Travel Ideas for Your Next Big (Possibly Solo) Adventure
From what motivates us to travel, to the books we bring along, these tips are bound to make your journey even more rewarding.
As the days grow warmer and longer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), it’s hard not to dream of going somewhere. And, if you’re like us, sometimes, you just want to go away… alone! No compromising, no negotiating, no waiting for another person to finish getting ready. If you haven’t tried it, we at The Persistent highly recommend it!
Of course, traveling solo can feel like a lot, which is why we asked our staff and contributors for their best advice when going it alone. From what motivates us to travel, to the books we bring along, these tips are bound to make your journey even more rewarding. 🧳
Bon voyage!
"To really enjoy travel you have to be alone.” That’s what Dervla Murphy told The (London) Times in 2020, three years before her death at age 90. Murphy is my favorite travel writer — and the ultimate solo traveller. For her first book, “Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle,” published in 1965, she traversed Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and more on two wheels, fulfilling an ambition she'd had since she got an atlas and a bicycle for her 10th birthday. Later trips took her to Siberia, the Gaza Strip and the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. And though she typically started alone, she often found herself in company — it's the interest she takes in the people she meets along the way that make her books such a delight. As she put it in the same Times interview: "You are much more likely to make friends with people if you arrive alone on a bicycle ... It sends such a message to people that you really do trust them."
— Claire Cozens, global editor
Whether I’m traveling alone or with company, I am eye mask dependent. I must have one to sleep well, especially if I’m traveling for work, since that’s when I need to be very “on.” So I now stow a silky, lovely extra eye mask in my suitcase. I never have to remember to pack it. It just lives there.
— Lauren Smith Brody, contributing writer
Han's bookshelf is soooo pretty!
My favorite thing to do when traveling, especially alone, is to read a book set in the area I'm visiting. Past examples include “The City We Became” by N.K. Jemisen when in New York; “Searoad” by Ursula K. Le Guin at the Oregon coast; and “Nevada” by Imogen Binnie in Las Vegas. This practice helps me better understand the landmarks and culture of the place I’m visiting, even if I’m reading fantasy or sci-fi.
— Han Goldstein, social media editor
I love wandering where my instincts and whims take me without answering to anyone else. But eating alone in a restaurant can feel awkward, especially in places where women don't tend to go out at night by themselves, like Southern Italy. Rather than holing up in an Airbnb, I've found it helps to bring along a paperback. With my book in hand, I’ll make a reservation for dinner at a bustling restaurant, then belly up to the bar to eat. More often than not, I'll strike up conversations with other diners, the bartenders, and all the better if there's an open kitchen where I can watch the action. And if things are slow or I don’t speak the language, I always have my book for company.
— Paula Derrow, features editor
Editor's Tip: The Persistent's Josie Cox also likes dining alone in a restaurant! 🍱
I have done a lot of solo traveling as a journalist, which means I go places not just as a tourist, but as someone with a question in mind and a story to report. That opens up all kinds of places to visit and people to meet that you'd otherwise miss. That is why, even when I’m not reporting a story, I always travel with a mission in mind. I want to find out how they make tiles when in San Miguel de Allende and surrounds; visit the places with the most beautiful textiles in Delhi; wander the coolest art galleries in Mexico City; photograph the best architecture in Bilbao; check out the salsa dancing schools in Havana; try the best bike routes in Sardinia. And of course, sometimes I do come home with a story.
— Laura Fraser, contributing writer
“Airplane Mode” by Shahnaz Habib is so irreverent and yet so deep. It offers a perspective of what it means to travel without white privilege, without passport- and nationality- privilege and also, without a Eurocentric lens on what constitutes the pleasures of travel. Off to re-read it!
— Ruchika T. Malhotra, contributing writer
A travel website I routinely return to is YOLO Journal by Yolanda Edwards. The founder is a self-professed “curator of other people’s travels,” and since she can’t go everywhere, she leans heavily on the recommendations of friends, locals and insiders — some of whom are quite fancy — who share their best never-fail, often unexpected and out-of-the-way hotspots. These are gathered together in collections like “Our Giant Paris Black Book.” If I’m looking for a last-minute dinner reservation in a place I’m not familiar with, this is where I’ll start.
— Francesca Donner, editor-in-chief
What are your travel favorites? Hacks, books, podcasts, puzzles? Send your ideas to hello@thepersistent.com. We'll be back with more recommendations next Friday.
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