Solo Travel Stories and Tips

Welcome to the In Between Podcast.

I'm Astrid and I'm Alexis, and we're two best friends on a journey to living a fun, intentional life.

We know it's easier to share on a season of life once it's behind you, but what about when you're in the middle of the growth, confusion, and decision-making?

This lifestyle podcast is for the everyday gal who loves to travel, talk about business, relationships, fashion, and everything in between. Welcome back to Welcome to another In Between podcast.

It's me, Alexis Teichmiller, co-host, and Astrid, also co-host. Yay!

I'm so excited. I can't believe that, like, the podcast has launched. We're already multiple episodes in.

Yes.

This is unfolding.

It's happening. It's happening. We also got our branding photos back today from the shoot. So if you've been following along, you know about the green backdrop, and I am just stoked.

Iconic. I've never been more attracted to us.

We are beautiful.

I just like— you feel like iconic, you know, when you get your hair and makeup done. You have this vision. We created a Pinterest board to like vision out the podcast cover art shoot, and like seeing it come back and it's, it's like exactly what we wanted. It feels really, really good.

Yes. And just having the experience of it all, because sometimes you can get pretty photos but the experience is miserable and you're like, oh my God, I felt so uncomfortable, right? But we just had Absolute blast. And shout out to Alyssa if she's listening.

Yeah, shout out to Alyssa, our girl, for shooting and making us feel beautiful and just having so much fun. And, um, yeah, I'm really excited to— like, obviously by this time the brand will be launched for the pod, but just continuing to like look back on those photos so fondly. Um, okay, so we always start every episode talking about what we're in between. Very on brand for the pod.

Yes.

And so I'm curious, what are you in between right now?

Okay, so I launched a new side of my business, which is Astro Johanna Education, which sounds crazy to say out loud, but I launched that yesterday. And so I yay yay yes it's happening. I feel like I am in between. Being an expert and being a newbie as well. So I, I've, you know, been a photographer for 5 years now, been in marketing for 9 years, and now I am shifting into the educator, um, space, I guess. And so it's scary and exciting and I'm so passionate about it, but it's all the feelings that I had whenever I launched the photography side of the business. So yeah, so I am in between learning how to navigate a new side of the business again.

Yeah. What has been your biggest lesson so far in that as you're like in this in-between? Yeah. What's like, what are you learning?

Um, just do it. Yeah. It felt like a Nike ad. Simplicity. But seriously, I had that idea. For almost a year now. And there's something— and I feel like as creatives and entrepreneurs, we get so many ideas and then we let fear eat us alive and then we never do it. And then we see other people doing it and we kind of get that, you know, heart-sunken feeling. And so—

It's like not even jealousy.

It's not.

It's like, gosh, like I want that and I want to work hard for it. Like I see her working hard for it.

Yes.

Yeah. I want to like believe in myself like she's believing in herself. Yes.

And it's almost a reminder At that time too, like, I'm not believing in myself.

Yeah.

And it kind of feels like a little bit like self-betrayal. So that's how I was feeling for a really long time. And I went full-time, so I was able to kind of create that space to do this. And so if anything, it's less about signups and specific things and just about staying true to what I feel like I'm called to do. So, and honoring that. And if I get You know, one sign up, amazing. I'm gonna, you know, educate the crap out of them. Um, and if I get a ton, well, amazing too. But it's just really about, um, just doing it. Like that feeling, I just feel so, um, I don't know, like it's all these lies I told myself about I'm a procrastinator or I can't do it or I'm not good enough. It's like I did the dang thing. I executed, I launched it, and I am capable of Doing things, and so it just creates this confidence in us that now I rip that bandaid of the newbie, and now I'm like, all right, let's go. What's the next thing?

Absolutely. Yeah, and and that confidence can continue to build on itself, and I can't wait for you to listen back to this episode when it launches. Yes, and just like in that moment, see where you are in a couple of months too.

I'm excited.

Yeah, tell about that growth. Yeah, girl, get that growth. What are you in between? Um, let me pick here. I feel we can, we'll stay in the business. We'll stay in the business side of things.

Okay.

I feel very in between. Um, and we'll talk about this in the episode around quitting your day job. So we'll definitely like dig into that there. Um, I, I had a full-time job in software, uh, quit and started my own company in mid-2020. And then at the beginning of 2022, took a software job again in acquisition marketing and sales. And it's in like the, the creator economy ecosystem. So it still feels very close to everything I'm passionate about, but it's still something that like, you know, I was dedicating all of my time to my business and now I'm dedicating 40+ hours a week to, you know, my day job.

Yeah.

And so I'm in between this like strange beautiful stretching of figuring out how to make it all work and to really be excellent at everything I'm doing in the moment.

Mm-hmm.

And like really not, not feeling frustrated, not giving way to anxiety and overwhelm.

Mm-hmm.

But like really staying present in the moment. And so when I'm at work, I'm giving work my all. And when I'm focused on building my deeper life. Business, the coaching business, the retreat business, the podcast. Like there's a lot going on and like when I'm there, I need to be present in it.

It's almost like you're exercising this focus muscle.

Yes. Yeah. And I, and I remember early on in my career, I had mentors and leaders like speak into my life. They're like, hey, something like, I believe in you and you're going to do great things. And I'm calling out something I'm seeing in your personality right now is you have shiny object syndrome. Like you, you know, like the, this, the Up, the movie Up with the squirrel, the dog that's like squirrel. Like that is very much me. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs and, and just multi-passionate people feel it.

Yes.

But like, I let it totally derail me. And so it's like, I've got this creative project and this and this and this. And it's like, at the end of the day, what, what is moving the needle financially? Like what is actually having ROI? And am I finishing something to its completion so that I can see it all the Yeah. And that's where I'm in between like testing myself and pushing myself to execute in ways that I have before, but not at this capacity and scale.

Yeah.

So it's exciting. It's stretching. I know I'm going to look back on this time and know that it was really formative to me as a leader, to me and just every, every part of me as a, as a leader in business. And it's uncomfortable and I'm tired and I'm tired of being tired.

Yeah.

And I don't like that narrative. And like, my self-talk is shit sometimes. And like, I'm really mean to myself. And like everything you said about the rebrand of like, I finally, I did it. Like, I'm not a procrastinator. And then it like, totally, I totally feel the same thing because I'm like, my biggest 2 things is I overthink everything and I procrastinate.

Same.

Retweet.

And then I'm like, okay, well, if I'm overthinking and I'm procrastinating, I'm just lazy. Yeah. I'm just so lazy. And it's like, no, Alexis, step back and like actually look at everything you're doing. And if you're listening, I encourage you to do the same. Like reflect on all the things that you're putting energy into your life right now.

Yes.

And like offer yourself empathy and compassion and kindness for everything that you are navigating.

Yeah.

And that voice in your head that says, hey, it's not enough. Like that is such a lie. Yeah. But I have to remind myself of that. Every single day, multiple times on the hour, every hour. Yes, it really does seep in. So I am retraining my brain. I am opening up new capacities.

Yeah.

Um, and it's, it's exciting, but it's exhausting. It's exhausting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, that level of discipline too is so important. And we talked a little bit about the self-care movement and all on our last episode. And I think that's something to kind of bring back in this discipline aspect because sometimes we can feel so tired that you do need to rest, and that's important. And there's also times where it's like, okay, but you committed to something. So self-care, you know what I mean? There's just a bit of, um, a thin line between letting yourself be comfortable and then letting yourself be uncomfortable so you can grow, so your brain can expand, so your capacity can expand.

Totally.

So suddenly the things that overwhelmed you last year don't overwhelm you this year, right?

Because your capacity is just Bigger. Right. And something I wanna nail in on that too, that I think is really important, is when we get to a place of burnout and, and exhaustion, it's because we didn't schedule our time properly.

Yes.

And that's what I'm learning. Like, I have been so busy every single day from sunup to sundown with family, like prepping for a move. Like everything has just been very busy.

Yeah.

And last night was the first time I was alone by myself, no plans. For maybe a couple of weeks. And I was like, I need, I don't need to be on my computer. Yeah. And, but I felt guilty about not being on my computer. I'm learning is like, I need to schedule in that time and be really intentional of like, oh yeah, I need to have 2 nights a week where like I'm resting.

Yes.

I'm not doing social things. I'm not working in the evenings.

Yes.

Or same for the weekend. Like, oh, my whole Saturday's packed now.

Mm-hmm.

And it's like, okay, well. Where are we inviting some intentional scheduling?

Yes.

So that we are able to protect our capacity and like, oh, anyways, we need to talk about scheduling.

I love that. Yes. This has turned into a whole new episode. Time management.

Oh my gosh.

I could talk about that all day long.

Shall we pivot?

Yes.

Let's pivot to something very relaxing and not super scheduled.

Like solo travel.

Yes.

Okay. Where do we want to take this? We kind of have a little bit of like a direction. What are you thinking?

Um, so how about we start with our favorite solo trips?

Yes. You want to go ahead? Yeah. Okay. My first solo trip, and I will, I will caveat this, that almost all of, I would say maybe all of my solo trips up to this point in my life have revolved around work in some capacity. So You know, caveat that.

Yes.

Of like the places I went, where I stayed and all of that. It's like, I was paid for.

I was working.

Yeah.

Um, not all of it was paid for, but all that to say, my first solo trip was to San Diego, California for a conference. I was, I was 22, almost turned 23. I was a year into my first job out of college and Um, yeah, I went for a conference called Social Media Marketing World, which is like a huge conference in the creator space and even like the corporate social media space. 100% of very well-known, uh, conference. I went there because my boss at the time, Rory Vaden, was keynoting. He was a keynote speaker at that event and I was his like marketing assistant manager. I was over his social media, his podcast and, um, his blog and then I also helped like map out email marketing campaigns in Infusionsoft. And that was like my first step into email marketing. So like the whole software world.

Yeah.

So, um, yeah, it was really cool. Like I stayed in a hotel for the first time by myself. I remember taking—

You're like, I'm never going back.

I remember I was like, I'm like a bath gal. I'm a bath girly. Like I like taking baths. So I remember that my hotel was like so nice. It had a nice bath. And, um, yeah, I was really excited about that.

I love it. And you wore the robe.

Yes, I wore the robe. I, you know, watched the— like, you know, there's something about hotel TV that just like hits different.

100%. Um, Shark Tank?

Yes, on repeat. And Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on a big diaper.

Suddenly I forget Netflix exists. I know, I'm like, I don't want to look at my computer, I want this TV to be on. I'm disconnecting to a different type of TV. Yes, old school, baby.

Yeah, so that was like my very first solo trip.

And I remember like navigating, being, being in a new city. It was my first time ever being there. And like, it was my, one of my first times using Lyft and like Uber. Yeah. Because I had used it a little bit in Nashville, but I had my car there because that's where I lived.

Yeah.

So I was like, okay, I'm like solely relying on someone to come pick me up at my hotel. Um, there was one time where the conference center is like right at the bay. And I was staying like kind of up the hill in the Gaslamp District. And it was, I shouldn't have walked because there are a lot of displaced people in San Diego and the sun was setting.

Oh no.

And the streets were like very hectic. And I remember I had had this really nice dinner with a client and I was like, yo, you know what? It's only like 7 blocks. I'll just walk.

You shouldn't have done that.

I ran the last 3 blocks and I was like, oh my God, because I was just like, you know how you get anxious?

You start thinking.

Thinking of all these things, and then suddenly people were like asking me for stuff and like approaching me, and I'm like, I don't know, please, I don't know how to like handle— at that point didn't know how to handle things like that. Yeah, I just got really nervous and I literally ran back to my hotel.

Poor Alexis.

Poor 22-year-old Alexis. And my stomach was like anxious, and then I just had that food, so I was like, oh, it was like not good. Right before the conference? No, it was at the end of the day. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow, we really shifted gears there. Um, so my first solo trip was in 2020, actually. So I was hired to do a couple session out in Joshua Tree, and, um, it's a dear friend. I'm actually shooting her wedding in a few weeks. I'm super excited. Um, and at the time, they weren't engaged. They were just, um, traveling the country, spending a few months in different cities. And Joshua Tree was one of them. So she hired me to come out there, and I was newly single, and I was like, I am not going to miss out on this opportunity to go and travel there just because I'm scared. But prior to that, I always traveled with a partner or with family or with friends. And so I know for a fact my mom was freaking out. Gotta love our moms. Like, whenever I came back, she was like, I did not sleep your entire trip and I'm just glad you're back. My mom was the same way. Whenever early days at my time at ConvertKit, I traveled so much that my mom— like, I share my location with my family. Yes, friends. I think that's a big thing too. Yes, share your location. And like, you can also— now there's all these safety tips with Lyft and Uber. Yeah, where you can like send your trip to people. That's what I did and do. Yeah, for sure. Um, so yeah, mine is a lot more recent, but basically what I did, um, at the time I was also working full-time. So I flew out a week before my shoot, and then I worked remotely from Joshua Tree. Nice. And so whenever I flew out there though, I decided to fly into Palm Springs. Yeah, because I was terrified of LA.

Oh, okay.

By myself. Yeah. And on top of it too, there's an element of solo travel, um, for the first time when you have $20K of camera gear on you. It's like, it's not just my life, which of course is valuable. It's not just me. But if I lose all this gear, then suddenly, or if I, you know, get robbed and I'm fine, but my gear gets robbed and now I can't get the job done. And it was just too much for me to mentally handle, too many changes at the time.

Totally.

So I was like, I'm just gonna fly into Palm Springs. So I flew into Palm Springs, I rented a car. I was so nervous leaving the airport because it was— I landed at nighttime, but I was like, okay, Palm Springs is just smaller, it'll be fine. And I was originally gonna drive that night to Joshua Tree, but yeah, I decided that was a bad idea and I decided to treat myself.

Yeah.

And I was like, you know what, I am gonna book a nice hotel that I feel safe in that I can just enjoy for a day and drive around Palm Springs. And then on Sunday, I will drive into Joshua Tree because there's really not much to do in Joshua Tree, and I was going to be there the whole week anyway.

Yeah.

So I— it's one of my favorite memories. So I got my rental car, everything ran smoothly. Um, what I did too is as soon as I was leaving the airport, walking to the rental facility area with all my, my gear, um, I called my sister and I was like, do not hang up. You have to stay on the phone with me until I get in that car and lock everything. Totally. And so she was my saving grace that whole trip. I do the same thing, like, from the hotel desk to my room where I'm like, okay, I want someone with me. Yes. And not all the time, but it just depends, like, if I'm already feeling kind of anxious Yeah, I'll just call someone. And so just, you know, if you're feeling anxious, just call someone and ask them to stay on the line with you for a couple minutes. 100%. Or 10. Or the entire trip. Yeah, or the whole trip. FaceTiming my mom the whole time. It's a solo trip but with my mom. Um, so I went— I booked something at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. They Gave me a free upgrade. They were the absolute best. I was like, solo travel is the absolute most amazing thing. Living the life, girlie. Yes. And their pool was open till like 3 AM.

Oh, wow.

So I was like, I'm in this gated hotel. I am super safe. I'll be fine. So I left all the stuff in my room. I went and put on my swimsuit and I went to the pool area. I met some really fun people. We talked. They still follow me on Instagram. We talk all the time. I love that.

Okay.

Yes. That's one of my favorite things about solo travel is like, The amount of people— shout out to Sarah, who I met in the Las Vegas airport, if you're listening to this. Like, there are like all these people that I've met on solo trips.

Yes.

And it makes me so happy. Like, there's so many great people out there. And we follow each other on Instagram. So yeah, I spent the night, um, or like a couple hours out there at the pool and had the absolute best time. And you know, I think one thing about solo travel too too, is it can be intimidating, especially if there's a group of people.

Totally.

So I was going to the pool and everyone's there with their friends, and there I go showing up alone.

So I was like, okay.

I was tempted to just like scroll on my phone and it appear like I'm busy. I'm like, no, I'm here to make friends. So I just— they had music playing, so I left my phone in my purse and I was like, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna confidently— and in the inside I was dying, but I'm gonna confidently, externally, yeah, walk into that pool and just hang out. And so that's what I did. I just kind of like was vibing and then people approached me. But I think like the phone can be a blocker, a block. It really can. That's a good point. Yeah. Wall. Yeah. Yeah. And so they approached me and they're like, oh, here's my friend, here's their names, what do you do? Blah, blah, blah. They introduced me to their whole group. It was fantastic. And then I just walked back to my room. That was a little scary cuz it was like closer to midnight. Yeah. And it's still like, you know, strangers.

Totally.

But I just almost ran, and then it was perfectly fine. And then the next day I explored Palm Springs, uh, drove around, took some pictures, grabbed some food. And then that's when I started feeling like, okay, this isn't so scary. But legit, that first day I was shaking. Even at that pool, I was like, someone here is gonna kill me, and this is how I'm gonna die, and my mom's gonna be like, that was so dumb. She was never seen again.

Never.

Um, gosh, I love Joshua Tree. I love Palm Springs, and the whole vibe there is just so like— you feel really connected to nature.

Yes.

And I do feel like it's very— it's really beautiful, but it feels very remote enough to feel disconnected.

Yes.

In a way. So yeah, I'm a big fan of Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.

Yeah.

10 out of 10. And once I got to Joshua I was a little freaked out because the Airbnb that I booked, um, was connected to a house. And the host— one tip, I guess, is I only went with like super hosts, really great reviews, all that good stuff. Always read reviews.

Yes.

I never— I will never ever book a place that has like under 10 reviews.

Yes.

Like how new it is, I'm like, nope, sorry.

Right.

I'll circle back when you've got more reviews. Especially if you're by yourself. Totally. And I also like And people are more— everyone has different comfortability. Yeah, with that. And I'll dig into like some of my tips on that in a little bit. But I will say, like, I will never do a shared room inside someone's house. Yes. Like, I want it to be a separate place. Me too. Um, because I just— I want my own privacy, and I would just— I don't know. I want to be able to sleep well at night.

Exactly.

So that's kind of what it was like. It was a separate house, but it was there. And then It made it seem from Airbnb that she owned the house and ran the house by herself. But then when we were messaging, she's like, hey, if you need anything, my boyfriend's gonna be at the house. I have to leave for the day. And so just, which is, you know, a scenario, but I was very new to it. And so not knowing who he was or what reviews or whatever was a little bit like daunting.

Yeah.

Uh, but we kind of like eased into it. It was totally fine. Her customer service was incredible. incredible. So I was like, okay, we're cool here. And I shared all my information with the couple that I was there to shoot. Okay, so they hosted me over for dinner a few times. They were incredible. And I just let her know like, hey, I got to my Airbnb. And she was so sweet about like my safety and stuff. So we— I stayed in contact with them. But yeah, the first few nights I didn't sleep that well because I was a little worried. Yeah, and I think that's normal. And like, bring melatonin gummies. Get— I have the airplane, or what I have the white noise app on my phone. Yeah. Which like I use whenever I'm trying to fall asleep in a new place.

Yeah.

By yourself and your mind's like, what's going on? Yeah. Yeah. Um, this just brought up, while we're in California, can I tell you another crazy solo travel experience?

Please.

That I've never, I've shared it when it happened, but I don't think I've ever told you about it.

Please share.

2 years after the solo The trip. Social Media Marketing World, I went back for whenever I was working at ConvertKit. And I think I, I was 25 because I could finally rent a car by myself. And I rented a red convertible, um, Mustang by myself.

That's amazing.

And I drove from San Diego up to LA for like a solo trip by myself. I was like, I'm gonna just go to LA for a couple days. Me now? After living in like rural America for the last driving in LA, I'm like the driving part's not the thing. It's like everything else is like I'm in LA by myself. You know, like I was just so brave and so like not naive because I was still very conscious of my safety. But I just like had guts. Like yeah, balls. You really did. I really did. Anyways, um. I drove up and my friend Chelsea— shout out to Chelsea @themillennialmiss, I love you so much— she and I had become Instagram friends like a couple years prior. That's a whole crazy story in and of itself. We should do an internet besties. Oh yeah, we should do an internet besties episode. I would love that. Highlight all the crazy things that we've done with people from the internet. Yeah, because I have done some— I've gone to Seoul, I've gone to concerts with strangers. Literally. Anyway, I flew out to Seattle to shoot a couple I had never met.

Yeah, like absolutely.

Like, and stayed at their house.

I love it. I like— that's the confidence that we're channeling. Okay.

Yes.

But she was gonna be out of LA and she was gonna let me stay at her apartment for free, which is so nice.

Yeah.

It's like, also it's LA, you're like, you know, I'm in my early 20s, broke for the most part.

Yeah.

So, um, I got to her house and she had the key underneath, like she had, she had hid the key somewhere like in her apartment. apartment complex area, and the key wouldn't work. The key would not work. It— like, I could put it in, but it wouldn't turn. It was like the key was jammed.

Oh no.

So I'm in LA, it's 4 o'clock, the sun sets at like 7, and I don't have anywhere to stay. Oh, she wasn't coming? Like, she wasn't there? She was out of town. Oh, she was like literally out of town. Oh my God. By letting me stay at her place For free. I thought you were gonna stay with her there. No, no, no. So she like leaves me instructions of where to find the key. I put the key in, nothing.

Cue panic.

I'm like, oh my gosh.

And she lives in Santa Monica.

Um, but anyways, long story short, she like calls her neighbor. This neighbor guy comes over and he like, he also tries and he's like, I'm sorry, like, I don't know. Like, I can't get it either. And she like was trying to get ahold of her landlord, but her landlord was out of town. So I'm like, literally, so she calls a friend. Shout out to Emily if you're listening to this. She calls a friend and is like, hey, my friend's trying to take my place, but she can't get in. Like, can she sleep on your couch for the next couple of days? Oh my gosh. Literally my heart is beating so fast for you just thinking of me being in that scenario.

So yeah.

Um, I slept on Emily's couch for a couple of days and it was 2 nights. It was just 2 nights. And, and that's how we make friends.

And that's how we make friends.

I ended up going out to like my first LA Like dinner with them, like in Santa Monica, like on the pier. And then we went to this like club afterwards with Emily.

Yeah.

I love it.

Her friends. And I was like, I don't know anybody here.

And I will say I was like feeling really insecure.

Like I, yeah. And I also met up with some other friends that I had known later, but it was just a really interesting experience. And I remember having to like be adaptable, but also like I had to just be okay.

Yeah.

And I could have very well gotten a hotel, but it was just like, I don't know. I was like, okay, well, I'm gonna do this. And then she's like, here's another free thing. And I was like, free.

Yeah, free is better because my money went to the convertible. Exactly.

I was like, all my money is in this car. And then I ended up, I ended up getting a parking ticket.

No.

A California parking ticket.

How much?

Um, it was like $175.

Ooh.

Yeah, should have just like gotten a hotel.

Literally parked there.

Anyways, another crazy story. Um, okay, those are like, those are great, great first solo travel stories. Any tips or like just thoughts around booking? Yeah, stay, what to do.

Um, okay, so one thing that I do is definitely like whenever I'm switching locations, like I share all my locations with everyone that I know. Um, specifically like Jansen and, um, my sister, my family and everything. But I try to find someone, if I can, local that I might know, that I'm like, hey, I'm here doing a shoot, hope you're doing well. Like, I might meet up with him or I might not, but I'm like, hey, just for safety purposes, can I just share my location with you during this trip?

Yeah, not indefinitely.

No, no, no, just during the trip or during the day if I'm moving around a lot. And so usually, or depending on the city, I will— if I'll Uber a lot, I'll share those rides with people too. And like my sister, um, and whoever it is that locally, um, I'm sharing my location. So the first one would be share your location, share your Uber rides too. Also, um, English is my second language and I feel like I'm saying Uber wrong, but—

You're saying it Am I saying it right?

Yeah, you're saying it however you want to say it. There you go. How you say it is right.

There you go. So you guys will just hear me pronounce things a little bit different on here.

Um, okay, one of my tips is book flights that land when the sun is up.

Yes.

Especially inbound. Like, I don't think— I get a lot less nervous whenever I'm leaving a place and flying back home.

Yes.

Early in the morning, late at night, whatever it is. But whenever I'm landing in a new city, in a new location for the first time, I really try book flights when it's going to land and the sun is still up. And so I will literally go check when the sun sets in that location. Yeah. And kind of plan my trip accordingly.

Yeah.

Especially if I'm like, am I renting a car? Am I driving? Like, how far is the hotel to the airport?

Yeah.

Things like that can really add a lot of anxiety to a trip. You're already by yourself. You're already like going and experiencing something new. How can we Be mindful of things that make us anxious. And for me, it's, it's the dark. Yeah, everything's scarier in the dark. Yes, when the sun is set, I'm like, yeah.

Well, and also like if your flight gets delayed or the bags take forever to, you know, kind of get there, it adds more time. So suddenly you're leaving the airport like 10 PM and that's just— I agree, it gives me anxiety.

Yeah, so that was a big one for me.

Um, when along those lines too, if I may, with like the sun Set depending on where you're at. One thing that I do is I will go explore during the day.

Same.

And then I'm back by the time sunset. Or if I am ending, say, dinner at a place at sunset time, then I will Uber from that. Like, even if I could have walked, I will Uber from that location back to my hotel, and I will make sure that Uber driver waits until I enter Um, my hotel room.

Absolutely not hotel room. You mean like the front of the hotel? I was like, is he— is your Uber driver following you to your hotel?

Excuse me, sir, I will tip you extra if you walk me to my room.

No, no, great catch. I'm just kidding.

I'm just— someone's gonna be like, Astrid said this on the podcast.

No, do not invite your Uber driver up. Do not. Oh my gosh. Um, okay, when it comes to accommodations, for me, like, same thing. about sunsetting. And there have been so many times where I could have walked, but I Uber instead.

Yes.

And sometimes I'll even get in an Uber and they're like, oh, this is only 4 blocks away.

And I'm like, I don't care, sir.

I'm here to pay you. Yeah. And I'll tip you for my safety.

Yeah. Literally.

Um, okay.

I've done that in New York, especially like I've, I've solo traveled. I've solo traveled to London, New York, LA, San Diego. Portland and Las Vegas.

Wow.

And Dallas and Houston, um, and Kansas City. So yeah, like a decent amount. Yeah, for sure. But in New York, especially at night after meeting, like I would take clients out to dinner, we would do the whole like dinner and drinks thing. After that, I'm like, I am absolutely, I don't care if it's 2 blocks away. Yeah. I don't really know where I'm going fully. Like I'm not as familiar with You know, a new, a new place. Yeah. But when it comes to accommodations, read reviews. We've already mentioned this. My biggest tip around accommodations is Google Earth. Google Earth your hotel and your Airbnb. Take that little guy and gal, drop that pin exactly where your hotel is, and take them for a spin.

Yeah.

Walk around digitally in the neighborhood. I have avoided staying at places A lot because of where they're located. And I'm like, I'm one, I'm staying alone. I'm going to be walking, like whatever it is, whatever the reasoning is. And I will avoid staying in places based on like, oh, this is actually like, depending on the city. Oh, this is actually down an alley. Or, oh, this is like a side street.

Or an area.

Yeah. Or an area of the city that's like, I don't know if this is going to be good for me solo. Solo.

Yes.

And the Google Earth trip or the Google Earth tip has saved me so many times. Um, and I have been on trips where I did not plan them and the people that I went with did not Google Earth. And we, I have stayed in some really unfortunate places that have like put us in kind of sketchy circumstances because of just that lack of extra layer of research.

So. Yeah.

I'm like a stickler on this.

Yeah, well, and on that note too, I've actually really switched from using Airbnb lately. Yeah, I feel— I've noticed that I feel a lot safer in hotels by yourself. By myself, 100%, especially if I'm gonna have all my gear with me.

Yeah.

Um, but whenever— so I shoot a lot in Chicago and I have to book hotels there. Um, and so especially in Chicago, I'm like, I don't want to mess with the parking and then like getting the code and the, in the Key here and then going up. It's just if I'm with somebody else, um, like Riley is sometimes a videographer for stuff, I'm like, all right, cool. Like, if we want to stay at an Airbnb, that's amazing. But, um, I just use hotels.com. I usually get really, really great deals and rewards, which is amazing.

Yeah, if you get 10 nights, your 11th is free.

Yeah, sponsor us.

Hotels.com, please sponsor this podcast.

Um, but yeah, I do that. I just feel a lot safer with knowing that there's someone at the front desk, that there's other people, um, rather than like an Airbnb situation.

Yeah, I'm actually planning a trip right now, like a month-long trip to Europe in August, and one of my girlfriends— I'm starting off the trip with her in Portugal. We're going to be in and around Lisbon, and then I'm actually going to have a couple of days where she has to fly out And my company retreat starts in Lisbon, and there's like a three-night gap. Oh, and because she has to go back for a wedding that she's shooting.

Yeah.

And then Matt's flying in because Matt gets to join me in my company retreat. I'm so excited. And then after that, we're gonna go to Spain and Italy. More on that later.

Epic summer.

I'm super excited.

I can't wait to ask you a million questions on the podcast. Wait enough.

Not wait. Um, but that like three-night gap, like yeah, Airbnb might be cheaper. Like, whatever the reasons are, but I'm gonna stay in a hotel. Yeah, because I want like that front desk, I want the security. Yes. And I don't even know, maybe, maybe hotels aren't safer. Like, maybe there's statistics on this, but it's a sense of my own peace of mind.

But it makes me feel better.

Feel better.

Don't tell me the truth.

Yeah. Um, and another thing aside from the Google Earth thing is just doing quick research, like Hey, like, you know, solo travel in X city.

Yeah.

And like being able to research some areas that you might want to check out and also some areas that you might want to avoid by yourself. I always feel safer when I'm with people and like with a group of people, but whenever I'm by myself, I'm just a lot more vulnerable. And I hate that that's the case, especially as a woman traveling alone. Um, and I have had some like unfortunate things happen by myself and with people, you know? So you're never like, you're never safe from all of it.

Yeah.

That is a risk that travel ensues. is like, yeah, things happen. Yeah, I've had some pretty terrible things happen, but like, I still get on a plane, I still go because that's a big part of who I am and it's something I value. Yeah. And so I'm willing to even like go through the mess and the hurt and like the crazy stuff that can happen if it means that I get to experience something new.

For sure, for sure. And just having that awareness too, no matter who you're traveling with. So another thing that I want to share when it comes to safety is to make sure if you're walking anywhere, so if you are walking around in the daytime and you're exploring, before you leave your location, look at where you're going, memorize the instructions. And if you forget, do not check your phone. Like pretend you're going into a store or something and then review it and then keep walking and make eye contact with everyone. Not, do not be on your phone. Do not have your headphones on.

Mm-hmm.

I especially did that when I was in Seattle. Which it can be just like a more populated city than all the other locations that I've traveled to. And it was so helpful. Like, just pretend you know where you're walking to and going.

You don't stand out as much as a tourist.

Yes.

Another thing, a TikTok tip that I saw on this was to have one AirPod in and leave one AirPod out. And on Google Maps, you can have the audio on. Oh my gosh, yeah, the audio will tell you like when you're walking, it'll be like, turn left in 100 feet, genius, on blah blah blah street. And it can literally be telling you in your ear so that you're not like looking down on your phone. You're aware of like what are cars doing, like you don't want to get hit by a car or like whatever, right? Um, yeah, that was like— I was like, oh, that's really smart.

Very smart.

Yeah.

Okay, I love it, I love it. Okay, let's shift gears a little bit.

Yeah.

Um, what are your favorite things Favorite things to do on a solo trip?

Favorite things to do. I like, and this is actually something I apply to all travel. I plan 50% and then I leave 50% up to chance or like up to what I'm interested in. And so whatever that scale is for you, and it also depends on the trip. Like sometimes I plan 75% or like whatever. Um, but with solo trips, I like to leave a lot of time for meandering and like time to be able to explore. Um, so I would say reservations at nice restaurants.

Yes.

Is a hit for me.

Yes.

You know, and then sometimes that looks like I love getting takeout, specifically Chinese or, or Asian takeout of any kind.

Yes.

To my room, or like I'll go pick it up and I'll bring it to my room, like whatever that is.

Yeah.

I love that. That's like a big tradition for me is like I'm eating in my bed.

In the robe.

In the robe. Watching Shark Tank. Um, another thing I really like to do on solo travel that's kind of like a travel hack is if I'm staying at maybe like a discount hotel, I will find a spa that offers day passes.

Yes.

And you don't even have to have a spa service. You can just pay the $30 day pass. Vegas is a big one for this, y'all.

Like, do this in Vegas. Miami has that too.

Yes.

I'll just pay for a day pass. Um, for me, food is a big thing. 100%. Food is my love language. That's literally what I'm looking for a place that I'm travel— traveling to after I book stuff. The next step is, what are your best restaurants? Absolutely. I'm on TikTok hashtagging, looking at the whole thing. Me too. And saving it. And I'm like, all right, how are we gonna make my stomach work around this?

Totally.

I plan trips around food here. Literally. Literally. So. It's also an experience for me, and it's kind of my souvenir per se. So I am okay with spending a little bit more in the food and just taking my time and enjoying the view and just really, really being there. Um, and one thing that I like to do to those— I call it taking myself out on a date.

Yes.

And I dress up, I take my time, I play music. Is a big thing to me. I have a playlist for everything. I'll play music while I'm getting ready. I get super excited. I try to be just present with myself. And I think too, one thing about solo trips is I think that Astrid in her early 20s would've been so uncomfortable on a solo trip. And now it's like everything that I love and want, and I need to do it at least once a year. And so I think whenever we're not comfortable being by ourselves. There's some exploring there to do. Yeah. And that's okay. Like, we all learn that at our own pace. Um, but I've just learned to take myself out on dates.

Yeah.

I've also learned that, um, quality time is my love language, and it's important to love yourself in your own love language first rather than waiting to, you know, for a partner to fulfill that if you are in a relationship. Or if you're single like me, waiting to, for a partner to come into your life to then go and do these things. Right. Because then it's out of like expecting them to do it rather than simply appreciating their presence regardless. Yeah. There's a time and place for everything. Really, really good advice. And that, that narrative of, I, I will, I'll travel once I have a partner, or I'll travel once I have like a friend that values travel too. Mm-hmm. Like a big thing, um, especially in your 20s, is everyone is in different financial situations.

Yes.

Everyone's at like— everyone has different debt levels, everyone has different jobs, different career paths. So like that means that when you're planning a trip— and we'll— I definitely want to dig into that on like a, um, traveling with friends, traveling with friends podcast— but that is something that can come up. Like, okay, now like this isn't— this isn't based on anyone else's interests.

Yes.

Or anyone else's This place and like where they're at. This is really focused on me and what I enjoy. 100%. And that's something that came up for me when I first started solo travel is I would read things online and you, some of you might be listening to this and hearing like, oh, just listen to yourself and what you want. And sometimes it can just be so hard to know what you want. What do I want? What do I want? Yeah. And so it, it takes time and practice, but one thing that I did is like, okay, well what do I enjoy doing? With someone? Because if I enjoy doing that with someone, I might like to do that by myself. So let me start there. What are some things that I really appreciate? So I love a sunrise or a sunset. I will romanticize the heck out of it. And I love being a photographer because I just get to catch those all the time. And I will shoot till that sun is down. She will, everybody. She will. I will. I will. And so, um, for me in solo trips, finding fun places where I can catch the sunset is so therapeutic to me. It helps me to be present and to just kind of center myself because I'm always on the go. And so to me, solo trips is taking a step back from this busyness and this constant next thing and next thing and just look inwardly and just be.

Right.

Just simply like listen to the waves, look at the people, all these things. And so really each Every solo trip has looked so different, um, depending on what I'm needing in that time. There was a solo trip where I went out to a cabin in southern Illinois for the weekend, and I was just, um, really craving solitude, right?

Right.

And not seeing anyone and reading a really good book and no makeup weekend and comfy clothes and just sitting in the back and looking at the sunrise and drinking coffee. Like just nothing planned. Yeah. And painting and just really exploring that so much. It was so good for my soul and my spirit. And then there was other ones where I was like, let's go, we've got— we're gonna go shopping, we're gonna do a lunch date, we're gonna eat. So I think for me it's just, um, it just depends where I'm at in life. Yeah, I love that. And like just paying attention to why. You want to book the solo trip. Yes. And if you're— if you've never taken a solo trip and it's something that you've always kind of wanted to do— and I will say solo tripping isn't for everybody.

It's not.

It's really not. Yeah. And maybe you're not someone that likes it, and that's also okay. Yeah. Thank you for even listening and getting this far into the episode if you don't like solo travel. But if you do like it, or you— or the idea is really curious to you, yeah. I would spend a little time exploring why, like, why does that seem attractive? And maybe also solo tripping was something that you used to do and now you want to incorporate more of it. Like me, I haven't solo traveled since 2019. And so I'm married now. I'm like, you know, anytime I'm planning a trip, I'm usually with you or Matt or my friend Jess. Like, those are the people I travel with. We rotate. We rotate. We literally, we pick a number. Oh my gosh.

So it's like, I'm, I travel with people because that brings me a lot of joy.

Yeah.

But through this episode, I'm learning that I would really like to do something quarterly, even if it's, or like quarterly or twice a year that feels really intentional. It can even be a weekend or one night. It can, you know, be a staycation somewhere.

Yes.

But really being intentional about inviting that personal presence.

Mm-hmm.

Of being with self.

Yeah.

And no distraction. And it feels different because you're separate from comfortability.

Yeah.

You're separate from home, you're separate from partner, whatever, roommates. Um, and that feels really beautiful. So I want to do more of it.

I love that. I can't wait to see what you do.

Thank you.

Um, another thing too is if you maybe don't feel comfortable staying somewhere else, I— one thing that I like to do is just take myself on a date, just On an evening. Like, sometimes I'll drive out to the lake here locally and I'll take my journal, I'll play my music. Or I also have these like cards, um, with questions from We're Not Really Strangers, and I just kind of talk to myself and I'm like, let's do some check-in. And it doesn't have to be so deep all the time. It can just be literally fun, right? You go and read a book, put out a blanket, have a picnic with yourself.

Um, yeah, start small.

Yeah, start small, kind of ease into it, see what you feel. But for me, a big reason of why I did that cabin trip is because I've always felt very attracted to— when I was watching movies, people would do these getaways to the cabin or solo trips. Or, um, I have friends who are married would be like, oh yeah, like my husband took a trip by himself out into the woods.

I'm like, oh, that's amazing.

And in that same year, in 2020, A TikTok popped up that's like, why are you gonna wait to have a partner to do some of the things that you wanna do, like go out and stay in a cabin with them and do it by yourself? And so I just started noticing that those things I would see just felt very attractive to me.

Yeah.

And I really enjoyed it. And I was like, okay, let me implement it. I can do it. Or I'll see, uh, someone at the beach at sunrise and I'm like, I think I would really enjoy that. I try it out, loved it. Other times Hated it. There's other things I've tried that has just not worked out.

Yes.

So it's about just really being present, um, really defining what it is that you like and just being okay with some things not working out too.

Yeah.

Amen.

Yeah.

This was a really fun episode.

Can we wrap up with a question?

Yeah.

If you could take a solo trip anywhere, where would it be?

Ooh, that's really good. Nothing. You go first because I feel like you have the answer. I don't. Oh, um, if I could take a solo trip anywhere, where would it be? My, my immediate jump was some somewhere international.

Mm-hmm.

I think that I would really enjoy Paris by myself.

Mm-hmm.

And then going to south of France and do like Saint-Tropez and Nice. Monaco. I love that. All that area. I think that would be really beautiful. And like trains and like I can— there's transportation to lean on where I wouldn't have to necessarily drive by myself. Yeah, that sounds really fun.

I love that.

I want like Eiffel Tower champagne, um, macaroons. Yes, bread, bread.

Give me a baguette.

I want to like go to like French Vintage shops and like lettering stores and just like, or what is that called? Not ramble. What is that called? Like when you meander. I want to just like walk around. I did, I did it with 2 of my really good girlfriends. It was so much fun, but I really felt connected to Paris and I was like, I want to come back, but I think it'd be kind of cool to do this by myself.

So, yes. What about you?

I love that. I think for me, I think Spain would be really great.

Yeah.

I don't know. I just feel— I remember when I went to Colombia, I felt so connected to my culture. And I wonder if going to Spain where people speak my language is a little bit different, but overall pretty close. Walking the streets, feeling that culture, that just very bold, vibrant community and Yeah, I don't know. I think again, just walking around the beach. There's so much in Spain to explore too. And at the same time, there's a whole other side of my personality that would love a cabin out in like Washington, Northern Wash— I really want to go back there.

Yeah.

And just hiking cabin, super remote. No one talked to me. Don't even look at me. Yeah. See you in 5 days kind of thing.

Yeah.

That's very attractive to me.

Okay. I want to add another answer. Yes. Yes to Paris. And also you said cabin and I want to go into the English countryside in the UK and stay in a cottage and like write a novel.

Oh my gosh.

Yes.

Like a little bubbling brook, you know, there's like some ducks.

I don't know.

I just, and there's like moss growing on the stone, that kind of, I'm painting a picture here. That kind of cottage. Yeah, it's giving like coastal grandma.

Yeah, have you seen that on TikTok? So grandma, like, she's going to Cape Cod, y'all.

Yeah, I want to do like Cape Cod vibes but in, in the UK.

That would be really cool.

That'd be iconic. Yeah, I hope one day you'll go, you'll do that, and you'll listen back to this episode and be like, I wrote a book out there.

Yeah, by a bubbling brook.

Yes.

All right, friends, thank you so much for listening today to our podcast. You can find us on Instagram at The In Between or inbetween.pod, right? Um, and then you can connect with me, @astrajohannaphoto, and you can chat with me via DM, um, @alexistechmiller. Yes, please let us know, um, what resonated with you, where you want to travel to, and pretty please go ahead and leave a review on this podcast, and we'll chat with you next time.