first solo road trip and scared as hell....

I know this thread is very old, but I just had to comment. Sorry for the spelling errors, no spell check.

What an awesome story of a person overcoming her fear and pursuing something her heart desired. We could all learn a thing about her courage (courage is not the absence of fear, but doing something inspite of it). It was very eye opening to hear about how her family tried to cut her down and discourage her, when they were likely just projecting their own fears on her.

The truth is, as I read this, I thought it was so interesting to see how fearful someone was to make such a small drive (in my mind), but then I remembered my own fear when I took my first trip. I was 21 and I drove from michigan to california on my own, sleeping in rest areas along the way (a HUGE no-no, but I was inexperienced). Once you get a taste of adventure, you want to up the anty and go for bigger and more brave trips.

My first ultimate, hardcore trip was driving from Michigan to Alaska and back - alone! I often tried to talk myself out of it, but eventually decided that I just had to take that trip. The night before I left, I was awake with fear but I left anyways. Driving on my first day through the Winsconsin planes, I was consumed with fear and considered turning back, but I just kept going. I was on the road two months, drove 13,000 miles, camping alone in the wilds of Alaska and Northern Canada. When I returned home, I litterally cried out with joy that I had made it, and changed myself in the process.

The point is, it's better to live now and take chances than to "play it safe" and regret what might have been.

Since that trip, three years ago, I am absolutely ADDICTED to solo travel. I am a nurse and frequently have lots of time off, so I typically go on between 10-12 solo trips a year! To up the anty even further, I have started doing solo trips in different countries. I have driven the western Fjords and Ring Road in Iceland (AMAZING!), drove up to the artic circle in Norway, flew into Milan and drove through Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France and even took road trip through Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo and Greece (had a friend with me that time, though).

Hopefully, Birdybirds experience helped seed that lust for travel and experience! I am curious if she has gone on any other trips since then

Hello and welcome to RTA Rambling Rose.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights into solo travelling, you went from fear to an accomplished traveller, now with many adventures behind you. I hope it helps others. Birdybird has not been active since 2008 so I'm not sure you will find out whether or not if they caught the Road trippin' bug or not.

If ever you would like to share your trip experiences in the future we have the Roadtrip Field reports section to do just that. Not only is it enjoyable for us fellow trippers to read, it is helpful to future travellers in planning their own trip. Hope to see you on the forums !

Dave.

I just found this forum at Road Trip America and I too am feeling apprehensive about taking a solo road trip from the Portland Oregon area to Los Angeles to visit family. Most of my own family and friends just tell me to go for it. I have a little dog and I want to bring him. Last time I went to LA I flew and had to leave my dog with family which was great to have that choice but now just one month after my trip I want to go back and don't want to leave my dog again so decided a road trip would be great. Last time I flew and couldn't bring my dog. When I was young I took road trips by myself all the time but now that I'm a LOT older I have my fears. I fear about my car breaking down. It's a Mercedes C230. It's a 2000, one owner, only 137,000 miles on it. It's always been a great car so I'm not sure why I have such a fear of this happening. Has anyone ever taken a road trip solo down I-5 from the Pacific Northwest to Los Angeles? Now, my original reason for writing this was to ask if you, I think Rambling Rose? Now I'm not sure, anyway, did you take that 8 day solo road trip in 2007? Is there anyone on here that can give me some good advise about a solo road trip and maybe help put my fears to rest a little bit anyway?

Hi Creekgirl, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

There was a time that I could share your feelings.... but not having an option but to push through them, I hit the road in 2001.

Now 200000 miles later, I take most of it in my stride.

An old 1998 van bought second hand, a AAA membership and good advice from friends on what to do and when helps a great deal. There is no end of help available on this site. Why not start your own thread about the trip you are about to undertake. It sounds feasible enough. Thousands do it every day, and if it is any comfort, statistics show that there are more female solo roadtrippers than male.

There are of course a few common sense security actions you need to take, such as a roadside assistance package, and checking out the hotel room before you commit. But, believe me, it is great to actually do it, and have the feeling of achievement. Who knows where it may lead.

Don't let age stop you. As a septuagenarian, I have travelled more than I ever did before.

Lifey

It turns out that more than half of all solo roadtrippers are women. There are plenty of reasons why traveling on your own can be more appealing to women than men, but you are in good company.

Here some tips

It will be a fantastic trip.

Thanks Mark for your reply and the tips! I appreciate your reply very much!
Creekgirl

Thanks Dave! When I actually start packing, I will definitely share my adventures. I think it would be fun to do that and very helpful for others to read too. Thank you for suggesting that. I probably wouldn't have thought to do that other wise.
Creekgirl

I take 2-3 solo roadtrips each year