I’d be so disappointed with myself if I skipped out on it. So, I picked myself up and went to the show. It was probably my favorite experience the whole trip and I’m so glad I didn’t miss it.
My point with all of this is that no trip will be perfect. We all have things that stop us in our tracks and we’re forced to reroute everything. That’s okay. Just keep going, find a new path, and HAVE FUN!
I'm still me
This may feel like a dumb point to some people, but for my other moms out there, you know what I mean. After feeling like I had basically lost myself to motherhood during the first year, I slowly started coming back to myself when my baby became more of a toddler. This trip reminded me a lot of not only who I was before I was a mother, but who I was before I was a wife. I love my daughter and my husband immensely, but it was nice to feel like a singular human being for the first time in literally more than a decade. I still have passions. I still have dreams. I still actively chase those dreams and my husband is my biggest supporter. But being completely on my own and having to learn how to take care of myself again? Especially after that panic attack? It gave me a huge reminder of what I’ve struggled with, what I’ve overcome, and the many things I love today. Which leads me to…
I am SO grateful for this wonderful life
The biggest (and in my opinion, the most important) thing I realized wholeheartedly this trip is that I am so in love and so grateful for this wonderful life that I live. My husband is amazing and I couldn’t ask for anyone better to raise our children with. My toddler is the spunkiest, sassiest, most adorable, and most loving little girl in the world. My house, my dogs, my car, the 9-5 job that I often complain about: it is all such a blessing.
We forget sometimes with the rush of life that we have to live that there are so many things to be grateful for. This NYC trip gave me a moment to slow down, reflect, and appreciate this wonderful life that I get to call mine. It was the perfect step back from the everyday grind to come home and love on my little girl and my husband the way they deserve. That is the biggest thing this trip has given to me. I got to come home when it was over and give my family my all because they deserve nothing less.
There you have it, guys: my sappy, mushy, lovey-dovey things that solo travel has made me realize. I love my life. I love my husband and my daughter. I love that I am blessed enough to be able to take trips like this, and I hope that you are able to do the same. I hope more than anything, though, that you’re able to stop and realize that nothing is ever perfect, you are still YOU (no matter how many people depend on you), and to always always be grateful for the blessings that you have.
