After years and years of asking my friends to plan a trip—only to see those plans die in the iMessage group chat—I finally decided 2023 was my year to plan the damn trip. How did I make sure I’d be in a place I wanted, eating what I craved, and moving at my own pace? Easy, I went solo.
The idea of traveling outside of the country on my own was a bit scary, and probably downright terrifying for my family. That’s when I found the Grand Tour of Ireland EF Ultimate Tour (not sponsored, don’t worry). As someone with a type A personality, the idea of just ‘letting go’ and allowing a tour company to plan a nine day itinerary was scary. However, trusting myself to plan my own travels was daunting and I knew that unless I went on a tour, my fantasies of solo travel would’ve met the same fate as my group chat plans.
During my research, stumbling upon a tour group that coincided with my 25th birthday felt like fate. I’ve never been a big fan of birthdays, and the thought of escaping the USA and gifting myself an experience sounded like an amazing way to treat myself and set the tone for the year ahead.
Opting to go to Ireland solo turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Even though I savor my alone time, I had a feeling I might be a bit too lonesome in a foreign country all by myself. Plus, being a car-less New Yorker, navigating my way around on the opposite side of the road in Ireland? Yeah, no thanks – shoutout to the tour bus driver Shawn for saving me from that terrifying adventure.
If you’re toying with the idea of solo travel but feeling a bit nervous about orchestrating an international trip all by yourself, I suggest looking into tour groups and trying what I affectionately call “solo-ish” travel. Still on the fence? I’ve laid out some of the pros and cons based on my solo-ish Ireland journey:
PROS
- The people (if you vibe with them): The thing I was most nervous about when signing up for a tour group was the people that I would be grouped with for nine days. For this specific tour, I knew I’d be surrounded by people in the 20-35 age bracket, so I crossed my fingers for some shared interests. Turns out, my hopes were met, and I ended up making some awesome friends on the trip—some of whom I still talk to almost a year later!
- A local tour director: Having a local tour director was an absolute game-changer for my Ireland experience. Meet Diarmuid, our guide extraordinaire, who sprinkled enchanting fables, historical tales, and quirky Irish facts throughout our journey. Some of my favorite memories from the trip are woven with his hilarious pieces of Irish information.
- Diving into the Culture: Without the gentle nudge (okay, maybe a friendly shove) from a tour group, I’m convinced I would’ve ordered room service and camped out at quiet cafes for a few nights of my trip. Gratefully, being coaxed (read: enthusiastically pushed) to immerse myself in Irish culture opened up a world of experiences.
CONS
- The people (if you DON’T vibe with them): There’s a gamble involved when jumping into a group tour—there’s a chance you might not click with everyone. The key? Go on this journey for YOU and no one else. If you enter without preset expectations about group dynamics, you might just find some unexpected friendships. Admittedly, not every person in my 20-member tour and I clicked. Sure, there were those who spoke at a volume exceeding my comfort zone, had a lighter approach to deodorant use, or simply didn’t share my enthusiasm for the Real Housewives franchise. But hey, that didn’t stop me from enjoying every moment of the trip.
- Hostel life: Hostel life and I aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. The bunk beds and pillows as thin as paper reminded me of what I’d imagine a fifth-grade girl scout camp looks like. But it didn’t throw my entire trip off course. I mean, who goes to Ireland to catch up on sleep anyway? I managed by draping my airplane blanket over my head and cranking up a white noise machine, but if you’re not the soundest sleeper or have an aversion to snoring, it might be worth considering traveling with nicer sleeping arrangements. (P.S. I did treat myself to a solo hotel room for two of the nights!)
- Flight frustrations: One drawback of letting tour groups handle the entire trip is relinquishing control over your flight choices, leaving it in the hands of the higher powers of travel planning. More often than not, this translates to being booked on the cheapest flight rather than the most convenient one. In my case, both my departing and arriving flights had layovers, but it was the layover locations and times that left me frustrated.
If you find yourself questioning solo-ish travel, consider this your sign to just take the plunge! The act of writing this post has me itching to explore more destinations. Well, there it is – now I’ll probably be bombarded with tour ads on Instagram for the next six months.