Traveling Solo.

I am writing this from the table of a lovely Airbnb in Porto, Portugal - Vinho Verde perched beside me, the Ponte Luís I Bridge stretching across the Douro River just outside my window. It’s just this kind of moment that has made me crave travel. And not just travel - but solo travel. A specific kind of adventure that feels spontaneous, freeing, and deeply rewarding.

I have not always been this person.

I still remember traveling internationally alone for the first time to visit a friend performing in Paris. After landing at Charles de Gaulle, I decided I would take the bus into the city to save money. I figured if I could navigate New York City, I could navigate anything. And thankfully, I made it - but not without that immediate sense of, holy shit, I am in a foreign country where I do not speak the language and do not know where I’m going.

It gave me that feeling of smallness I’ve since come to crave. The kind that reminds you how vast the world really is and how tiny you are within it. It makes me think of the astronauts recently orbiting the moon and looking back down at Earth. It gave me a visceral sense of perspective - a reminder that I am only one small speck in this giant, beautiful world.

The first experience of traveling alone can feel overwhelming. But once you learn to slow down, take in your surroundings, and come prepared - with downloaded maps and a rough plan to get where you need to go - everything else begins to unfold naturally around you. No other agendas or personalities to manage - just you and the day before you.

One of my favorite moments is leaving wherever I’m staying for the first time and stepping out into a new city, town, or hidden oasis. By then I’ve probably fully unpacked - a deeply ingrained habit from so many years on tour trying to make a space feel like home wherever I am - freshened up, and settled in enough to begin the search for:

a) coffee

b) a snack

c) a glass of wine...depending on the hour.

I love traveling to places where I can wander by foot or bike. I love researching on Google Maps, saving spots friends recommend or places I stumble across online, and creating a loose loop for the day rather than a rigid itinerary.

Now, this is where traveling with a friend might be helpful - because I’ve never been particularly good at sightseeing in the traditional, touristy sense. I much prefer wandering through a city itself, absorbing the sounds, smells, and rhythm of daily life as though I lived there too. I find I discover far more that way.

Not that there’s anything wrong with tours. Learning the history of a place matters deeply. I’m simply not someone who plans that far ahead when it comes to my own personal agenda. Creating an itinerary for a retreat, however? You better believe that is thoroughly researched and carefully curated so everyone can feel both taken care of and free to explore within the container of the retreat. Trying to create the very feeling I have come to crave myself.

But back to adventuring - I deeply value a midday pause. Travel is tiring, and when the time is entirely mine, I want to experience it fully. For me, that means equal parts rest and exploration so I can continue enjoying each moment with my full attention and energy.

Like right now, for example. I’m taking a quiet break between a wonderful breakfast, a trip to the market, and some evening wandering and shopping. Balance.

Whether traveling solo, with a partner, with friends, or as part of a group, what I’ve come to realize over the last few years is this: being immersed in a new culture is healing. And exciting.

There is such joy in seeing something for the first time - whether it’s an expansive coastline, a hike up an epic mountain, wandering unfamiliar streets, or tasting foods you’ve never tried before. There is something about discovery itself that fills the rough edges and darker fissures in a way nothing else quite can.

And filling that cup alone? Incredibly rewarding.

Now, I won’t pretend meals alone never feel awkward. There’s a strange balance between enjoying the ambiance and resisting the urge to disappear into your phone to fill the silence. But the awkwardness is almost always worth it. More often than not, you end up chatting with your server, hearing local recommendations, or stumbling into conversations and experiences you never would have had otherwise.

All of this is to say: take the trip.

Even if your friend can’t make it. Even if your partner can’t get the time off work. Solo travel creates space to learn about yourself in a way few other experiences can.

Which, honestly, brings me to retreats.

A retreat can be the perfect framework for solo travel. Arrive a couple of days early. Stay a few days after. Spend time exploring on your own while also connecting with a group of like-minded people in between. Fill every cup.

But most importantly - get out there.

There is so much beauty to witness in this world. From epic mountain peaks to tiny buds blooming from the cracks of a tiled terrace.

And while you’re at it, keep an eye on the GroundWell Retreats page - the next round of adventures will be announced soon.