The Highs and Lows of Solo Travel

What 10 Days Alone Taught Me at 19.

Verbier, Switzerland. Raw image. No edits. Incredible.

It’s 1pm and I’m sitting on a wooden bench in a ski village in the Swiss alps. The sky is blue, cloudless, and the sun is shining right in my eyes. I’ve just spent three hours snowboarding. I’m feeling a mix of muscle fatigue and yet deep satisfaction. I’ve been sitting on this wooden bench for almost half an hour. I’m half asleep, basking in the sun. The only thought that's running through my mind is wow, life is so good.

This past week was Study Tour Week 1. My study abroad program is very special because we get to travel with our Core Course (mine is Cyberpsychology)! Half of the core courses traveled during this past week, and the other half (including mine) will travel in late April. I’ll be going to Amsterdam so stay tuned :)

Since I had the week off, I decided to put my ski pass to use and head up to Switzerland! And because I’m secretly kind of a history nerd, I also spent some time traveling around Poland.

The journey:

Warsaw, Poland → Krakow, Poland → Verbier, Switzerland

So here are the highs and lows of solo travel, after 10 days alone in countries where I knew no one and didn’t speak the language.

The Highs

1. Do what you wanna do

Solo traveling means you can go wherever you want, spend your time however you please, and change plans on-the-go without anyone else’s input. I’m usually the trip planner in group settings and I often worry if everyone is having a good time. When it’s just you, that pressure disappears. The only person you need to satisfy is yourself!

The Mermaid of Warsaw, depicted as a defender of the city based on a legend.

The 12th century St. Anne's Church in Warsaw! If you look closely, the pillars (the vertical lines) are actually just paint — nothing's actually engraved.

Going to museums is elite when done solo. You can stay as long as you want, and also visit the more niche ones others might not agree to.

The US Air Force dropped food, medical supplies, and anti-tank weapons late into the Warsaw Uprising.

A powerful exhibit in the Warsaw Uprising Museum using facial recognition to match visitors with a "historical twin" from the uprising.

Warsaw is a city with so much history, and I spent a couple hours in the Warsaw Uprising Museum learning about how the city was essentially rebuilt from ruins, how Old Town is only really ~70 years old due to its quite recent reconstruction, and how Polish citizens paid out of pocket to restore their churches and landmarks during Soviet rule.

Baroque stucco juxtaposed with reconstructed white walls.

Warsaw Royal Castle. Notice how the left & right are made of different brick types from the center. The Soviet Union did not support its reconstruction so rebuilding efforts were funded by public donations.

Walking around, I saw the Warsaw Ghetto boundary markers, marking the largest Nazi-established Jewish ghetto during World War II. 

The Warsaw Ghetto was established by Nazi Germany in 1940. At its peak, 460,000 Polish Jews were held in 3.4 squared kilometers. The boundary markers were created in 2008.

Another part of this freedom is being able to set your own budget. Some days I want to save. Other days, I’m fine splurging on a good meal. In Verbier, I had no choice! A salad was $35…a burger was $42…

My $35 salad...at least the views were incredible.

My $42 burger...but it was SO GOOD. Not surprised that Shed is known for the best burger in Verbier.

Every purchase in Verbier was painful. So let’s focus on Poland! I’m still dreaming about the food — I could get a plate of fresh pierogis for $6 or get a full meal (drink, main, & dessert) at a Michelin Guide restaurant for $30.

I ate pierogis every single day. I am obsessed. I also had the best Thai food I've ever had @ Molam Thai in Krakow (also the best Thai tea) and I've had lots of Thai food. The photo in the top middle are ribs baked for 8 hours. Delish. A fancy sernik (Polish cheesecake) on the top right.

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2. Random little euphoric moments

The best moments are always unplanned. I had so many “WTF how am I actually here!!!” moments. Like when a cow came running towards me and its owner was trying to chase it. Or when I stopped mid-slope in Verbier just to admire the view.

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I think you only really get these moments when you’re alone — when time just seems to stand still and everything feels like a dream.

3. The solo traveler treatment

I was surprised that in both Warsaw and Krakow, people would just start speaking to me in Polish (servers, strangers, etc.). I was the only POC (let alone Chinese person) I saw, so this caught me off guard. At one restaurant, the manager actually apologized for speaking Polish because she genuinely thought I was Polish. I think that when you’re alone, you come across less like a tourist.

At open-kitchen restaurants, I ended up chatting with the cooks. One restaurant even gave me a free donut on my way out. I also met a really sweet couple from Edinburgh during a walking tour.

Pączki (Polish donut), traditionally filled with rose jam and topped with candied orange peels. Looks a bit weird because this was 24 hours after I received it (for free hehe).

The Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow! A UNESCO World Heritage Site!

The Lows

1. No one to talk to

When you’re alone, there’s no one to interrupt your thoughts. And I didn’t realize how loud my thoughts could get until I had no one else to talk to. The overthinking, the constant internal dialogue — it can get exhausting running conversations with yourself 24/7. I was very glad I brought a journal and picked up two books at the airport so I had something to do while I was waiting between dinner courses, on the train, or at the airport.

I took the Express Intercity Premium (EIP) train from Warsaw to Krakow. This was the most comfy train I've ever been on. Elite!

2. Everything takes more energy 

I was thinking back to winter break when my friends and I went skiing in Tahoe. Instead of eating out on the mountain, we bought groceries and split the cooking and cleaning tasks every night. After a long day on the slopes, it was an efficient and cost-friendly way to get dinner on the table. 

My last day in Verbier. Sat here for a bit because my shins were in lots of pain because of poor-fitting rental boots. POW DAY!

Alone, it’s different. Every task, no matter how big or small, falls on you. The same independence can feel both freeing and draining, and I found that not being able to split that effort started to wear on me. 

3. Homesickness

Surprisingly, I hadn’t felt homesick before leaving for this trip. There’s always that point in the semester for me where I long for home and need a break. So when that feeling of homesickness started creeping in during my solo travel I was not surprised by it. 

What did surprise me was which home I missed. Not San Diego, not Michigan.

Copenhagen.

Somewhere along the way, Copenhagen had quietly become my home. I missed my roommates, my routines, and the familiarity of the city. It’s such a strange feeling — to be in a beautiful new place (and loving it) while still finding yourself longing for another. 

I’m Working On…

1. Asking for help

I gave myself plenty of time to find my train to Krakow, but after circling the station multiple times I still couldn’t find the platform. I started getting short on time so I finally forced myself to ask someone for help. I think with the language barrier I felt less inclined to ask someone for help, but I’m learning to let myself rely on others, even briefly. 

2. Giving myself grace

I spent $20 on tram tickets in Verbier only to realize they were already covered by my ski pass. I got frustrated with myself for a bit but I’m learning to let things go; mistakes are a part of the process, especially when you’re in a new country and figuring things out by yourself!

And that's the end of the blog post! Since I did so much during these 10 days, stay tuned for the next post where I'll go into depth on what I actually did while in Warsaw, Krakow, and Verbier, and rank all my experiences!!

Solo travel was incredible. But it also made me appreciate the people around me so much more. 

Landed in Copenhagen and immediately got brunch @ Wulff & Konstali with the roomies. Missed these girls so much!!

And yes, I already have my next solo trip booked. It was just that fun.