Important Things I Have Learned from Solo Traveling: Social Media Is Not Travel Life

Before I took my first solo trip to Canada in 2011, I did an old-fashioned Google search. Yes. I had social media. But I had no idea I could use it to research trips . . .

Fast forward to 2023.

Half the time, I pick out the next place I want to wander via Instagram. I will still do my research, but it’s nice to see stunning photos of camping spots or little towns in a random country. But just like you, I have fallen victim to seeing these unique places with happy, wander-lusting people enjoying the “good life.”

But social media lacks one thing when it comes to traveling . . .

Rawness.

The Gram Is Not Life.

If you have Instagram, you are inundated with perfectly posed selfies in the perfect location at the ideal time of day within the first minute of scrolling. Even on my own Instagram, you will see me doing headstands in National Parks or random cities.

On Instagram, you are led to believe solo traveling is flawless and glamorous.

Rarely do people show the downsides of traveling. After all, that doesn’t sell, so you don’t get likes.

These rough patches include situations like sleeping in a leaky tent during a downpour (yes, that has happened to me). Another time, I screwed up the time to catch a bus back to Montreal from Quebec because I wasn’t used to military/ European time (and it cost me money I didn’t have).

If you remember my story: A Solo Trip to Grand Teton National Park, Day One: Part Two, 2021, I gave up camping in my tent and just slept in my rental, and I legit snuggled against firewood.

How fancy! How glamorous!

We know deep down that social media only shows the good parts of people’s lives, especially when traveling.

When I travel, I try hard to write about the rawness, the not-so-pretty things that have happened. Yes, you will see some of my epic posts, even on this website, but I also believe in showing the chaos and struggles. Like packing!

The Gram and Fear of Missing Out

During the pandemic, I had the biggest fear of missing out. DC was shut down; campgrounds near me also shut down. But in the West, it seemed like everyone was camping, hiking, and road-tripping. I felt stuck in my current situation since I lived in a city. It’s very easy for me to get jealous and compare my life to that of a random stranger on the internet.

I’m sure you have been there too. Seeing people in first class, island hopping, roundtripping, while sipping champagne. I’m sure you have thought to yourself, “My life sucks, and I want to do all of those things.”

But I want to remind you—and myself—that our jealousy doesn’t affect that random stranger. Hell, they don’t know us, and most importantly, we don’t know them. We don’t know if they had the shittiest day of their life before that picture was taken. We do not know their back story, just like they don’t know ours. So, what if we have been to Rome or did a hike thru?

My yoga mentor says it all the time. “We come to our mats and do yoga because we love our bodies, not hate them.” This also applies to traveling; we travel because we love it, not because we want to show off.

Rawness

I may be in the minority here, but I want the rawness of traveling. I know many bad things are happening in the world, and all we want to see is the happy and pretty parts. But we need to have the rawness of traveling.

Situations like:

• Cursing your favorite state to hell and back because you are mentally exhausted from driving 10 hours

• Getting detained back in your home country because you were traveling solo

• And (of course!) roughing it for an entire night during a torrential downpour

The rawness of travel is what makes solo traveling.

The rawness of travel is what makes us learn.

The rawness of travel is what makes us.

Though rawness is not pretty, deep down, we do crave it because it helps us relate to when shit hits the fan for someone else. Because then we feel like we aren’t alone. I wish I had a website like this when I was younger to tell me how traveling can be two truths simultaneously: amazing and bad.

Defending Solo Traveling

Sometimes, travel will suck, making you cry and question every cell in your body, which is what travel is supposed to do. It will teach you who you were, who you are, and who you will become. I will always defend solo traveling; the highs of travel far outweigh the lows—even if you are lost in the woods or a random city. It’s an experience that will teach and give you more than you can imagine.

How do you feel about the duality of solo traveling? Were you surprised when you discovered travel life wasn’t like what we see on social media?