As I prepared to leave for a semester abroad in Aix-En-Provence, France, worlds away from my family, friends, and comfort zone, my anxiety began to take over my mind. It took a lot of guts to leave in the first place, but I knew it was possible and that it would be an experience that could shape the rest of my life. In the first few days of living in France, I met tons of new friends and started to build a relationship with my host mom and her pet bunny. I created a new comfort zone in my home for the next couple of months.  

I was supported by my family at home, CEA CAPA advisors, and friends from my program. There were countless events hosted by my CEA CAPA team and my new French university that gave me different people to meet and share experiences with. All the anxieties that I was feeling were fading into the background as I grew more comfortable in the city I lived in and the people I knew. That was until I had to plan some of my travel weekends and my ideas looked different from my friends’ plans. 

My view from the plane flying into France for the first time 

Deciding to Solo Travel While Studying Abroad 

About halfway through my semester abroad, I realized that I wanted to visit a few places that my peers were not interested in or could not fit into their own travel schedules. I did not want my experience abroad to rely only on the people around me instead of my own ideas. When I mentioned my plans to my host mom, she asked why I needed someone to travel with me. Her phrasing planted a seed in my head, and I started asking myself the same question. There were obvious reasons why having a group of people to travel with was important; I needed to pay attention to safety in unfamiliar places. The more I contemplated it, I decided that there was no better time to take a leap of faith than when I was already so far out of my comfort zone. It was likely that I would never be abroad with months’ worth of free time again in my life. Was I going to let my friends’ plans get in the way of a once-in-a-lifetime trip? 

The city of Menton, my first solo travel location 

Taking a Leap of Faith 

I decided to take my chances and proceeded on my first solo trip to a beautiful town called Menton, which was about a 2.5-hour train ride away. With a country-wide train pass and a plan to save money abroad, I planned to leave by train early in the morning, stay for a day, and then take a late-night train back home. My anxieties were high the farther I traveled away from anyone I knew and into a place where I had no prior knowledge.  

I asked a stranger to take a photo of me in front of the Eiffel Tower 

I thought about what would happen if I were hurt, if I got lost, or if I could not think of enough things to fill my travel days without another person’s input. Usually, when traveling with friends, I agree to stay in hostels with up to 20 people in one room, but focusing on my safety, I booked a cheap hotel room in the center of town. Early on Saturday morning, I packed my travel bag and took a train into town. With full freedom to go wherever I desired without anyone disagreeing with my plans, I was filled with more freedom than ever before.  

I spent the first day wandering around the city, eating one of the best meals of my life by the sea, visiting free museums, and finding hidden gems in the streets of France. My worries disappeared as I began to feel more comfortable spending time with myself instead of relying on others. The next morning, I spontaneously decided on taking a day trip to Monaco. Adventuring out and not aiming to please someone else was such a freeing experience. Suddenly, my anxiety surrounding solo traveling shifted from not having someone to travel with to not seeing enough of the places I wanted to visit in my time abroad. After a full day of visiting the places, restaurants, and historical sites that made me happy, I took the train that best worked for my schedule. 

The most unforgettable meal, that I would never have eaten if I had not spontaneously traveled to Monaco

How Did Solo Traveling Affect My Life? 

When I returned to my homestay, my host mom was incredibly proud of how far I had come. She knew how unwilling I was to even visit a restaurant without friends to talk to or rely on when I arrived in January. My friends were shocked and admitted that none of them would have gone on a solo trip. Instead of worrying about how different I seemed from my peers, I took it as a compliment. I harnessed my independence from the people who I once thought I needed.  

One of many hidden gems found by exploring the streets of Marseille  

The most important person who was proud of my solo travels was myself. I overcame an experience that I never imagined and felt completely comfortable sitting alone at dinner, creating my own itinerary, and finding kind strangers to make conversation with and expand my French-speaking skills. Over the next few months, I took many more solo adventures to explore the beautiful country. I spent a weekend in Paris, took many day trips to Marseille, and rode an overnight bus to and from Nice. While I was once completely terrified of being entirely reliant on myself, I learned to love it, and I could not have imagined my study abroad experience without my solo travels.