first solo road trip and scared as hell....
hi
this is my first post here. As my title suggests, I am contemplating my first solo road trip and I am scared!! I am 43, female and planning on driving from North Carolina out to Idaho to visit my sister. I am planning on giving myself about 7-8 days to get out there- then will fly back with my mother, who will already be there visiting.
Needless to say, my whole family thinks I am crazy and are discouraging me. My husband and daughters are dumbfounded- cannot figure out why the woman who "always plays it safe" is planning this "crazy adventure". My parents and siblings are already taking bets on my chickening out and are , as stated, very very discouraging, not supportive at all.
A variety of reasons that I won't go into on this forum have led me to contemplate this solo sojourn. Mostly being that I am tired of being afraid to travel alone, to try new things- just tired of being held back by my fears of being ALONE and HELPLESS and DEPENDENT on others. My whole life, my family has viewed me as flaky and unpredictable ( even tho there is much evidence to the contrary and I now know this....) and I am ready to shed that once and for all...
Please, honest advice is needed. Am I crazy? Is it "dangerous", "crazy", as my husband and family think? My sister actually told me tonight, when I was talking about it, that I was " immature" and "deluding myself" about my abilities to do this.....
Would love honest feedback from you all
Thanks so much!
Birdybird
It is almost common for women to do it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
birdybird
I am contemplating my first solo road trip and I am scared!!
Here is an article you might find helpful as you begin to plan this adventure. Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! It is my experience, that there are considerably more women who undertake solo trips than then men.
First of all, of course you can do it. The co-editor of RTA, Megan Edwards, does 1-2 a year -- she is doing one in July where she will fly to Atlanta and then zig-zay her way to Birmingham via the Great Smokeys National Park.
In the meantime, here are some thoughts from some of the other solo woman trippers who hang here. And I would suggest you write to Moderator Judy for some tips!
Mark
A great confidence builder!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
birdybird
My whole life, my family has viewed me as flaky and unpredictable
I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with that! Sometimes people that haven't experienced the joy of a road trip can feel this way. Frankly, I don't understand it.
Quote:
My sister actually told me tonight, when I was talking about it, that I was " immature" and "deluding myself" about my abilities to do this.....
I'm sorry to hear that; already you've shown great sense by giving yourself 7-8 days to get out there. This gives you time to get out and enjoy the scenery. If you see something interesting, you can stop and explore. That can't be done on a plane!
I must say, early on, I heard similar quotes from my family. Many short and long trips and years later, they still think I'm a bit strange for my preferred method of travel, but that's about all. There's no longer a question that if I say I'm going to go somewhere, then I will.
You will find from just a cursory glance around this forum that there are many here that take solo trips, for various reasons.
Some just to get away for a few days, others are moving to a new home, still others are "soul searching", etc. I believe that anybody with a car and a will to do so can take a solo trip and enjoy it. The road is a lot safer than the movies would have you believe.
So, take a look around the forum and the site, check out our planning page, and when you're ready to go, enjoy! We'd love to hear back about the great time you had.
Not crazy, after all these years
There are lots of women who travel in their RVs alone so you can do it in a car. You just need to make sure your car is in good shape, get AAA or a comparable road service (also good for maps and travel guides), and don't forget your cell phone. With a little planing you can pick a fun route that takes you through some amazing places.
Do you have any special interests or places you've always wanted to visit? There are some obvious "must sees" on your likely route. Unless you don't like scenery, you can choose from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, Badlands and Black Hills (Wind Cave or Crystal Caverns and Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park (wonderful herds of bison and pronghorn antelope that you can see up close) in South Dakota, Devil's Tower in Wyoming (did you see "Close Enounters of the Third Kind"?)
For city things there is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis (take the ride to the top), Music City (Nashville) if you like country music, there's no place in the midwest to shop like the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. We like the art museums in both St. Louis and Kansas City.
If you like history there are a bunch such as The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville), Custer Battlefield in Montana, Cahokia Mounds (biggest in the US) in Collinsville, east of St. Louis, and Laura Ingalls Wilder's "little house on the prairie" in De Smet, South Dakota.
That should get you started.
Good for you for making the decision to go for it. We're all proud of you!
