Roaming Free: How Solo Travel Transforms Your 20’s and 30’s

Let me be real with you: solo travel has changed my life. Not just in the “Instagram highlight reel” kind of way, but in the deep, soul-reshaping kind of way. It’s cracked me open, rebuilt my confidence, and reminded me—over and over—that I am so much more capable, brave, and powerful than I ever gave myself credit for.

If you’re in your 20s or 30s and feeling like something’s missing—like life is a little too predictable, too small, or just not lighting you up the way it should—I want you to hear me when I say this:

Solo travel will wake something up in you.

Building Unshakable Confidence

Every solo adventure is an invitation to grow. When you’re out there navigating unfamiliar cities, managing delayed buses, booking last-minute accommodation, or finding dinner on your own in a new language—you realise just how damn resourceful you are. You don’t crumble. You figure it out. And that is such a powerful thing to learn about yourself.

Sure, you’ll make mistakes. You’ll book the wrong train. You’ll get lost. You’ll overpack. But each challenge becomes a lesson—and with every win, your confidence stretches a little further.

Personal Tip: Push yourself out of your comfort zone at least once per trip (safely, of course). Try something that makes your heart race a little. It’s in those moments that transformation happens.

Reconnecting With Yourself (and Your Joy)

One of the most beautiful gifts solo travel offers is space. Space to breathe. To think. To reconnect with your thoughts, your body, your passions—the parts of you that often get drowned out in the noise of everyday life.

For me? Travel rekindled my love for reading, for capturing little moments through my lens, and even helped me find peace with things I used to fear (like flying—still not my fave, but way better!).

Personal Tip: Journal throughout your trip. Even just a few lines each night. You’ll be amazed what comes up when you give yourself space to reflect.

Making Soulful Connections

The biggest myth about solo travel? That it’s lonely.

In my experience, travelling solo has actually made it easier to meet people. When you’re not locked into someone else’s schedule, you naturally open up—to conversations, to spontaneous plans, to new friendships that sometimes last a night, a week, or even a lifetime.

I’ve made friends by asking someone to take my photo at a monument (we still talk regularly), from chatting with a girl in my dorm room and inviting her on a walking tour with me, and even by getting a bit too competitive at the beer pong table in my hostel. And no, a lot of these people didn’t become ‘forever friends’—but that doesn’t make those connections any less special.

Personal Tip: Stay in social hostels, join a walking tour, or say yes to that bar crawl—even if you’re nervous. Connection is everywhere if you’re open to it.

Owning Your Life With Courage

Here’s the part that really changed me: the confidence I built through solo travel didn’t stay abroad. It followed me home.

Suddenly, I wasn’t waiting for someone to say yes before I tried something new. I started going to events alone, booking local getaways just because I wanted to, and saying yes to experiences that lit me up—even if nobody else could join.

That’s the real transformation. Not just where you go, but who you become because you went. Since coming home, I knew I wanted to be someone who watched the sunrise and swam in the ocean every week, so I became her. I invited others to join me, and now, 18 months later, it’s the most grounding, joy-filled part of my week.

Personal Tip: Start small. Go for a beach walk alone. Take yourself out to brunch. Build your independence muscle little by little. It’s empowering AF.

Where to Start if You’re New to Solo Travel

Feeling inspired but not sure where to begin? Start small. You don’t have to book a one-way ticket to the other side of the world to feel the magic of solo travel.

Ideas to Ease In:

• Take a solo day trip to a nearby town or beach.
• Stay one night in a hotel or Airbnb just for you.
• Go to a café or museum you’ve never visited — alone.
• Write down 5 dream solo destinations (big or small) and start planning one.

Final Thoughts: Your Permission Slip

Solo travel isn’t just about ticking destinations off a list. It’s about becoming the kind of woman who trusts herself deeply. Who knows her worth. Who sees fear and goes anyway.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign? This is it. You don’t need permission, or the perfect itinerary, or someone to come with you.

You just need that flicker of courage to say, “I’m going.”

And when you do? I promise—it’ll change everything.

💌 Let’s Keep Roaming Together

Until next time — keep roaming free 🤍
Francesca x