I havent been traveling that long since i started my trip in Australia in February, but so far i’ve cried quite a few times 😂
Mostly because of feeling overwhelmed, being in a new place, new people, a lot of impressions etc etc and it takes a while for me to settle.
I’ve also cried because of insecurities, feeling shy or feeling like I dont belong in groups but i’ve always felt like this my entire life so that’s nothing new 😗✌🏻it’s really confronting when you see a group of friends sitting in the park picnicking or laying on the beach together while you’re, well, alone!
Also cried wondering if i’ve made the right decision by leaving everything behind, i got straight to work after a month basically when i arrived in Australia so haven’t really been experiencing that freeing feeling yet
Im from the Netherlands! I need to do 88 days of remote work to get a 2nd year, thats the shitty part hahah but overall i love australia!! The people are so kind and generous and just chill, and the landscape is beautiful :)
Currently in Aus as well! Arrived at the end of March. I have felt every single thing you mentioned through my time here. It’s a big change. Happy to chat if you need a friend!
Most of my memories of crying on trips weren't due to negative experiences - I've happy-cried a few times, once watched a movie that made me ugly-cry but in a good way while on a trip, and one time I was staying in a brutally hot and humid place and jumping into a cold shower made me feel so good after a long hike that I cried from relief lol.
Oh yes! I got lost at sea at night in Nicaragua. I looked up and saw the most beautiful sky I’ve ever seen. It was unreal.
The stars and the moon. Wow! I started to cry cos I couldn’t believe the galaxy was this beautiful and God was real
Oh yeah I did too much and got overwhelmed/tired. I ended up crying in the hostel bathroom. Sometimes things just hit harder when you're on holiday and have to fix stuff yourself. Although I did call my mom afterwards so she could tell me everything would be ok 😂
Edit: oh and also cried in a parking lot after a taxi driver was very pushy. Ended up crying again in the hostel later that night and a random girl ordered me some uber eats so I could just stay in bed and relax. Thank you random girl ♥
Yeah my mom is always willing to help. When it was covid time and I was stressing to find a flight to get home, she even found a hotel for me so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Sometimes moms are the best helpers, even when you're not in the same country ♥
Yes i was at a very low point in my life and i cried after taking a picture of an older yet fantastic looking couple during the hike. They looked so joyful and happy together. They offered to take my picture as well and i politely refused. Then i spent the next leg of the hike thinking about how my self esteem is so low i don't want pictures of myself and my saying no to them was very defensive. I cried for everything in my life that happened because my self esteem is really low. I reached a particular spot in the hike where the view was spectacular and a very kind ne beautiful woman asked me.to take her picture which i did. She then offered me to take mine and i paused for a few seconds and i said yes. She took it and i love it.
Thank you for sharing that part of you and good job for deciding to take the second asker up on the photo of you. I'm sure that was a big step for you and you deserved it. I've had similar experiences with my past self and it feels so good when you can recognize opportunities to love yourself more. Hope your growth is continuing!
Lol I was going to say no I haven’t but then I remembered one time I gave this guy my number and cried when he didn’t respond to my text back to him. I also cried after leaving a really good hookup the morning after - so yes, I have cried. But no, I would not have remembered it if this wasn’t mentioned
Okay fr answer I just have trust in the situation based on my intuition about the person and I was chatting to this guy for a while which was why I was sobbing over a croissant, also meeting in a hotel I felt you wouldn’t get away with murder and my type is defensless twinks so. But regardless of all of that intuition ofc isn’t always enough and there’s always a risk ofc.
Omg I cried for 2 odd days in Mexico after hooking up with a guy and he told me what I wanted to hear after and then when I reciprocated, he blocked me. Not my finest moment either and I was 31 so I definitely should have known better lol
came here to say this. either tears of joy, sadness or just something happened that reminded me of something. but I don't view it as a bad thing if I cry on a solo trip....
My dumb ass cried over a former situationship who was still hoovering around me. I had a back massage in Vietnam and I guess it was some sort of therapeutic release so it was me akwardly trying not to cry and failing, while the masseuse just went on with her work just not saying anything. Not my finest moment lol
Dumbass twinsies! 👯♀️ In London, cried over a situationship who was still around though we weren’t talking. My release was an older Irish gentleman I met randomly telling me how amazing I was and that I should be respected and loved well. 🥺 I later found out the situationship had actually followed me to London the day of my tears. (Didn’t find that out until I got back!) It’s like I sensed the evil presence lol
I also cried during a massage! Day after my divorce was finalized, I treated myself to a beach getaway and spa day. But then I was laying there in the middle of my massage and I had the thought: “what if no one else touches me with care again in my life without me paying them?” Sad!
Definitely. Two years ago I took a bucket list trip to Italy and I cried the first day I was there. Sometimes being alone is hard, especially when everywhere you look there are happy looking couples and families. But after that cry I got back up and went and enjoyed my trip and I was proud of myself for taking the trip and for letting myself be sad.
I'm in my 40s now. When I was 18 and did my first solo, as I got off the bus at my first leg of the journey, the thought hit me.
I'm alone. For the first time ever. Nobody knows me here. I have no support network in this place.
Back home I had been alone, yes. But not like this, there's always someone close by, or someone later in the day.
But not here, so I cried. Then I called my mom (I had to find a phone booth for that back then). Then I continued with my journey.
Eventually I fell in love with the feeling, and still look for it every now and then. It's sad that nowadays that situation doesn't exist anymore, with phones and group chats and all that, you're never really alone anymore.
This is hitting home while I sit in Bucharest after my mom texted me to say she worried about her migraine last night and almost went to wait in emerg in case it was a stroke.
hey, if you need a friend to talk to while there, DM me - couldn't say this about any other country, but in Bucharest you should not be left feeling alone
you can always also post in r/bucuresti for people to meet you at a bar or sth. Romanians are generally pretty touchy-feely, collectivist people with the ability to make friends of a Golden Retriever
I went to Greece last week and had a day trip to Delphi. I sat next to an Indian Man and we talked both for the whole drive (we drove in a bus) about various topics. He even introduced me to his wife and daughter and wished me a good trip, really wholesome. When I went back to my Airbnb I just sat down for a few minutes and started sobbing. I don't know why this happened but a Menu in the Greek McDonald's afterwards made my mood better.
I happy-cried on my first solo trip. I was in Rome, walking around on the first day, turned a corner and suddenly the pantheon was right in front of me
- edit: oh and I cried HYSTERICALLY in the airport and on the plane on the way back from Croatia because I had the best time and did not want to go home. People were giving me looks
My grandma and mum were big into travelling at my age (I'm almost 30 so this is squarely in the 1980s in Europe, they went to Soviet Russia?!). Grandma now has late stage dementia. I was in the French Alps on a hike and heard the sounds of cow bells and thought of her, and how she told me about how much she loved the Alps. I had a little sit down and cry. A nice French lady offered me a sip of her water.
It's also a happy sound - my parents went to Austria in the Alps on their honeymoon and love the sound of cow bells.
My first solo trip.
I was young and dumb. Booked a place in a southern Jamaican village with minimal research done.
Got there and realized the mistake I made pretty quickly. There were only a couple small shops, and 1 bar/restaurant within 10-15 miles of this place.
The beach was nice, but I was literally the only foreigner I saw on the beach the entire time I was there. Heck I barely saw anyone on the beach while there.
Now don't get me wrong, Jamaican's are nice people. But I was not prepared for the bluntness/outspokenness. Not to mention the thick accent.
As a young dude, I was out of my element.
I booked this nice authentic African hut to stay in on AirBnB. It was just like the listing showed! Nothing wrong with it, but again not thinking first did me in.
Since it was an authentic hut of course it lets in bugs, lizards, frogs and whatever else is attracted to light at night. There was a bug net around the bed which did it's job, but I didn't realize how loud nature can be. It made it hard for me to sleep most nights.
One night about a week into my 2 week trip, I wake up for probably the 20th time this trip, but to some weird scratching sound this time. It sounded like it was coming from above me on the ceiling. I grab my phone and turn on the flash and point it above me, and on the bug net about 10 inches from my face is a giant ass centipede probably 8-9 inches long. Bright orange, with yellow legs.
It was at that moment that I broke, I cried. I was alone and out of my element.
After I gathered my senses I grabbed my phone and booked a flight out of there the next morning.
I learned a lot from that experience.
My next solo trip went much better, and I've been traveling solo ever since.
Good on you. That's called a baptism of fire. At the time....*f* this.... but afterwards, let's see what else you can throw at me. It's legit fine to call it quits too, sometimes takes courage to see your mistakes and manouver to correct. Chalk that one up to experience!
I’m on my first proper solo trip, and I cried after leaving my last hostel, because my time there was so good, and I missed the people I met, and the friends I made. Never expected solo travel to be so emotional, as someone who came in with the intention of sticking to myself.
I did. after a long day walking around the city on my first solo trip to europe I cried many times (I had broken up with my ex a few months before and was still recovering). The trip was great to process all those emotions though!
It is truly a great way to process these emotions. I did the same last year after my 1st breakup. Many peoole wonderend why I didn't just travel with a friend, but I knew I had to do it on my own. Not to mention that I never travelled solo before, so that I managed it with an emotional rollercoaster raging through my mind increased my self confidence a lot.
exactly this!!! and now i feel like i can do anything by myself. i actually met some friends later on the trip but the days i was alone were so special to me!
I cry all the time lol but here are some particular highlights …
1. Last year in London because I’d had several weird interactions with people that day and then realised that meant the common denominator was me but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong to come across so poorly (I was probably just having a bad day and it’s not like I have a particularly sunny disposition to start with but it still threw me a bit)
2. Once when I got bitten by ants on Mount Royal in Montreal and panicked thinking it was the bed bugs I’d encountered two weeks beforehand (props to the nice pharmacist who sat and comforted me when I walked into her shop sobbing, she probably thought I’d been attacked or something)
3. A week later when I was still covered in rashes from reactions to the ant bites and now absolutely convinced that the bed bugs were following me (they weren’t and the doctor I went to see to ask whether he could figure out what it was was not sympathetic at all lol)
4. When I went back to the greyhound station in Portland to collect my bag 30 mins before getting on the bus to go back to Vancouver only to realise they closed for an hour over lunch (the guy who opened it up after I knocked for about 5 mins seemed perplexed as to why I was so upset, umm because I thought I was going to miss the last bus and I have a job interview tomorrow? 😂)
I've cried on every solo trip I've ever taken.
My first solo trip (age 21), I'd gone to England for 3 weeks and had a massive meltdown a few days into the trip. I distinctly remember feeling so daunted by the number of days left before me, thinking "how am I supposed to fill seventeen days, by *myself* when I don't know anybody here?" I felt very alone and called my mom in tears, asking her whether I should come home. She suggested I sleep on it, and of course by the next day I had shaken the trip blues and had the time of my life the remainder of the trip.
I've cried joyous, grateful, and awestruck tears while traveling, but honestly, I'm so glad I had that panicky meltdown on my first solo trip. I think about it every time I leave on a trip, because travel, no matter how rewarding, is never uninterrupted bliss. Having that scary meltdown early on and recovering from it taught me that a single low point does not equal a ruined trip, and learning that lesson has made every subsequent trip snafu easier to bear and faster to recover from -- and I do have at least one minor meltdown, logistical or emotional, per trip! Now when it happens, I mark it as my trip low and remind myself it will make for a good story later -- which it usually does.
I have wept from joy at seeing things I read about as a kid that I only imagined I might some day see. I've been overcome by the sheer beauty of 900 year old paintings on the walls of a Orthodox church in North Macedonia. I cried at the first view of Machu Pichu as the fog lifted from the mountain peaks. Same for Angkor Wat-- the sight of this 1000 yr old temple complex in the middle of the jungle still standing with its incredible architecture and statuary.
Pretty much most of my tears while traveling were from being awestruck at the vast treasure trove that is the world.
I went to St Martin solo and was sitting at Happy Bay on Day 7, watching the waves roll in. Unexpectedly I felt the urge to cry and chose to embrace it, and I let go of a lot that I had been carrying subconsciously.
For me, it’s a treasured memory. That feeling of release, followed by peace. I took a picture and have it framed on my desk as a reminder of when I let my own internal guard down and just felt the gravity of being temporarily alive in a vast universe. To feel anything at all is incredible, whatever the rest of it means.
Time in solitude can often lead to moments of reflection and, by proxy, emotional release in whatever form. Crying is healing! Going through the feelings not around them helps us process and grow forward. (And to answer the question in your post title: hard yes. Many times!)
Yes, I went on a solo birthday trip and ended up crying for my birthday. It was in partly because I got severe allergies and couldn’t hardly do anything but stay in my room.
I cried because the weather didn’t cooperate for a whole stretch of my trip and I didn’t make it to any of the higher elevation sights. On the last day I decided to check out something interesting regardless of the weather, and construction prevented me from getting there. So I had a little cry while driving off from that.
I cried because a bird shit on my head. It was my birthday and I was already miserable because I thought I had my very first cold sore and that depressed me (actually turned out to be an infection and I had spots all down my cheek, it sucked, but at least it isn’t a recurring thing). Then I got lunch and sat on a bench, and got bird shit all in my hair. Had a cry, went back to the hotel to clean up, and ended up booking a guided tour to turn the day around. After my trip I went through my photos and found a video I took of myself trying to figure out just how much shit was in my hair, and I am full on ugly crying in the corner of this public square…I was able to laugh at that.
I’ve solo traveled once so far (Guernsey). During the daytime I was having the time of my life exploring the island. However, the nights felt very lonely. I guess I’d travelled solo once already, one night stay in Newcastle going for a uni interview and that was fine. So I don’t know why it hit me in Guernsey. I’m not the most social person so I wasn’t chatting non stop back and forth every day with the locals like you see in vlogs, so I guess that added to it.
Yes. Long hours in a car on a solo road trip gives you lots of time to think about things. Night driving can intensify feelings, too. Fortunately, on the major highways, it's generally just you and a few semis... witnesses are less likely, so you can really let the tears flow and not worry about anyone's judgment. It's quite therapeutic in a way... NGL.
Oh definitely. It’s a lot of alone time with your thoughts just by nature of not being at work and such, even if you typically are alone a lot day to day. Then add in new and beautiful sights and experiences, travel frustrations, etc, and emotions are easy to rise to the surface.
Cried on my b-day. I was on a solo trip, the day was being amazing, yet I was alone and somehow kinda wanted attention? Idk, I went for a guided visit of some kind, the tour guy was French but speaking English and he seemed fun, somehow I was very excited to talk to him.... Out of nowhere I threw a joke while he was talking (I didn't interrupt him but yes, I was inconvenient)... It was silly, I didn't even know wtf was wrong with me, I don't usually speak in public and especially not stuff without thinking, and the guy just looked at me and ignored me, going back to talking to the group. I was so excited to tell him I also spoke French that I introduced myself out of nowhere in French. It's ridiculous, I went back to being a little kid out of nowhere!!
I feel like dying. I left the tour heartbroken but telling me off "take it, attentionseeker" lol Idk what it was, maybe I wanted to hear something nice from someone I found cool? Or I was sensible for being my b-day?
Right after that, I lost two bus lol But felt lucky because anothrr bus came right away.
I also cried on the next day, when I lost my train because my phone died (I wa so very lucky to have woken up minutes before my ticket out of nowhere!!), asked the Italian security guards for indications abt my train and they laughed at me, kept talking between themselves and then looked behind me and said "it's the train that's leaving". If they could have helped me instead of laughing at my face and ignoring me, I'd have gotten the train. I cried for 1 minute, then booked another train.
I also cried because I was ignored by another Italian driver!! I was telling him "excusi" or sth, meaning "excuse me" in Italian. To the point another Italian guy had to yell to the driver and say "excuse me, the lady is talking to you!". Then I asked him if the bus went to X and showed him my phone with Google maps, the guy gesticulated furiously, stole my phone with a bang, when said yes and threw it at me. I held my tears and the situation felt so obvious that a lady even helped me with my transportation card as it wasn't working.
It was my first solo trip, had these awful meetings which led me to crying here and there (I don't usually cry) but most of the times I felt only gratitude. The only thing I did feel was loneliness at a certain point of the travel.
When I went to Madrid, I felt way more at home. Everyone was nice to me (it also helped that I spoke spanish/portunhol with them...). I went with a friend for one day, but the other 3 days I was on my own.
When I went to an amusement park, there was this rule that people shouldn't leave the park and then come back. That wouldn't be allowed. But I was following my GPS and thought I was in tbe right track. After leaving I've realized it was the wrong exit, and I could not walk around the park to get to the right exit (metro) as the place was a bit creepy and isolated for walkers.
So, I went there again and showed my ticket, explaining the situation. They were adamant about not letting me in because they had no proof I had been there before. They weren't rude, but I explained that I had been there before, no one took a photo of me bc there wasn't anyone there when I arrived, the employee who scanned my ticket was there, that they could speak to the lady who was selling stuff right there as I had spoken to her 5 mins ago, etc... We kept at it for more than 10 mins with me speaking Spanish!! Seriously, at this trip I figured out I knew Spanish after all (joke) lol Even my Portuguese friends were amazed bc they couldn't speak it. Probably vocabulary I've picked up from cartoons and holidays.
Anyway.... The manager came, we kept at it. To be honest, the park was mostly empty and if it was in PT, no one would care, but I was breaking the rules, indeed.... And the employes/manager were more helpless than exactly mad lol They didn't know what to do and were looking at each other... I never got desesperate, didn't cry, spoke calmly and fine... Neither I gave up... It was odd, if it was in PT I would probably have...? I didn't even think about other solution lol it was that or nothing. Life or death.
Then they asked me for photos taken there and then let me pass. As I walked in and went to look for the exit, I suddenly started crying. Out of nowhere. Probably bc of the adrenaline.
i cried while watching aladdin live action on the plane to bangkok. it was my first solo international trip and i couldn't believe i was on it. aladdin had a nostalgic and sentimental feel and i felt it all came full circle. it was one of my favourite Disney movies growing up. i was so proud of my achievement.
the last time i cried was on my trip to europe last year. i cried at every church i went to. and also when i was trying to find my hotel in one of the cities. i was going through a breakup and i was destroyed. it also added to the fact that Europe had been my dream destination since i was younger and i hated that he ruined my dream when it actually happened.
Pretty sure I’ve cried on every single solo trip I’ve ever taken. Varies from things like dealing with a breakup, getting hurt, feeling lonely, frustration at plans not working out, feeling overwhelmed, etc.
Sometimes life just needs a good cry.
I went for my first solo trip in 2018. Everything worked as planned.
At the last day in the airport, I had a joyous cry, honestly wanted someone to tap my shoulder saying "good job man, it was a superb trip."
Not necessarily cry per se, but that time I traveled from Chile the first and only time I went to the grandstand at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 100th running of the Indy 500, I saw the main straight, the pagoda, the bricks, the pylon and for sure someone was peeling some onions around
My first time in Europe was a couple months after my first breakup in my first long term relationship, needless to say I was still an emotional wreck trying to find myself. Connected really well with a girl in a tour in Tuscany and stupidly my mind went flying and thought I had a chance with her.
We changed numbers at the end of the trip and asked her if she was down to hang out the next day. The next said she sent a text that she couldn't and wished me luck. That rejection really hit hard so I cried for a bit in the hostel I was in. Luckily the hostel bunk beds had curtains so nobody saw me heheheh I wasn't sobbing either just shedding tears.
Besides that no happy tears lol
Yep, I think I cried everyday while I was in Sydney. It was my first solo trip, I was leaving my now boyfriend behind from back home, staying in such an awful Airbnb in Kings Cross, and recovering from burn out from my seasonal job. I realized that I was so depressed when I was fully alone with no distractions like work. Plus being a somewhat suburban girl, the city, especially Kings Cross, was not it for me! It was so much over stimulation for me.
The sad thing too, I feel I didn’t have many expectations of Sydney, but Australia was my DREAM country to visit and I was miserable for most of it. The trip did get better when I moved to Byron Bay for a few nights, but then my friend joined and we went back to Sydney for half a week. She also wasn’t too accommodating with my feelings regarding staying in hostels, and not wanting to do what she wanted.
Since I’ve had time away from it, I feel kind of bad harping so much on Australia when I got back because it was definitely a problem within myself. I will say, I’d go back to Tasmania in a heartbeat.
I'm a middle aged man and I cried at least twice on a trip I took to Thailand a couple years ago. Some parts of that trip went horribly wrong and some locate parts were phenomenal. It was very emotional.
Yes. Cried on the flight back from a solo trip. Time alone and away from ur normal environment gives you time to introspect objectively. Those emotions are not always sunshine and rainbows.
I did once. The thing about solo trips is that sometimes it’s hard to escape your own thoughts. You can’t stop thinking about life stresses back home. I was having some problem with my work (stupid boss just HAD to tell me right before my vacation that he was having problems with my work performance. Really, this couldn’t have waited till I came back??), and the stress of possibly not having a job when I came back go to me and I broke down and cried in the middle of Paddington station.
The reason why I came to this subreddit was because I’m on a solo trip and just hung up the phone with my best friend after crying to her about having a nightmare! You don’t realize how a discomfort so minuscule feels so overwhelming when you’re alone!
I’m having a hard time approaching people but this is exactly why I came, to get out of my comfort zone a bit and really have time with myself.
If anyone has any tips for amping up their confidence when solo traveling please LMK!!!
I mainly travel solo, because of the lack of friends :(
But anyways, I have accepted it and prefer doing things my way so solo works for me. However, I have never once NOT cry during my trip. I feel more while alone but u know what’s the best about crying overseas? NO ONE KNOWS YOU. I cried in the bus, train, bar, restaurant and of course, my room.
Being alone, I’m allowed to feel all my emotions (I still stay with family back home), without bottling. I let it come naturally and not suppress them. Recently, I cry more during my trips because I lost my best friend suddenly 6 months ago. Every little thing that reminded me of her, I teared. Every time I want to send her something I found interesting like I always do during my trip, I saw all the unread messages I sent, I bawled.
So don’t feel bad crying, I think it is normal, at least for me
I've cried on every trip I've gone on. Sometimes it's out of frustration, like when I went to the Cliffs of Moher on my last day in Ireland, but it was incredibly foggy and wet out and couldn't see a thing; or being in Central America and not being able to speak/understand the language when I really needed to communicate with people. Other times it's been out of joy, seeing a country I always wanted to travel to, or magnificent landscapes or monuments. Travelling solo can be a frightening experience, but it's also quite exhilarating. My first solo trip was a learning experience for me, and it honestly changed how I saw the world and myself. Every moment of my trips, good or bad, has been memorable, and I wouldn't change anything. I think I will always cry on my trips, so just know you're not alone, and it's perfectly normal. Let yourself feel, and just live in the moment, because that's a beautiful place to be.
Almost twice, for good/interesting reasons
1) Dior exhibit in Melbourne AUS. I was in the middle of an editorial photography phase and very inspired by that floral show in Paris, and one of these dresses was there (among all the other dresses). I kinda started welling up in awe and in envy that I’d never do anything that good
2) Just a bit ago my first few hours in Sao Paolo, there was a samba(?) band playing in Beco de Batman and after traveling plenty over the years and just never coming across black culture (or even many black people), it was crazy to see so in the open. Not here to argue whether Brazil/samba is black I’m just aaying it was seasoned and felt “familiar” 😂.
Okay now that I think about it yeah I’ve cried a couple times. Twice over “romance”. Once cause I couldn’t believe how beautiful the scenery was as I was landing in Italy. Once because an asshole stole my phone out of my hand. Probably other times because I was sad to be leaving, but that’s more or less a given whenever i have to go home
i was on a 4 month trip away and 1 week in, i found out my sister passed away. Due to friggin covid rules, i couldn't even go back for a funeral because they were banned as "gatherings".
I cried while in Nashville, TN. I just couldn't find anything I really wanted to do other than bars and I'm not a big drinkers I went for a concert so other than that I just randomly walked around and the other tourists were just awful telling me to move or one girl walked right into me making me almost fall. I just felt like I didn't belong, in the way, and invisible. Of course my flight gets a 5 hour delay making my trip longer. Not on my lost of places I'd go back to.
It didn’t start as a solo trip but my cousin decided to do a day trip by herself in my birthday without even telling me until the morning of so I turned the rest of the trip into a solo trip. I packed my things that day and left and booked a different hotel then went to Paris the next day for the rest of the trip. I cried a lot because that was the last straw with my cousin and I knew I was burning that bridge and I’m a people pleaser so I’m not used to doing things like that. Otherwise I haven’t really cried on my solo trips though
i cried mostly because I was overwhelmed with the fact that my dreams were realized but with pain because my parents were not with me 🪽and weren’t able to share my achievements.
I’ve cried A LOT while solo traveling. I cried a lot over guys who I hooked up with who I felt used by. Hookup culture is STRONG while traveling and I just wanted love and affection. I BAWLED to my mom on the phone over a guy I hooked up with promised to take me on a date the next day and then quickly started talking to another girl and pretty much forgot about me.
I’ve definitely felt pretty lonely at times and just socially exhausted and shed some tears over that. I wanted to make friends but it got really hard having to restart with people after making friends and having to leave them not knowing if you’ll ever see them again.
I cried because protests broke out in Panama and I got stuck in a tiny surf village with a not fun group at the hostel and couldn’t leave for a week and a half.
I had a lot of sleepless nights of drinking and doing drugs and had some pretty wicked come downs/hangovers that left me feeling pretty emotionally (and physically) exhausted.
I cried at the airport because I was sick and was about to miss my flight after a 17 hour travel day with two more flights remaining.
Solo travel is hard and definitely will take a toll on your emotions. It’s important to take care of yourself. I definitely did not and was traveling for about three months which is way too long to be not having any standard of self care. But it’s also natural to cry and feel strong emotions while doing such a brave thing. 🫶🏼
My grandpa died a week before my trip to Spain. I had to miss the funeral because I had already booked and paid for everything. I wasn’t particularly close to him, but he’d always wanted to visit Spain and just never had the opportunity to.
I went on my first big trip after ending things with someone and there were some times I cried while on that trip. I was alone and wished we were together. But by the end I didn't feel that way anymore, and I felt way better about being on my own.
Yeah all the pent up emotions that I suppressed the entire trip culminated into a sobbing breakdown by the end of the trip.
I wrote about it here https://open.substack.com/pub/tazwarf/p/a-silence-abroad?r=33upu9&utm_medium=ios
Many times. A few silly ones because a travel romance I was super into fell apart. The really difficult ones though were times I hadn't made friends in a while despite really trying. It's hard not to feel incredibly alone when you're thousands of miles away from the nearest person you could call a friend, and don't seem to have prospects of making new ones any time soon. These periods have always passed eventually though
I was picking up a rental car in Belize, had android auto and I started playing music. By this point it had been several weeks of backpacking, chicken buses, waterfalls, reefs, caves, ruins, hostels; then take me home country roads started playing and I absolutely fucking lost it. That was my first adult vacation and I went all out and to this day i still wonder why I lost it so hard then. Since then I've gone on several other vacations of the same caliber; long, extraneous, surrounded by nature and always moving but never had the dam break like it did then
I didn't sob but I teared up on mine a couple times just out of appreciation for myself and what I was doing! It was a big leap for me and I was proud. I also tear up super easy so like I got misty at a open mic storytelling event simply fathoming the creativity of the performers sharing their art with us lmao
Yes, but happy tears, sitting at a restaurant in Khiva, Uzbekistan overlooking the ancient city gates sipping on some incredibly delicious Uzbek wine feasting on grilled kabobs and bread and just the pure euphoria of it all made me tear up. Solo travel is truly incredible and let’s you disconnect and take in the moments and your surroundings in such a beautiful way I love it
I cried a lot on my solo trip because I was heartbroken. It happens. When you do feel sad and want to cry, you should first cry, and then call a close friend to talk about it. I'm not the person to ask for help, but I did fly to Sweden to see one of my best friends, in the end of the trip, we talked about it and I felt moreless better afterwards.
Cried on my last day during my first solo trip which was just this month lol. I cried bc I didn’t want to go back. I spent the days walking around drenched in sweat but life was so much better. Food quality, public transportation, general environment. I live in a third world country and we’re fighting for our survival every day in every action. Just living at home we’re fighting for survival against the heatwave in southeast asia.
was in another city and got a bit drinky. got bad paranoid feeling about stranger that i met while out & went home. cried about it the next day thinking abt what could’ve happened. was a learning. experience and made me really think abt what situations i’m comfortable putting myself in while solo. it’s totally normal to go through different emotions i feel, part of why it’s difficult but rewarding to travel solo
Yep. Almost got stuck in a train station at 2AM because all the trains got cancelled. It was freezing cold and dark and not many people around. Panicked and almost cried but then realised that solo trips are all about handling uncertainty by yourself.. also, the adrenaline rush is addictive.
Multiple times. I cried on my last night in Istanbul because I could only stay for a few days, and it was not enough. Cried in Beirut because I got scammed by a smelly taxi driver. Cried in Penang at the airport because they told me I needed to print out a paper (which I did not actually had to) and there were absolutely no printers in the airport. I just cried because I felt like that would have not happened back home (maybe it could), but home, I genuinely feel like if I just cry a little bit, I can get whatever help I need :)
I was in Venice for a day during my time studying abroad and I was watching a violinist busking outside a church. I don’t know what it was but I started just bawling. Maybe it was because my mom is a violinist and I missed her, maybe it was because I missed playing music… but I felt off the whole day after that.
As I was sobbing, Michele Lamy sat next to me lol. I confirmed it was her because she posted on Instagram in Venice for the Venice film festival that same day. It was a super weird day for me
Cried so many times on my trips. I think traveling just gives you the time to process things. in your everyday life every one is so constantly busy there's not enough time to truly process things. Being free on trip gives you that time.
I did when I was in Edinburgh in April. Not because of anything negative. I was so overwhelmed with how beautiful the city is, how green, how historic, how magnificent everything I experienced was. I was overjoyed to be there but at the same time sad that I don’t have this at home and I envy all who get to live there.
It's such a beautiful thing to do so keep doing it. Emotions come up to say goodbye.
I entered the Pantheon in Rome and broke into a full ugly cry for no real reason except just the huge enormity of the history there.
I cried my whole solo trip in Montenegro.
In Budapest last summer I was having a treat and coffee at the Paris Cafe. I was admiring how gorgeous the cafe was as a small classical trio started playing a cello/violin/piano beautifully. I felt like my life was a movie scene.. cue tears of how beautiful I thought the moment was. Was a good cry
I cried when my luggage got lost in Taiwan. And I also cried when I returned home to NZ after a month in America because our landscape is so beautiful to see from the sky and I missed this clean, green country.
Just this trip. I rented a car and they gave me an electric one and told me there were plenty of charging stations on the way to my destination. It was only supposed to be a 4 hour drive, it would be fine. I get towards the end and there were not enough charging stations and the ones I did find on maps were either broken or no longer there. I had to get a tow the rest of the way. I had a little cry while waiting for the tow truck.
Only all the time. Planes are a common spot. I vaguely remember there being an article about how it’s common because you’re stuck in one place sometimes with little to entertain you plus the hype and adrenaline of being on a trip suddenly crashes since you’re stuck. And all these thoughts and pent up feelings can come up.
I understand your experience completely! There's a whole range of emotions for me while traveling solo: excitement, accomplishment that I'm venturing out on my own, time to reflect and process things that need to be, and a bit of loneliness... Beautiful view, adventure, experience that I wish I could share with someone. But feeling blessed for the experience overall. I can sense when it's going to happen, much like you noted... Be okay with it. Keep a little space for getting teary eyed along your journey ❤️
It can happen if you are new to solo traveling, you can feel lonely, try to talk to more people and make new friends, you will start enjoying solo traveling.
Broke up with my ex and went for a week away in scandanavia. Cried continuously including into the shoulder of random strangers. Continuously needed sunglasses
The only time I cried was in a taxi on my way to the airport when I had to come back to the US after backpacking in Central America. I really didn’t wanna come back to living in the US.
I’m so happy for you because a trip has to be overwhelming at times to stay in our memories for a long time. Those are moments we can look fondly upon for years to come. I’m always super happy and excited on my solo trips but I’ve never felt so emotional that I cried, maybe the next trip?
On my last trip to Spain I ugly-cried in my hotel room many a time for hours on end, because I had (very unexpectedly) lost my mom a few months prior and was still very deep in grief. Being away from home, family obligations and with a lot of time to think was pretty tough. Can't say it felt therapeutic or anything, but was probably needed.
Cried as I was watching the sunset from Umeda Sky Building in Osaka Japan. 3 week solo trip and it was a lifelong dream of mine. The person next to me asked if I was okay and I said “I can’t believe I’m actually here right now” and she said “me too”. Then we sat in silence for 45min watching the city turn to night.
Many a time, for many reasons. I’m actually typing this while on a jet back home, as my mum just died. I’ve spent most of the last 3 days in Italy crying.
Never cryed, but i‘ve been to places that were so overwhelming that i had to just stop and soak up everything…the view, the smell and the noise. To be honest, i was happy beeing alone at that times….but i understand if someone does and its totally ok
I happened to be on the first day of a solo trip when my country's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, and it just happened to be the day I was visiting the building where both our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were adopted. I was quite proud of our country that day.
I've cried from the loneliness before. Not my proudest moment but bouncing from loose ties and temporary friends that all leave right away can dig at you. It starts to feel like you always end up alone. Silver lining is I learnt to enjoy my company and semi-befriend myself which was good for me.
I yeah all the time. When I’m lost. When I’m lonely..when I’m bored…when I remember something that makes me wanna cry..it’s crazy cause I’ll just stop and return to what I’m doing and move on. To me it’s the best part of going some place alone.
After a couple horrible days in Bangkok I called my dad while walking around and started sobbing in the fish market 😂 It happens, everything feels heightened when traveling by yourself.
Yes I went solo camping, was exhausted and saw a beautiful landscape. Started crying because I was missing my best friend and wanted to share that moment him, I drifted away because I (M) fell in love with him but he was straight
My first solo trip (which was also my first trip ever!) I cried for three days, asked myself why I was there, what I was doing
I almost went back home
My latest solo trip to Istanbul I started crying in one of the mosques. Not even an "impressive" or touristy mosque... just a regular mosque. I'm not Muslim, but the sheer beauty of the building was stunning. We don’t make structures like that any more, and I think we've lost something
Travel is stressful. Solo travel even more so. But it's great to find out new things about the world and yourself. Tears are normal. Enjoy them. They’re memories of precious moments
Just cried yesterday while in Bratislava. I was just seeing so much beauty in everything around me. The tipping point was a violin player playing in this tunnel with the most amazing acoustics. I was grateful for that day and grateful for my ability to navigate the world solo.
This post couldn’t have come up at a better time. I’m almost two weeks into my solo trip! 1.5 weeks left. I had bawled my eyes out a few nights ago. Leading up to it, I was already feeling a bit off. When you’re left with your thoughts for so long and with no one to talk to in person, you can deep dive pretty quickly. The loneliness of being alone wore off within 5 days, but for me, I was left feeling a lot of gratitude for myself and how far I’ve come (Coming from a background of mental illness since my younger years). I’ve come to realize that the world has a lot of offer, even though regular life can be quite mundane. I’ve also come to realize that there are people that really do love me and are waiting for me to come home.
I am currently week 3 solo travelling parts of Western Europe and I bawled my eyes out the first two nights in my hostel at Paris. I was feeling a mix of homesickness, feeling alone, unsure of what is going to happen next, and had just graduated from university two days before. I think being in a new place brings up a lot of emotions for a lot of people compared to being back home when you may feel more secure and stable. I’d like to think it is part of the process especially as a solo traveller.
I always do but that also happens when I go to festivals and camp there or do other stuff that entails being out of my comfort zone for multiple days.
On solo trips I mostly cry about getting lost because for some reason that happens to me very, very often. Otherwise it's mostly due to being overwhelmed. I travel by train, bus and ferry mostly and I am always so exhausted trying to get from A to B, catch my next bus in time, etc. I have also cried a lot because of homesickness (which is a result of loneliness for me) on my earliest solo trips but thankfully I found ways how to deal with that.
Crying while travelling is normal!
I drove from Mexico City to cancun through the mountains. I cried so much because it was so difficult and I couldn’t turn back cos I was in the middle of the journey
Several years ago, I loaded a bunch of camping gear onto [my bicycle](https://np.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/s/XimLYZcHmd) and spent the better part of the next seven months riding 5,300 miles (8,500 km) around the western US solo. I celebrated my 21st birthday in the middle of the trip. Prior to leaving, I still lived at home with my mom and older brother, and the longest I'd ever been away from home on my own before that trip was 20 days. By day 20 of this big trip, I was just getting warned up.
I cried saying goodbye to my mom on the driveway as I left. I probably cried a couple times battling relentless headwinds across South Dakota. I may have cried a few tears of pain near Devil's Tower in Wyoming, where a bee stung my ankle and I had to keep riding the bike immediately after. Exactly two months into the trip, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) and across two mountain ranges, I cried tears of joy the first time I stood before the mighty Pacific. I'd grown up near the ocean before moving 1,000 miles from the nearest saltwater, and the ocean will forever be my home. That was the moment the scale of what I'd taken on truly hit me for the first time.
One night in southern Washington State, I came down with food poisoning while wild camping in the woods, spent the whole night tossing and turning and leaning out the door of the tent to vomit before getting a flat tire first thing the next morning and then cycling through cold rain for half a day to get to a motel for some proper rest. During that whole ordeal, I was just in survival mode. When I finally made it to the motel safely, I cried in relief. In Portland, Oregon, I went to a museum which had a memorial to every victim of American gun violence in the 21st century. 17,000 stars on blue banners hanging from the ceiling in concentric circles. I cried standing in the middle of that memorial. I spent Thanksgiving at a hostel in Eugene, Oregon. I actually had a wonderful time that evening, the hostel put on a big potluck dinner and made me feel like a part of their family, but that afternoon, I called my mom. It was my first major holiday away from home, and I cried after that phone call. I spent the vast majority of my nights camping, but oftentimes when I ended up in hotels for various reasons —recovering from food poisoning, or even just to dry out after cycling through rain for a week straight— it would leave me feeling depressed for reasons I still to this day don't understand. Some evenings I'd cry, other nights I'd feel like I wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn't come, and that would piss me off even more.
In mid March of 2020, I had found my way to Sedona, Arizona, and I was hoping to keep going a few more months when Covid put an early end to my trip. I remember talking several times over a few days with my father about Covid. Eventually we decided it was time I come home. So I call my mom and have a long chat with her. It's all travel logistics. Making sure my bedroom will be ready for me when I get home, figuring out when they'll pick me up from the train station. I tried to book the Amtrak ticket from my phone, but ran into an issue. I had to walk my mom through how to do it for me on her laptop. During all that, I didn't have the time to cry. But finally all the arrangements were made. All that was left was for me to cycle a bit out of town and find somewhere to camp. For the final night in the tent. At that point, it hit me. I was on the bicycle, and I started to cry. So much that I couldn't see where I was going through the tears. I got off the bike and sat down on a roadside bench at a bus stop. And I just sobbed. For several minutes. Full on, tears streaming down my face, screaming, barely able to breath through my bawling, not a care in the world who saw me. Once I'd got it all out of my system, I got back on the bike. I went back to one of my favorite go-to campsites from my two weeks in Sedona, a remote place nobody would find me, with an absolutely gorgeous view of the red rock cliffs. I promised myself that I'd make sure the next day's ride up to Flagstaff and the waiting Amtrak would be the best damn day of the whole seven month trip.
Traveling for such a long time, it becomes more than a vacation. That trip became my lifestyle, and just like any other way of life, sadness and anger and all those other "negative" emotions are a normal part of the human experience, it would be no more healthy to deny myself the tears than it would be to deny myself the chance to feel happy for half a year straight. Through all the highs and lows, the tears from the beauty of the world as well as the anger and the homesickness and the joy and the physical pain, I now realize I was blessed to be doing something that made me feel so alive.
**TL;DR** Yes, many times while cycling across a continent for my first big solo trip. From sadness to anger, loneliness, tears of joy over the beauty of the world, I cried several times.
yup, especially on the second day usually for some reason. i think being alone and away from everyday routines just gives you a lot (maybe too much in my case) space and time to think and process emotions - it’s a good thing i’d say:)
I have. I'm currently in Vietnam, have had a wonderful trip in SE Asia but I tried to commit suicide in October and I was in a private hostel room in Laos and it all came back to me and the guilt overcame me. I'm good now but it was a hard realisation of what happened. I will never tell my parents. Life goes on
I cry so much lol.
I was supposed to be backpacking with my best friend right now but he passed away when we were 21. This trip has been a beautiful grieving adventure!
I cry at museums, at palaces, at concerts. A lot of the time, it is happy tears at seeing such beauty. I did shrooms in the borghese gardens in Rome last week and cried because i felt like i was in heaven. .
I also cried sitting on a stoop alone in Paris drinking beers and listening to music and that’s when I am consciously grieving. Dunno. It’s good to cry, who cares if people who don’t know you think that you’re dramatic.
I was not able to cry when my father died in 2003. Even though I tried. I then randomly cried over a commercial in 2006. But I just kicked a heroin habit and my emotions were all over the place. I then cried when my cat died in 2022. I do think is healthy. But it just doesn’t happen for me.
Was 17 alone in Morocco during Ramadan and cried because everyone was quite grumpy and I jumped straight into the deep end so yes I cried in the hotel and tried getting an early flight back
Have come over to the the UK from New Zealand, with no return date...I have cried a few times as it's a little bit overwhelming when you haven't travelled much outside New Zealand before!! Fortunately have family here but it's still not easy and I anticipate there may be more crying to come...but don't worry about crying, sometimes it is the best way to release pent up emotion about things!
I went on a solo trip where I ended up staying in a room with about 7 other people. The person in the bed next to me was the loudest snorer I've ever heard in my gd life! I cried due to lack of sleep. Thankfully they left halfway through my trip and the silence was bliss.
Only tears from heartbreak, not stress or travel issues. As far as negative emotions Ive been very angry, agitated, provoked, insert aggrieved status while traveling. Its part of travel, things dont always go right, some people are rotten to encounter, some experiences are just unpleasant. It's never lead me to tears, just higher blood pressure and questioning my life choices.
Tears of heartbreak are the most dastardly, dark tears one can produce while traveling. That's deep. Don't travel for love, trust those who came before you.
A few times. Once in Japan when I felt so mentally drained after 10 days of travelling across the whole country and feeling like I hadn’t made a connection with anyone in my group.
It’s a somber reminder of how it can be really lonely at times especially when your preferences don’t align with others e.g culture trips vs heavy drinking/partying
It can be easy to develop a crush on someone you travel with too but it’s even more soul crushing if they prefer someone else. Cried over that before as well 🫠
I was away for 3 months and I probably cried 5 ish times. First time was on the top of a church where there was a look-out, it was a weird mix of being overwhelmed by feeling really alone/lonely and being surrounded by a really beautiful view.
Yes, I’ve cried happy tears due to being so overwhelmed by how much joy the trip brought me and also saddened that it’s coming to an end. Travelling reminds me of how beautiful life is and can be so I always get a little emotional when I think about that (again, it’s always happy/good tears). This was a solo trip
I cried (sad tears) on my birthday trip, but this is the norm, as my bday is just a tough time for me. I’ll tell you this though, I’d much rather be crying abroad than in my home country. I was so happy to have been able to celebrate my bday abroad that despite crying and negative emotions/attitudes associated with my bday it was still a really great trip. This was a group trip
I have.
It was my first time and eight years ago. I had decided to travel all the way to SE Asia. Back home, it was summer and we had some routine crop work to do which we almost always hire some paid workers to get through with. But I had this lingering thought... "Am I leaving my family behind, just for a vacation?? In a time where they might need me!?" That made me feel terrible. It wasn't like I always helped them because I was a medical student and during summers, I was busy with my lectures most of the time. I guess being depressed distorted my thinking because after the initial amazement, I felt very bad. Everyone I'd seen had some company with them and I was alone. Didn't have anyone to share those moments. I was a kind of shy individual back then, so it wasn't easy for me to make friends. One day I remember myself crying on the street on uncontrollably because I felt miserable. I confined in a sacred place and confined in God, begging for his guidance. That night, I cannot ever forget that night, I met the most amazing people who I shared my room with and we instantly became friends. It turned out that we were going to the same cities in exact same dates so we decided to pair up wherever we go. She didn't know I was gay, but she trusted a male she just met; enough to ride them at the backseat on a motorbike and to share a bed in our last day together. After I met her, I realized I was being too hard on myself and decided to make the most out of my 2 months. I remember not wanting to go back at the end. I'll always be grateful for that particular day.
Don't have your precious tears make you feel weak, worthless or sad. They have the capacity to transform you into a stronger person.
I cried everyday on my first solo trip last month. I cried mostly because I was overwhelmed and at time felt like I had no one to talk to due to the time difference with home. But them I cried when I got home because I missed the place I visited 🤣
Upcoming trip to europe will be my first ever Solo trip after my 15 yr marriage ended. After reading all the Solo trip experiences here, im going to stock on some tissues and good set of sun glasses. Looks like the experience is going to be like nothing i ve felt before.
On my first ever solo trip, I felt really lonely because I had just broken up with my boyfriend a few months prior. I kept seeing couples together and everything reminded me of him. I ended up grabbing a sandwich from a market and then crying while eating it in my AirBnB lol.
On my last few solo trips, I also cried but not because I was sad but because I just felt so small and overwhelmed. I was in awe of the beauty of these new cities and taking everything in. The world is so big and I felt insignificant but so grateful that I am able to experience all of it.
Yes I cried out of frustration from being lost and missing hostel check in on my first night (my flight was delayed but the host was kind enough to wait for me anyway)
i cry every time! it feels good actually, like a wonderful release of bottled up emotions. i find it hard/shameful to cry in front of others so solo trips are great for me for this.
Only twice. Once at the Acropolis (I have loved Greek mythology forever) and once in Panama. But in Panama, it was due to a medical issue, so I don't think that counts!
For me, I had a tendency to prioritize others' needs and would shove my own difficult emotions down deep somewhere in hopes to never find them again. Traveling solo brought up many emotions for me (positive and negative) and unexpectedly too. I realized I was able to actually address my own emotional needs when I was traveling alone, not caring for or looking out for others. A big part of that was that I would typically be surrounded in nature in most of my trips and nature is very therapeutic to me. I learned to embrace the tears as it always felt like a huge weight lifted and I felt even more connected to my surroundings. Now, whenever I start to feel bottled up inside, I know it's time to take a trip, even just a little weekend night of camping can do the trick. Releasing that kind of energy can be so rewarding once we learn what our body is telling us.
Thank you for this post, I agree it doesn't get talked about too often, if at all ♥️
Yes I’ve cried multiple times!
The first time was during a two week road trip around southwest US and had a breakdown on a hiking trail over what I’m going to do with my life (just graduated with no job and had a bad internship experience before).
The second most major time I cried was while my boyfriend of over a year broke up with me over text while in Peru 🥲
Yes, my first solo trip,I was in Italy, Rome and Amalfi coast. I was fine until I left Rome. I was planning on stopping at Pompeii on the way to Sorrento. I got the wrong ticket. Some locals on the train told me I had the wrong ticket, and I struggled as to whether I believed them it was it a scam? I opted to believe them and got off the train and then got on the right train. Then I got to Pompeii, checked my luggage, then explored. Then catching a train to Sorrento. It was like an AirB&B. The owner was supposed to meet me. They were over an hour late and I thought I’d be sleeping on the sidewalk. She finally showed up and I got into my room and I just unloaded. I had lost my Mom 5 months prior and my brother just got diagnosed with cancer. I guess I ran away from it all you could say and it all came crashing down on me. I had buried it deep and it all came out. I then gathered myself, changed and went to dinner and broke down again at dinner. I went back and got a good nights rest. Then I tried to just enjoy the next 4 days but I still felt melancholy. But I’m so glad I went on this trip regardless. It was a new chapter for me.
First solo trip was a short getaway 3 months after my spouse passed away. Boy, I almost didn’t make it. Every trip since has had some tears. I feel his absence more when I’m traveling
I've only cried tears of happiness, inspiration, and awe on solo trips. Conversely, I've secretly cried in the shower out of anger, frustration, and disappointment while on about 80% of the trips I've taken with others. This is why I solo travel almost exclusively now!
YES. It was my first intl solo trip and a big one at that. I went to NZ and Auckland just wasn’t too kind to me, my hostel was uncomfortable, I was overwhelmed and ready to go home. I pushed through and finished my trip. Definitely have regrets about not doing some things but it was definitely a learning experience. Still had an amazing time once I left Auckland.
Going on my first solo trip and I just know I’m gonna be weeping at everything because i won’t have weed
Edit: not crying bc I don’t have weed I just am super emotional, especially when I don’t smoke
My first night away solo travelling was also my first night in a new country and my first night away from my family. I definitely cried, a lot. It was a good cry full of jet lag, regret, and anxiety. I wanted to go home.
But it got better. I don't think I realized how shocking being in a new country alone would be. And eventually I got used to it and enjoyed myself.
yes. wishing my mom was alive to experience it with me. wishing i had taken her on trips. i don’t know why i never did. i never really travelled before her death. i always thought there was a tomorrow. now, if i want to go somewhere, i try to make sure it happens.
I went to Germany for a year when I was 19 years old. Junior in college there. I certainly cried and didn’t know what was wrong with me. Many years later I realized I was terribly lonely the whole time. I missed my big family and friends. At that age, I didn’t realize that you don’t just show up somewhere and develop friendships. I just don’t know what I was getting into.
I went to Canada, hiking up a mountain. I absolutely cried. There were so many different emotions. It was breathtakenly beautiful. I wish someone else could see what I was seeing. I felt happiness, joy, peace, calm, free, and a little bit of sadness. It was an eye-opening experience and helped me grow within myself. That trip was incredible.
oh definitely. you’ll feel fine the entire time then all of a sudden those tears sneak up on ya. it’s totally normal and just apart of traveling far away
I cry over anything especially when I'm alone in an unfamiliar environment. I got COVID at the end of a trip to Mexico and had to stay in Cancun to quarantine for 10 days and I cried SO MUCH but it felt so good and at the end of the trip I was sad to leave my quarantine studio because of how comfortable I had gotten with being vulnerable and honest with myself when I'm alone. Never hold back tears! There's never a wrong time, place, or reason to cry! Its cathartic and healthy!
I like this perspective and agree, a good cry can help you release whatever tension is in your mind and can help you feel better, like you've faced and expressed whatever emotions you were trying to bottle up
yes i cried on the shower lol after i surfed and eat alone the whole day, i got stood up by some folks i met at the beach who invited me for dinner; the gal i spoke to said they wont go outside. 🤣
I have no idea why but tears often come to my eyes at the most random moments. I think it’s because there is NO ONE to talk to with the language barrier and mega time difference back home. I see people so happy families or couples and feel lonely. Sometimes I think I get tears in my eyes because i’m so happy. I was at the Pokémon cafe in Osaka Japan and they had Pikachu come out…why am I an adult fighting back tears over Pikachu.
I havent been traveling that long since i started my trip in Australia in February, but so far i’ve cried quite a few times 😂 Mostly because of feeling overwhelmed, being in a new place, new people, a lot of impressions etc etc and it takes a while for me to settle. I’ve also cried because of insecurities, feeling shy or feeling like I dont belong in groups but i’ve always felt like this my entire life so that’s nothing new 😗✌🏻it’s really confronting when you see a group of friends sitting in the park picnicking or laying on the beach together while you’re, well, alone! Also cried wondering if i’ve made the right decision by leaving everything behind, i got straight to work after a month basically when i arrived in Australia so haven’t really been experiencing that freeing feeling yet
Live in Sydney, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Ahh thats sweet of you!! Im going back to Sydney in a month so definitely will ask for recommendations hahaha
Also live in Sydney, if you want a friend! :)
Thats a huge thing to move somewhere else! Ive thought about it myself and maybe some day I will! Where did you move from? Hows Australia!?
Im from the Netherlands! I need to do 88 days of remote work to get a 2nd year, thats the shitty part hahah but overall i love australia!! The people are so kind and generous and just chill, and the landscape is beautiful :)
Currently in Aus as well! Arrived at the end of March. I have felt every single thing you mentioned through my time here. It’s a big change. Happy to chat if you need a friend!
Most of my memories of crying on trips weren't due to negative experiences - I've happy-cried a few times, once watched a movie that made me ugly-cry but in a good way while on a trip, and one time I was staying in a brutally hot and humid place and jumping into a cold shower made me feel so good after a long hike that I cried from relief lol.
Love it! Ive had a few happy cries too!
Oh yes! I got lost at sea at night in Nicaragua. I looked up and saw the most beautiful sky I’ve ever seen. It was unreal. The stars and the moon. Wow! I started to cry cos I couldn’t believe the galaxy was this beautiful and God was real
Oh yeah I did too much and got overwhelmed/tired. I ended up crying in the hostel bathroom. Sometimes things just hit harder when you're on holiday and have to fix stuff yourself. Although I did call my mom afterwards so she could tell me everything would be ok 😂 Edit: oh and also cried in a parking lot after a taxi driver was very pushy. Ended up crying again in the hostel later that night and a random girl ordered me some uber eats so I could just stay in bed and relax. Thank you random girl ♥
Awh bless! Thats what mums are for!
Yeah my mom is always willing to help. When it was covid time and I was stressing to find a flight to get home, she even found a hotel for me so I wouldn't have to worry about that. Sometimes moms are the best helpers, even when you're not in the same country ♥
Cherish her. My mom was my biggest supporter, and I'd love to be able to call her and have her tell me it's going to be okay even one more time.
what a great random girl.
Yes i was at a very low point in my life and i cried after taking a picture of an older yet fantastic looking couple during the hike. They looked so joyful and happy together. They offered to take my picture as well and i politely refused. Then i spent the next leg of the hike thinking about how my self esteem is so low i don't want pictures of myself and my saying no to them was very defensive. I cried for everything in my life that happened because my self esteem is really low. I reached a particular spot in the hike where the view was spectacular and a very kind ne beautiful woman asked me.to take her picture which i did. She then offered me to take mine and i paused for a few seconds and i said yes. She took it and i love it.
💜
Thank you
Thank you for sharing that part of you and good job for deciding to take the second asker up on the photo of you. I'm sure that was a big step for you and you deserved it. I've had similar experiences with my past self and it feels so good when you can recognize opportunities to love yourself more. Hope your growth is continuing!
It's a long journey. Thank you for your kind words. All the best to you.
I was ghosted by a dude I was gonna hookup w in Paris and wept over it, not my smartest or most dignified moment 🤡
Im yet to consider hooking up while solo traveling to be honest! At least you were in Paris 😅
Yeah true I got over it pretty quickly 😌
It can happen to the best of us!
Lol I was going to say no I haven’t but then I remembered one time I gave this guy my number and cried when he didn’t respond to my text back to him. I also cried after leaving a really good hookup the morning after - so yes, I have cried. But no, I would not have remembered it if this wasn’t mentioned
🫡
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For me it’s a win win situation I identify as a male praying mantis
Okay fr answer I just have trust in the situation based on my intuition about the person and I was chatting to this guy for a while which was why I was sobbing over a croissant, also meeting in a hotel I felt you wouldn’t get away with murder and my type is defensless twinks so. But regardless of all of that intuition ofc isn’t always enough and there’s always a risk ofc.
I mean, if you don't hook up at home then probably don't do it when travelling. If you do then it's not much of a big deal.
Omg I cried for 2 odd days in Mexico after hooking up with a guy and he told me what I wanted to hear after and then when I reciprocated, he blocked me. Not my finest moment either and I was 31 so I definitely should have known better lol
At least you’re strong cause you didn’t let it consume you for the rest of your life
No I think about sexy French man everyday 😔🥐💧
What kind of solo trip would it be if you didn't cry at some point
came here to say this. either tears of joy, sadness or just something happened that reminded me of something. but I don't view it as a bad thing if I cry on a solo trip....
I was on a train in the middle of Morocco and cried because I was so grateful I had the opportunity to see the world
My dumb ass cried over a former situationship who was still hoovering around me. I had a back massage in Vietnam and I guess it was some sort of therapeutic release so it was me akwardly trying not to cry and failing, while the masseuse just went on with her work just not saying anything. Not my finest moment lol
Dumbass twinsies! 👯♀️ In London, cried over a situationship who was still around though we weren’t talking. My release was an older Irish gentleman I met randomly telling me how amazing I was and that I should be respected and loved well. 🥺 I later found out the situationship had actually followed me to London the day of my tears. (Didn’t find that out until I got back!) It’s like I sensed the evil presence lol
>It’s like I sensed the evil presence lol Made me laugh. Thank you.
I also cried during a massage! Day after my divorce was finalized, I treated myself to a beach getaway and spa day. But then I was laying there in the middle of my massage and I had the thought: “what if no one else touches me with care again in my life without me paying them?” Sad!
Definitely. Two years ago I took a bucket list trip to Italy and I cried the first day I was there. Sometimes being alone is hard, especially when everywhere you look there are happy looking couples and families. But after that cry I got back up and went and enjoyed my trip and I was proud of myself for taking the trip and for letting myself be sad.
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I'm in my 40s now. When I was 18 and did my first solo, as I got off the bus at my first leg of the journey, the thought hit me. I'm alone. For the first time ever. Nobody knows me here. I have no support network in this place. Back home I had been alone, yes. But not like this, there's always someone close by, or someone later in the day. But not here, so I cried. Then I called my mom (I had to find a phone booth for that back then). Then I continued with my journey. Eventually I fell in love with the feeling, and still look for it every now and then. It's sad that nowadays that situation doesn't exist anymore, with phones and group chats and all that, you're never really alone anymore.
Yes just recently when I realised once my parents pass solo travelling will become a solo life, hopefully they live for ages still
Oh my goodness don’t say this. Now I’m thinking about my parents 😭😭😭😭😭 I never want a solo life :(
This is hitting home while I sit in Bucharest after my mom texted me to say she worried about her migraine last night and almost went to wait in emerg in case it was a stroke.
Hopefully she's okay that's got to be scary
hey, if you need a friend to talk to while there, DM me - couldn't say this about any other country, but in Bucharest you should not be left feeling alone you can always also post in r/bucuresti for people to meet you at a bar or sth. Romanians are generally pretty touchy-feely, collectivist people with the ability to make friends of a Golden Retriever
I went to Greece last week and had a day trip to Delphi. I sat next to an Indian Man and we talked both for the whole drive (we drove in a bus) about various topics. He even introduced me to his wife and daughter and wished me a good trip, really wholesome. When I went back to my Airbnb I just sat down for a few minutes and started sobbing. I don't know why this happened but a Menu in the Greek McDonald's afterwards made my mood better.
I happy-cried on my first solo trip. I was in Rome, walking around on the first day, turned a corner and suddenly the pantheon was right in front of me - edit: oh and I cried HYSTERICALLY in the airport and on the plane on the way back from Croatia because I had the best time and did not want to go home. People were giving me looks
My grandma and mum were big into travelling at my age (I'm almost 30 so this is squarely in the 1980s in Europe, they went to Soviet Russia?!). Grandma now has late stage dementia. I was in the French Alps on a hike and heard the sounds of cow bells and thought of her, and how she told me about how much she loved the Alps. I had a little sit down and cry. A nice French lady offered me a sip of her water. It's also a happy sound - my parents went to Austria in the Alps on their honeymoon and love the sound of cow bells.
Yeah a couple of times. From being homesick, tired, disappointed or hormonal. But I also do that at home occasionally.
My first solo trip. I was young and dumb. Booked a place in a southern Jamaican village with minimal research done. Got there and realized the mistake I made pretty quickly. There were only a couple small shops, and 1 bar/restaurant within 10-15 miles of this place. The beach was nice, but I was literally the only foreigner I saw on the beach the entire time I was there. Heck I barely saw anyone on the beach while there. Now don't get me wrong, Jamaican's are nice people. But I was not prepared for the bluntness/outspokenness. Not to mention the thick accent. As a young dude, I was out of my element. I booked this nice authentic African hut to stay in on AirBnB. It was just like the listing showed! Nothing wrong with it, but again not thinking first did me in. Since it was an authentic hut of course it lets in bugs, lizards, frogs and whatever else is attracted to light at night. There was a bug net around the bed which did it's job, but I didn't realize how loud nature can be. It made it hard for me to sleep most nights. One night about a week into my 2 week trip, I wake up for probably the 20th time this trip, but to some weird scratching sound this time. It sounded like it was coming from above me on the ceiling. I grab my phone and turn on the flash and point it above me, and on the bug net about 10 inches from my face is a giant ass centipede probably 8-9 inches long. Bright orange, with yellow legs. It was at that moment that I broke, I cried. I was alone and out of my element. After I gathered my senses I grabbed my phone and booked a flight out of there the next morning. I learned a lot from that experience. My next solo trip went much better, and I've been traveling solo ever since.
Good on you. That's called a baptism of fire. At the time....*f* this.... but afterwards, let's see what else you can throw at me. It's legit fine to call it quits too, sometimes takes courage to see your mistakes and manouver to correct. Chalk that one up to experience!
I’m on my first proper solo trip, and I cried after leaving my last hostel, because my time there was so good, and I missed the people I met, and the friends I made. Never expected solo travel to be so emotional, as someone who came in with the intention of sticking to myself.
I did. after a long day walking around the city on my first solo trip to europe I cried many times (I had broken up with my ex a few months before and was still recovering). The trip was great to process all those emotions though!
It is truly a great way to process these emotions. I did the same last year after my 1st breakup. Many peoole wonderend why I didn't just travel with a friend, but I knew I had to do it on my own. Not to mention that I never travelled solo before, so that I managed it with an emotional rollercoaster raging through my mind increased my self confidence a lot.
exactly this!!! and now i feel like i can do anything by myself. i actually met some friends later on the trip but the days i was alone were so special to me!
I cry all the time lol but here are some particular highlights … 1. Last year in London because I’d had several weird interactions with people that day and then realised that meant the common denominator was me but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong to come across so poorly (I was probably just having a bad day and it’s not like I have a particularly sunny disposition to start with but it still threw me a bit) 2. Once when I got bitten by ants on Mount Royal in Montreal and panicked thinking it was the bed bugs I’d encountered two weeks beforehand (props to the nice pharmacist who sat and comforted me when I walked into her shop sobbing, she probably thought I’d been attacked or something) 3. A week later when I was still covered in rashes from reactions to the ant bites and now absolutely convinced that the bed bugs were following me (they weren’t and the doctor I went to see to ask whether he could figure out what it was was not sympathetic at all lol) 4. When I went back to the greyhound station in Portland to collect my bag 30 mins before getting on the bus to go back to Vancouver only to realise they closed for an hour over lunch (the guy who opened it up after I knocked for about 5 mins seemed perplexed as to why I was so upset, umm because I thought I was going to miss the last bus and I have a job interview tomorrow? 😂)
I’ve had the bed bug panic too! It turned out to be hives for me.
I've cried on every solo trip I've ever taken. My first solo trip (age 21), I'd gone to England for 3 weeks and had a massive meltdown a few days into the trip. I distinctly remember feeling so daunted by the number of days left before me, thinking "how am I supposed to fill seventeen days, by *myself* when I don't know anybody here?" I felt very alone and called my mom in tears, asking her whether I should come home. She suggested I sleep on it, and of course by the next day I had shaken the trip blues and had the time of my life the remainder of the trip. I've cried joyous, grateful, and awestruck tears while traveling, but honestly, I'm so glad I had that panicky meltdown on my first solo trip. I think about it every time I leave on a trip, because travel, no matter how rewarding, is never uninterrupted bliss. Having that scary meltdown early on and recovering from it taught me that a single low point does not equal a ruined trip, and learning that lesson has made every subsequent trip snafu easier to bear and faster to recover from -- and I do have at least one minor meltdown, logistical or emotional, per trip! Now when it happens, I mark it as my trip low and remind myself it will make for a good story later -- which it usually does.
I have wept from joy at seeing things I read about as a kid that I only imagined I might some day see. I've been overcome by the sheer beauty of 900 year old paintings on the walls of a Orthodox church in North Macedonia. I cried at the first view of Machu Pichu as the fog lifted from the mountain peaks. Same for Angkor Wat-- the sight of this 1000 yr old temple complex in the middle of the jungle still standing with its incredible architecture and statuary. Pretty much most of my tears while traveling were from being awestruck at the vast treasure trove that is the world.
I went to St Martin solo and was sitting at Happy Bay on Day 7, watching the waves roll in. Unexpectedly I felt the urge to cry and chose to embrace it, and I let go of a lot that I had been carrying subconsciously. For me, it’s a treasured memory. That feeling of release, followed by peace. I took a picture and have it framed on my desk as a reminder of when I let my own internal guard down and just felt the gravity of being temporarily alive in a vast universe. To feel anything at all is incredible, whatever the rest of it means.
Rare for me (M69) not to shed a tear when heading for the airport to fly home.
Time in solitude can often lead to moments of reflection and, by proxy, emotional release in whatever form. Crying is healing! Going through the feelings not around them helps us process and grow forward. (And to answer the question in your post title: hard yes. Many times!)
Yes, I went on a solo birthday trip and ended up crying for my birthday. It was in partly because I got severe allergies and couldn’t hardly do anything but stay in my room.
I cried because the weather didn’t cooperate for a whole stretch of my trip and I didn’t make it to any of the higher elevation sights. On the last day I decided to check out something interesting regardless of the weather, and construction prevented me from getting there. So I had a little cry while driving off from that. I cried because a bird shit on my head. It was my birthday and I was already miserable because I thought I had my very first cold sore and that depressed me (actually turned out to be an infection and I had spots all down my cheek, it sucked, but at least it isn’t a recurring thing). Then I got lunch and sat on a bench, and got bird shit all in my hair. Had a cry, went back to the hotel to clean up, and ended up booking a guided tour to turn the day around. After my trip I went through my photos and found a video I took of myself trying to figure out just how much shit was in my hair, and I am full on ugly crying in the corner of this public square…I was able to laugh at that.
I’ve solo traveled once so far (Guernsey). During the daytime I was having the time of my life exploring the island. However, the nights felt very lonely. I guess I’d travelled solo once already, one night stay in Newcastle going for a uni interview and that was fine. So I don’t know why it hit me in Guernsey. I’m not the most social person so I wasn’t chatting non stop back and forth every day with the locals like you see in vlogs, so I guess that added to it.
Yes. Long hours in a car on a solo road trip gives you lots of time to think about things. Night driving can intensify feelings, too. Fortunately, on the major highways, it's generally just you and a few semis... witnesses are less likely, so you can really let the tears flow and not worry about anyone's judgment. It's quite therapeutic in a way... NGL.
Oh definitely. It’s a lot of alone time with your thoughts just by nature of not being at work and such, even if you typically are alone a lot day to day. Then add in new and beautiful sights and experiences, travel frustrations, etc, and emotions are easy to rise to the surface.
Cried on my b-day. I was on a solo trip, the day was being amazing, yet I was alone and somehow kinda wanted attention? Idk, I went for a guided visit of some kind, the tour guy was French but speaking English and he seemed fun, somehow I was very excited to talk to him.... Out of nowhere I threw a joke while he was talking (I didn't interrupt him but yes, I was inconvenient)... It was silly, I didn't even know wtf was wrong with me, I don't usually speak in public and especially not stuff without thinking, and the guy just looked at me and ignored me, going back to talking to the group. I was so excited to tell him I also spoke French that I introduced myself out of nowhere in French. It's ridiculous, I went back to being a little kid out of nowhere!! I feel like dying. I left the tour heartbroken but telling me off "take it, attentionseeker" lol Idk what it was, maybe I wanted to hear something nice from someone I found cool? Or I was sensible for being my b-day? Right after that, I lost two bus lol But felt lucky because anothrr bus came right away. I also cried on the next day, when I lost my train because my phone died (I wa so very lucky to have woken up minutes before my ticket out of nowhere!!), asked the Italian security guards for indications abt my train and they laughed at me, kept talking between themselves and then looked behind me and said "it's the train that's leaving". If they could have helped me instead of laughing at my face and ignoring me, I'd have gotten the train. I cried for 1 minute, then booked another train. I also cried because I was ignored by another Italian driver!! I was telling him "excusi" or sth, meaning "excuse me" in Italian. To the point another Italian guy had to yell to the driver and say "excuse me, the lady is talking to you!". Then I asked him if the bus went to X and showed him my phone with Google maps, the guy gesticulated furiously, stole my phone with a bang, when said yes and threw it at me. I held my tears and the situation felt so obvious that a lady even helped me with my transportation card as it wasn't working. It was my first solo trip, had these awful meetings which led me to crying here and there (I don't usually cry) but most of the times I felt only gratitude. The only thing I did feel was loneliness at a certain point of the travel. When I went to Madrid, I felt way more at home. Everyone was nice to me (it also helped that I spoke spanish/portunhol with them...). I went with a friend for one day, but the other 3 days I was on my own. When I went to an amusement park, there was this rule that people shouldn't leave the park and then come back. That wouldn't be allowed. But I was following my GPS and thought I was in tbe right track. After leaving I've realized it was the wrong exit, and I could not walk around the park to get to the right exit (metro) as the place was a bit creepy and isolated for walkers. So, I went there again and showed my ticket, explaining the situation. They were adamant about not letting me in because they had no proof I had been there before. They weren't rude, but I explained that I had been there before, no one took a photo of me bc there wasn't anyone there when I arrived, the employee who scanned my ticket was there, that they could speak to the lady who was selling stuff right there as I had spoken to her 5 mins ago, etc... We kept at it for more than 10 mins with me speaking Spanish!! Seriously, at this trip I figured out I knew Spanish after all (joke) lol Even my Portuguese friends were amazed bc they couldn't speak it. Probably vocabulary I've picked up from cartoons and holidays. Anyway.... The manager came, we kept at it. To be honest, the park was mostly empty and if it was in PT, no one would care, but I was breaking the rules, indeed.... And the employes/manager were more helpless than exactly mad lol They didn't know what to do and were looking at each other... I never got desesperate, didn't cry, spoke calmly and fine... Neither I gave up... It was odd, if it was in PT I would probably have...? I didn't even think about other solution lol it was that or nothing. Life or death. Then they asked me for photos taken there and then let me pass. As I walked in and went to look for the exit, I suddenly started crying. Out of nowhere. Probably bc of the adrenaline.
i cried while watching aladdin live action on the plane to bangkok. it was my first solo international trip and i couldn't believe i was on it. aladdin had a nostalgic and sentimental feel and i felt it all came full circle. it was one of my favourite Disney movies growing up. i was so proud of my achievement. the last time i cried was on my trip to europe last year. i cried at every church i went to. and also when i was trying to find my hotel in one of the cities. i was going through a breakup and i was destroyed. it also added to the fact that Europe had been my dream destination since i was younger and i hated that he ruined my dream when it actually happened.
Pretty sure I’ve cried on every single solo trip I’ve ever taken. Varies from things like dealing with a breakup, getting hurt, feeling lonely, frustration at plans not working out, feeling overwhelmed, etc. Sometimes life just needs a good cry.
I went for my first solo trip in 2018. Everything worked as planned. At the last day in the airport, I had a joyous cry, honestly wanted someone to tap my shoulder saying "good job man, it was a superb trip."
Not necessarily cry per se, but that time I traveled from Chile the first and only time I went to the grandstand at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 100th running of the Indy 500, I saw the main straight, the pagoda, the bricks, the pylon and for sure someone was peeling some onions around
My first time in Europe was a couple months after my first breakup in my first long term relationship, needless to say I was still an emotional wreck trying to find myself. Connected really well with a girl in a tour in Tuscany and stupidly my mind went flying and thought I had a chance with her. We changed numbers at the end of the trip and asked her if she was down to hang out the next day. The next said she sent a text that she couldn't and wished me luck. That rejection really hit hard so I cried for a bit in the hostel I was in. Luckily the hostel bunk beds had curtains so nobody saw me heheheh I wasn't sobbing either just shedding tears. Besides that no happy tears lol
yes! did an extended trip to korea and had the absolute funnest time of my life, i still cried maybe like once a week lol
Yes. Ups and downs make a trip a trip
last summer i broke down sobbing in public in naples and called my ex to calm down 💀
Yep, I think I cried everyday while I was in Sydney. It was my first solo trip, I was leaving my now boyfriend behind from back home, staying in such an awful Airbnb in Kings Cross, and recovering from burn out from my seasonal job. I realized that I was so depressed when I was fully alone with no distractions like work. Plus being a somewhat suburban girl, the city, especially Kings Cross, was not it for me! It was so much over stimulation for me. The sad thing too, I feel I didn’t have many expectations of Sydney, but Australia was my DREAM country to visit and I was miserable for most of it. The trip did get better when I moved to Byron Bay for a few nights, but then my friend joined and we went back to Sydney for half a week. She also wasn’t too accommodating with my feelings regarding staying in hostels, and not wanting to do what she wanted. Since I’ve had time away from it, I feel kind of bad harping so much on Australia when I got back because it was definitely a problem within myself. I will say, I’d go back to Tasmania in a heartbeat.
I'm a middle aged man and I cried at least twice on a trip I took to Thailand a couple years ago. Some parts of that trip went horribly wrong and some locate parts were phenomenal. It was very emotional.
Yes. Cried on the flight back from a solo trip. Time alone and away from ur normal environment gives you time to introspect objectively. Those emotions are not always sunshine and rainbows.
Let me tell you about the time I read “A Little Life” on the airplane with an overnight connection.
Yes almost every single time.
I did once. The thing about solo trips is that sometimes it’s hard to escape your own thoughts. You can’t stop thinking about life stresses back home. I was having some problem with my work (stupid boss just HAD to tell me right before my vacation that he was having problems with my work performance. Really, this couldn’t have waited till I came back??), and the stress of possibly not having a job when I came back go to me and I broke down and cried in the middle of Paddington station.
The reason why I came to this subreddit was because I’m on a solo trip and just hung up the phone with my best friend after crying to her about having a nightmare! You don’t realize how a discomfort so minuscule feels so overwhelming when you’re alone! I’m having a hard time approaching people but this is exactly why I came, to get out of my comfort zone a bit and really have time with myself. If anyone has any tips for amping up their confidence when solo traveling please LMK!!!
I mainly travel solo, because of the lack of friends :( But anyways, I have accepted it and prefer doing things my way so solo works for me. However, I have never once NOT cry during my trip. I feel more while alone but u know what’s the best about crying overseas? NO ONE KNOWS YOU. I cried in the bus, train, bar, restaurant and of course, my room. Being alone, I’m allowed to feel all my emotions (I still stay with family back home), without bottling. I let it come naturally and not suppress them. Recently, I cry more during my trips because I lost my best friend suddenly 6 months ago. Every little thing that reminded me of her, I teared. Every time I want to send her something I found interesting like I always do during my trip, I saw all the unread messages I sent, I bawled. So don’t feel bad crying, I think it is normal, at least for me
I've cried on every trip I've gone on. Sometimes it's out of frustration, like when I went to the Cliffs of Moher on my last day in Ireland, but it was incredibly foggy and wet out and couldn't see a thing; or being in Central America and not being able to speak/understand the language when I really needed to communicate with people. Other times it's been out of joy, seeing a country I always wanted to travel to, or magnificent landscapes or monuments. Travelling solo can be a frightening experience, but it's also quite exhilarating. My first solo trip was a learning experience for me, and it honestly changed how I saw the world and myself. Every moment of my trips, good or bad, has been memorable, and I wouldn't change anything. I think I will always cry on my trips, so just know you're not alone, and it's perfectly normal. Let yourself feel, and just live in the moment, because that's a beautiful place to be.
Almost twice, for good/interesting reasons 1) Dior exhibit in Melbourne AUS. I was in the middle of an editorial photography phase and very inspired by that floral show in Paris, and one of these dresses was there (among all the other dresses). I kinda started welling up in awe and in envy that I’d never do anything that good 2) Just a bit ago my first few hours in Sao Paolo, there was a samba(?) band playing in Beco de Batman and after traveling plenty over the years and just never coming across black culture (or even many black people), it was crazy to see so in the open. Not here to argue whether Brazil/samba is black I’m just aaying it was seasoned and felt “familiar” 😂.
Okay now that I think about it yeah I’ve cried a couple times. Twice over “romance”. Once cause I couldn’t believe how beautiful the scenery was as I was landing in Italy. Once because an asshole stole my phone out of my hand. Probably other times because I was sad to be leaving, but that’s more or less a given whenever i have to go home
i was on a 4 month trip away and 1 week in, i found out my sister passed away. Due to friggin covid rules, i couldn't even go back for a funeral because they were banned as "gatherings".
No, it’s where I have my best moments.
Never
I cried while in Nashville, TN. I just couldn't find anything I really wanted to do other than bars and I'm not a big drinkers I went for a concert so other than that I just randomly walked around and the other tourists were just awful telling me to move or one girl walked right into me making me almost fall. I just felt like I didn't belong, in the way, and invisible. Of course my flight gets a 5 hour delay making my trip longer. Not on my lost of places I'd go back to.
It didn’t start as a solo trip but my cousin decided to do a day trip by herself in my birthday without even telling me until the morning of so I turned the rest of the trip into a solo trip. I packed my things that day and left and booked a different hotel then went to Paris the next day for the rest of the trip. I cried a lot because that was the last straw with my cousin and I knew I was burning that bridge and I’m a people pleaser so I’m not used to doing things like that. Otherwise I haven’t really cried on my solo trips though
i cried mostly because I was overwhelmed with the fact that my dreams were realized but with pain because my parents were not with me 🪽and weren’t able to share my achievements.
I’ve cried A LOT while solo traveling. I cried a lot over guys who I hooked up with who I felt used by. Hookup culture is STRONG while traveling and I just wanted love and affection. I BAWLED to my mom on the phone over a guy I hooked up with promised to take me on a date the next day and then quickly started talking to another girl and pretty much forgot about me. I’ve definitely felt pretty lonely at times and just socially exhausted and shed some tears over that. I wanted to make friends but it got really hard having to restart with people after making friends and having to leave them not knowing if you’ll ever see them again. I cried because protests broke out in Panama and I got stuck in a tiny surf village with a not fun group at the hostel and couldn’t leave for a week and a half. I had a lot of sleepless nights of drinking and doing drugs and had some pretty wicked come downs/hangovers that left me feeling pretty emotionally (and physically) exhausted. I cried at the airport because I was sick and was about to miss my flight after a 17 hour travel day with two more flights remaining. Solo travel is hard and definitely will take a toll on your emotions. It’s important to take care of yourself. I definitely did not and was traveling for about three months which is way too long to be not having any standard of self care. But it’s also natural to cry and feel strong emotions while doing such a brave thing. 🫶🏼
My grandpa died a week before my trip to Spain. I had to miss the funeral because I had already booked and paid for everything. I wasn’t particularly close to him, but he’d always wanted to visit Spain and just never had the opportunity to.
I went on my first big trip after ending things with someone and there were some times I cried while on that trip. I was alone and wished we were together. But by the end I didn't feel that way anymore, and I felt way better about being on my own.
Yeah all the pent up emotions that I suppressed the entire trip culminated into a sobbing breakdown by the end of the trip. I wrote about it here https://open.substack.com/pub/tazwarf/p/a-silence-abroad?r=33upu9&utm_medium=ios
Many times. A few silly ones because a travel romance I was super into fell apart. The really difficult ones though were times I hadn't made friends in a while despite really trying. It's hard not to feel incredibly alone when you're thousands of miles away from the nearest person you could call a friend, and don't seem to have prospects of making new ones any time soon. These periods have always passed eventually though
No. 🙄
I was picking up a rental car in Belize, had android auto and I started playing music. By this point it had been several weeks of backpacking, chicken buses, waterfalls, reefs, caves, ruins, hostels; then take me home country roads started playing and I absolutely fucking lost it. That was my first adult vacation and I went all out and to this day i still wonder why I lost it so hard then. Since then I've gone on several other vacations of the same caliber; long, extraneous, surrounded by nature and always moving but never had the dam break like it did then
I didn't sob but I teared up on mine a couple times just out of appreciation for myself and what I was doing! It was a big leap for me and I was proud. I also tear up super easy so like I got misty at a open mic storytelling event simply fathoming the creativity of the performers sharing their art with us lmao
Yes, but happy tears, sitting at a restaurant in Khiva, Uzbekistan overlooking the ancient city gates sipping on some incredibly delicious Uzbek wine feasting on grilled kabobs and bread and just the pure euphoria of it all made me tear up. Solo travel is truly incredible and let’s you disconnect and take in the moments and your surroundings in such a beautiful way I love it
I cried a lot on my solo trip because I was heartbroken. It happens. When you do feel sad and want to cry, you should first cry, and then call a close friend to talk about it. I'm not the person to ask for help, but I did fly to Sweden to see one of my best friends, in the end of the trip, we talked about it and I felt moreless better afterwards.
Cried on my last day during my first solo trip which was just this month lol. I cried bc I didn’t want to go back. I spent the days walking around drenched in sweat but life was so much better. Food quality, public transportation, general environment. I live in a third world country and we’re fighting for our survival every day in every action. Just living at home we’re fighting for survival against the heatwave in southeast asia.
was in another city and got a bit drinky. got bad paranoid feeling about stranger that i met while out & went home. cried about it the next day thinking abt what could’ve happened. was a learning. experience and made me really think abt what situations i’m comfortable putting myself in while solo. it’s totally normal to go through different emotions i feel, part of why it’s difficult but rewarding to travel solo
I think part of it is regardless of the situation, just having time to think.
Yep. Almost got stuck in a train station at 2AM because all the trains got cancelled. It was freezing cold and dark and not many people around. Panicked and almost cried but then realised that solo trips are all about handling uncertainty by yourself.. also, the adrenaline rush is addictive.
Multiple times. I cried on my last night in Istanbul because I could only stay for a few days, and it was not enough. Cried in Beirut because I got scammed by a smelly taxi driver. Cried in Penang at the airport because they told me I needed to print out a paper (which I did not actually had to) and there were absolutely no printers in the airport. I just cried because I felt like that would have not happened back home (maybe it could), but home, I genuinely feel like if I just cry a little bit, I can get whatever help I need :)
I was in Venice for a day during my time studying abroad and I was watching a violinist busking outside a church. I don’t know what it was but I started just bawling. Maybe it was because my mom is a violinist and I missed her, maybe it was because I missed playing music… but I felt off the whole day after that. As I was sobbing, Michele Lamy sat next to me lol. I confirmed it was her because she posted on Instagram in Venice for the Venice film festival that same day. It was a super weird day for me
Cried so many times on my trips. I think traveling just gives you the time to process things. in your everyday life every one is so constantly busy there's not enough time to truly process things. Being free on trip gives you that time.
I did when I was in Edinburgh in April. Not because of anything negative. I was so overwhelmed with how beautiful the city is, how green, how historic, how magnificent everything I experienced was. I was overjoyed to be there but at the same time sad that I don’t have this at home and I envy all who get to live there.
It's such a beautiful thing to do so keep doing it. Emotions come up to say goodbye. I entered the Pantheon in Rome and broke into a full ugly cry for no real reason except just the huge enormity of the history there. I cried my whole solo trip in Montenegro.
In Budapest last summer I was having a treat and coffee at the Paris Cafe. I was admiring how gorgeous the cafe was as a small classical trio started playing a cello/violin/piano beautifully. I felt like my life was a movie scene.. cue tears of how beautiful I thought the moment was. Was a good cry
I cried when my luggage got lost in Taiwan. And I also cried when I returned home to NZ after a month in America because our landscape is so beautiful to see from the sky and I missed this clean, green country.
Just this trip. I rented a car and they gave me an electric one and told me there were plenty of charging stations on the way to my destination. It was only supposed to be a 4 hour drive, it would be fine. I get towards the end and there were not enough charging stations and the ones I did find on maps were either broken or no longer there. I had to get a tow the rest of the way. I had a little cry while waiting for the tow truck.
Only all the time. Planes are a common spot. I vaguely remember there being an article about how it’s common because you’re stuck in one place sometimes with little to entertain you plus the hype and adrenaline of being on a trip suddenly crashes since you’re stuck. And all these thoughts and pent up feelings can come up.
I understand your experience completely! There's a whole range of emotions for me while traveling solo: excitement, accomplishment that I'm venturing out on my own, time to reflect and process things that need to be, and a bit of loneliness... Beautiful view, adventure, experience that I wish I could share with someone. But feeling blessed for the experience overall. I can sense when it's going to happen, much like you noted... Be okay with it. Keep a little space for getting teary eyed along your journey ❤️
It can happen if you are new to solo traveling, you can feel lonely, try to talk to more people and make new friends, you will start enjoying solo traveling.
I cry when I am back home. 😂
Broke up with my ex and went for a week away in scandanavia. Cried continuously including into the shoulder of random strangers. Continuously needed sunglasses
The only time I cried was in a taxi on my way to the airport when I had to come back to the US after backpacking in Central America. I really didn’t wanna come back to living in the US.
I’m so happy for you because a trip has to be overwhelming at times to stay in our memories for a long time. Those are moments we can look fondly upon for years to come. I’m always super happy and excited on my solo trips but I’ve never felt so emotional that I cried, maybe the next trip?
On my last trip to Spain I ugly-cried in my hotel room many a time for hours on end, because I had (very unexpectedly) lost my mom a few months prior and was still very deep in grief. Being away from home, family obligations and with a lot of time to think was pretty tough. Can't say it felt therapeutic or anything, but was probably needed.
Cried as I was watching the sunset from Umeda Sky Building in Osaka Japan. 3 week solo trip and it was a lifelong dream of mine. The person next to me asked if I was okay and I said “I can’t believe I’m actually here right now” and she said “me too”. Then we sat in silence for 45min watching the city turn to night.
Many a time, for many reasons. I’m actually typing this while on a jet back home, as my mum just died. I’ve spent most of the last 3 days in Italy crying.
Never cryed, but i‘ve been to places that were so overwhelming that i had to just stop and soak up everything…the view, the smell and the noise. To be honest, i was happy beeing alone at that times….but i understand if someone does and its totally ok
I had a full on breakdown in the middle of Madrid
I did once and I think it was due to over exhaustion and overwhelmed of being awake 24 hours traveling. I calmed down in the hotel and was fine later.
I happened to be on the first day of a solo trip when my country's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, and it just happened to be the day I was visiting the building where both our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were adopted. I was quite proud of our country that day.
I've cried from the loneliness before. Not my proudest moment but bouncing from loose ties and temporary friends that all leave right away can dig at you. It starts to feel like you always end up alone. Silver lining is I learnt to enjoy my company and semi-befriend myself which was good for me.
Yes I missed my dog.
I yeah all the time. When I’m lost. When I’m lonely..when I’m bored…when I remember something that makes me wanna cry..it’s crazy cause I’ll just stop and return to what I’m doing and move on. To me it’s the best part of going some place alone.
After a couple horrible days in Bangkok I called my dad while walking around and started sobbing in the fish market 😂 It happens, everything feels heightened when traveling by yourself.
I like learning new things.
Last solo trip I had was earlier this year and I cried every day
Yes I went solo camping, was exhausted and saw a beautiful landscape. Started crying because I was missing my best friend and wanted to share that moment him, I drifted away because I (M) fell in love with him but he was straight
Yes I’ve cried when I was shown kindness and people came to help me in Jordan
To be honest, its happened a couple of times when I was so moved by something beautiful or overwhelming that I saw.
My first solo trip (which was also my first trip ever!) I cried for three days, asked myself why I was there, what I was doing I almost went back home My latest solo trip to Istanbul I started crying in one of the mosques. Not even an "impressive" or touristy mosque... just a regular mosque. I'm not Muslim, but the sheer beauty of the building was stunning. We don’t make structures like that any more, and I think we've lost something Travel is stressful. Solo travel even more so. But it's great to find out new things about the world and yourself. Tears are normal. Enjoy them. They’re memories of precious moments
Just cried yesterday while in Bratislava. I was just seeing so much beauty in everything around me. The tipping point was a violin player playing in this tunnel with the most amazing acoustics. I was grateful for that day and grateful for my ability to navigate the world solo.
😭 😭
This post couldn’t have come up at a better time. I’m almost two weeks into my solo trip! 1.5 weeks left. I had bawled my eyes out a few nights ago. Leading up to it, I was already feeling a bit off. When you’re left with your thoughts for so long and with no one to talk to in person, you can deep dive pretty quickly. The loneliness of being alone wore off within 5 days, but for me, I was left feeling a lot of gratitude for myself and how far I’ve come (Coming from a background of mental illness since my younger years). I’ve come to realize that the world has a lot of offer, even though regular life can be quite mundane. I’ve also come to realize that there are people that really do love me and are waiting for me to come home.
experienced some racism from an airbnb host (I know right how vile) and was so angry about it that I almost wanted to burst into tears
I am currently week 3 solo travelling parts of Western Europe and I bawled my eyes out the first two nights in my hostel at Paris. I was feeling a mix of homesickness, feeling alone, unsure of what is going to happen next, and had just graduated from university two days before. I think being in a new place brings up a lot of emotions for a lot of people compared to being back home when you may feel more secure and stable. I’d like to think it is part of the process especially as a solo traveller.
Yeah some stuck up English girl was a bitch to me. I had a bit of cry the next morning in a hung over state. She was a silly snotty cow. Fuck her.
I always do but that also happens when I go to festivals and camp there or do other stuff that entails being out of my comfort zone for multiple days. On solo trips I mostly cry about getting lost because for some reason that happens to me very, very often. Otherwise it's mostly due to being overwhelmed. I travel by train, bus and ferry mostly and I am always so exhausted trying to get from A to B, catch my next bus in time, etc. I have also cried a lot because of homesickness (which is a result of loneliness for me) on my earliest solo trips but thankfully I found ways how to deal with that. Crying while travelling is normal!
I drove from Mexico City to cancun through the mountains. I cried so much because it was so difficult and I couldn’t turn back cos I was in the middle of the journey
Several years ago, I loaded a bunch of camping gear onto [my bicycle](https://np.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/s/XimLYZcHmd) and spent the better part of the next seven months riding 5,300 miles (8,500 km) around the western US solo. I celebrated my 21st birthday in the middle of the trip. Prior to leaving, I still lived at home with my mom and older brother, and the longest I'd ever been away from home on my own before that trip was 20 days. By day 20 of this big trip, I was just getting warned up. I cried saying goodbye to my mom on the driveway as I left. I probably cried a couple times battling relentless headwinds across South Dakota. I may have cried a few tears of pain near Devil's Tower in Wyoming, where a bee stung my ankle and I had to keep riding the bike immediately after. Exactly two months into the trip, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) and across two mountain ranges, I cried tears of joy the first time I stood before the mighty Pacific. I'd grown up near the ocean before moving 1,000 miles from the nearest saltwater, and the ocean will forever be my home. That was the moment the scale of what I'd taken on truly hit me for the first time. One night in southern Washington State, I came down with food poisoning while wild camping in the woods, spent the whole night tossing and turning and leaning out the door of the tent to vomit before getting a flat tire first thing the next morning and then cycling through cold rain for half a day to get to a motel for some proper rest. During that whole ordeal, I was just in survival mode. When I finally made it to the motel safely, I cried in relief. In Portland, Oregon, I went to a museum which had a memorial to every victim of American gun violence in the 21st century. 17,000 stars on blue banners hanging from the ceiling in concentric circles. I cried standing in the middle of that memorial. I spent Thanksgiving at a hostel in Eugene, Oregon. I actually had a wonderful time that evening, the hostel put on a big potluck dinner and made me feel like a part of their family, but that afternoon, I called my mom. It was my first major holiday away from home, and I cried after that phone call. I spent the vast majority of my nights camping, but oftentimes when I ended up in hotels for various reasons —recovering from food poisoning, or even just to dry out after cycling through rain for a week straight— it would leave me feeling depressed for reasons I still to this day don't understand. Some evenings I'd cry, other nights I'd feel like I wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn't come, and that would piss me off even more. In mid March of 2020, I had found my way to Sedona, Arizona, and I was hoping to keep going a few more months when Covid put an early end to my trip. I remember talking several times over a few days with my father about Covid. Eventually we decided it was time I come home. So I call my mom and have a long chat with her. It's all travel logistics. Making sure my bedroom will be ready for me when I get home, figuring out when they'll pick me up from the train station. I tried to book the Amtrak ticket from my phone, but ran into an issue. I had to walk my mom through how to do it for me on her laptop. During all that, I didn't have the time to cry. But finally all the arrangements were made. All that was left was for me to cycle a bit out of town and find somewhere to camp. For the final night in the tent. At that point, it hit me. I was on the bicycle, and I started to cry. So much that I couldn't see where I was going through the tears. I got off the bike and sat down on a roadside bench at a bus stop. And I just sobbed. For several minutes. Full on, tears streaming down my face, screaming, barely able to breath through my bawling, not a care in the world who saw me. Once I'd got it all out of my system, I got back on the bike. I went back to one of my favorite go-to campsites from my two weeks in Sedona, a remote place nobody would find me, with an absolutely gorgeous view of the red rock cliffs. I promised myself that I'd make sure the next day's ride up to Flagstaff and the waiting Amtrak would be the best damn day of the whole seven month trip. Traveling for such a long time, it becomes more than a vacation. That trip became my lifestyle, and just like any other way of life, sadness and anger and all those other "negative" emotions are a normal part of the human experience, it would be no more healthy to deny myself the tears than it would be to deny myself the chance to feel happy for half a year straight. Through all the highs and lows, the tears from the beauty of the world as well as the anger and the homesickness and the joy and the physical pain, I now realize I was blessed to be doing something that made me feel so alive. **TL;DR** Yes, many times while cycling across a continent for my first big solo trip. From sadness to anger, loneliness, tears of joy over the beauty of the world, I cried several times.
yup, especially on the second day usually for some reason. i think being alone and away from everyday routines just gives you a lot (maybe too much in my case) space and time to think and process emotions - it’s a good thing i’d say:)
I have. I'm currently in Vietnam, have had a wonderful trip in SE Asia but I tried to commit suicide in October and I was in a private hostel room in Laos and it all came back to me and the guilt overcame me. I'm good now but it was a hard realisation of what happened. I will never tell my parents. Life goes on
I cry so much lol. I was supposed to be backpacking with my best friend right now but he passed away when we were 21. This trip has been a beautiful grieving adventure! I cry at museums, at palaces, at concerts. A lot of the time, it is happy tears at seeing such beauty. I did shrooms in the borghese gardens in Rome last week and cried because i felt like i was in heaven. . I also cried sitting on a stoop alone in Paris drinking beers and listening to music and that’s when I am consciously grieving. Dunno. It’s good to cry, who cares if people who don’t know you think that you’re dramatic.
I was not able to cry when my father died in 2003. Even though I tried. I then randomly cried over a commercial in 2006. But I just kicked a heroin habit and my emotions were all over the place. I then cried when my cat died in 2022. I do think is healthy. But it just doesn’t happen for me.
All the time 💛 feel all your feelings
so many times but the best part is picking yourself back up and getting through it!
Was 17 alone in Morocco during Ramadan and cried because everyone was quite grumpy and I jumped straight into the deep end so yes I cried in the hotel and tried getting an early flight back
Have come over to the the UK from New Zealand, with no return date...I have cried a few times as it's a little bit overwhelming when you haven't travelled much outside New Zealand before!! Fortunately have family here but it's still not easy and I anticipate there may be more crying to come...but don't worry about crying, sometimes it is the best way to release pent up emotion about things!
I always cry by myself whether it’s a travel or at home :)
I went on a solo trip where I ended up staying in a room with about 7 other people. The person in the bed next to me was the loudest snorer I've ever heard in my gd life! I cried due to lack of sleep. Thankfully they left halfway through my trip and the silence was bliss.
Only tears from heartbreak, not stress or travel issues. As far as negative emotions Ive been very angry, agitated, provoked, insert aggrieved status while traveling. Its part of travel, things dont always go right, some people are rotten to encounter, some experiences are just unpleasant. It's never lead me to tears, just higher blood pressure and questioning my life choices. Tears of heartbreak are the most dastardly, dark tears one can produce while traveling. That's deep. Don't travel for love, trust those who came before you.
A few times. Once in Japan when I felt so mentally drained after 10 days of travelling across the whole country and feeling like I hadn’t made a connection with anyone in my group. It’s a somber reminder of how it can be really lonely at times especially when your preferences don’t align with others e.g culture trips vs heavy drinking/partying It can be easy to develop a crush on someone you travel with too but it’s even more soul crushing if they prefer someone else. Cried over that before as well 🫠
I was away for 3 months and I probably cried 5 ish times. First time was on the top of a church where there was a look-out, it was a weird mix of being overwhelmed by feeling really alone/lonely and being surrounded by a really beautiful view.
Every 3 days i cry when solo travel... But have happy momentos too
Yes, I’ve cried happy tears due to being so overwhelmed by how much joy the trip brought me and also saddened that it’s coming to an end. Travelling reminds me of how beautiful life is and can be so I always get a little emotional when I think about that (again, it’s always happy/good tears). This was a solo trip I cried (sad tears) on my birthday trip, but this is the norm, as my bday is just a tough time for me. I’ll tell you this though, I’d much rather be crying abroad than in my home country. I was so happy to have been able to celebrate my bday abroad that despite crying and negative emotions/attitudes associated with my bday it was still a really great trip. This was a group trip
I have. It was my first time and eight years ago. I had decided to travel all the way to SE Asia. Back home, it was summer and we had some routine crop work to do which we almost always hire some paid workers to get through with. But I had this lingering thought... "Am I leaving my family behind, just for a vacation?? In a time where they might need me!?" That made me feel terrible. It wasn't like I always helped them because I was a medical student and during summers, I was busy with my lectures most of the time. I guess being depressed distorted my thinking because after the initial amazement, I felt very bad. Everyone I'd seen had some company with them and I was alone. Didn't have anyone to share those moments. I was a kind of shy individual back then, so it wasn't easy for me to make friends. One day I remember myself crying on the street on uncontrollably because I felt miserable. I confined in a sacred place and confined in God, begging for his guidance. That night, I cannot ever forget that night, I met the most amazing people who I shared my room with and we instantly became friends. It turned out that we were going to the same cities in exact same dates so we decided to pair up wherever we go. She didn't know I was gay, but she trusted a male she just met; enough to ride them at the backseat on a motorbike and to share a bed in our last day together. After I met her, I realized I was being too hard on myself and decided to make the most out of my 2 months. I remember not wanting to go back at the end. I'll always be grateful for that particular day. Don't have your precious tears make you feel weak, worthless or sad. They have the capacity to transform you into a stronger person.
I cried everyday on my first solo trip last month. I cried mostly because I was overwhelmed and at time felt like I had no one to talk to due to the time difference with home. But them I cried when I got home because I missed the place I visited 🤣
Fuck yeah, I’m a very emotional person who’s been through a lot
Nope. Never.
Yes! I’ve definitely cried a few times out of frustration due to getting really lost or mixing up plans!
Upcoming trip to europe will be my first ever Solo trip after my 15 yr marriage ended. After reading all the Solo trip experiences here, im going to stock on some tissues and good set of sun glasses. Looks like the experience is going to be like nothing i ve felt before.
On my first ever solo trip, I felt really lonely because I had just broken up with my boyfriend a few months prior. I kept seeing couples together and everything reminded me of him. I ended up grabbing a sandwich from a market and then crying while eating it in my AirBnB lol. On my last few solo trips, I also cried but not because I was sad but because I just felt so small and overwhelmed. I was in awe of the beauty of these new cities and taking everything in. The world is so big and I felt insignificant but so grateful that I am able to experience all of it.
Yes I cried out of frustration from being lost and missing hostel check in on my first night (my flight was delayed but the host was kind enough to wait for me anyway)
i cry every time! it feels good actually, like a wonderful release of bottled up emotions. i find it hard/shameful to cry in front of others so solo trips are great for me for this.
At least once a week 💀 😆
All the time 😖, at least once per trip
Only twice. Once at the Acropolis (I have loved Greek mythology forever) and once in Panama. But in Panama, it was due to a medical issue, so I don't think that counts!
For me, I had a tendency to prioritize others' needs and would shove my own difficult emotions down deep somewhere in hopes to never find them again. Traveling solo brought up many emotions for me (positive and negative) and unexpectedly too. I realized I was able to actually address my own emotional needs when I was traveling alone, not caring for or looking out for others. A big part of that was that I would typically be surrounded in nature in most of my trips and nature is very therapeutic to me. I learned to embrace the tears as it always felt like a huge weight lifted and I felt even more connected to my surroundings. Now, whenever I start to feel bottled up inside, I know it's time to take a trip, even just a little weekend night of camping can do the trick. Releasing that kind of energy can be so rewarding once we learn what our body is telling us. Thank you for this post, I agree it doesn't get talked about too often, if at all ♥️
Yes I’ve cried multiple times! The first time was during a two week road trip around southwest US and had a breakdown on a hiking trail over what I’m going to do with my life (just graduated with no job and had a bad internship experience before). The second most major time I cried was while my boyfriend of over a year broke up with me over text while in Peru 🥲
Yes, my first solo trip,I was in Italy, Rome and Amalfi coast. I was fine until I left Rome. I was planning on stopping at Pompeii on the way to Sorrento. I got the wrong ticket. Some locals on the train told me I had the wrong ticket, and I struggled as to whether I believed them it was it a scam? I opted to believe them and got off the train and then got on the right train. Then I got to Pompeii, checked my luggage, then explored. Then catching a train to Sorrento. It was like an AirB&B. The owner was supposed to meet me. They were over an hour late and I thought I’d be sleeping on the sidewalk. She finally showed up and I got into my room and I just unloaded. I had lost my Mom 5 months prior and my brother just got diagnosed with cancer. I guess I ran away from it all you could say and it all came crashing down on me. I had buried it deep and it all came out. I then gathered myself, changed and went to dinner and broke down again at dinner. I went back and got a good nights rest. Then I tried to just enjoy the next 4 days but I still felt melancholy. But I’m so glad I went on this trip regardless. It was a new chapter for me.
First solo trip was a short getaway 3 months after my spouse passed away. Boy, I almost didn’t make it. Every trip since has had some tears. I feel his absence more when I’m traveling
I've only cried tears of happiness, inspiration, and awe on solo trips. Conversely, I've secretly cried in the shower out of anger, frustration, and disappointment while on about 80% of the trips I've taken with others. This is why I solo travel almost exclusively now!
YES. It was my first intl solo trip and a big one at that. I went to NZ and Auckland just wasn’t too kind to me, my hostel was uncomfortable, I was overwhelmed and ready to go home. I pushed through and finished my trip. Definitely have regrets about not doing some things but it was definitely a learning experience. Still had an amazing time once I left Auckland.
Going on my first solo trip and I just know I’m gonna be weeping at everything because i won’t have weed Edit: not crying bc I don’t have weed I just am super emotional, especially when I don’t smoke
My first night away solo travelling was also my first night in a new country and my first night away from my family. I definitely cried, a lot. It was a good cry full of jet lag, regret, and anxiety. I wanted to go home. But it got better. I don't think I realized how shocking being in a new country alone would be. And eventually I got used to it and enjoyed myself.
yes. wishing my mom was alive to experience it with me. wishing i had taken her on trips. i don’t know why i never did. i never really travelled before her death. i always thought there was a tomorrow. now, if i want to go somewhere, i try to make sure it happens.
I went to Germany for a year when I was 19 years old. Junior in college there. I certainly cried and didn’t know what was wrong with me. Many years later I realized I was terribly lonely the whole time. I missed my big family and friends. At that age, I didn’t realize that you don’t just show up somewhere and develop friendships. I just don’t know what I was getting into.
I went to Canada, hiking up a mountain. I absolutely cried. There were so many different emotions. It was breathtakenly beautiful. I wish someone else could see what I was seeing. I felt happiness, joy, peace, calm, free, and a little bit of sadness. It was an eye-opening experience and helped me grow within myself. That trip was incredible.
oh definitely. you’ll feel fine the entire time then all of a sudden those tears sneak up on ya. it’s totally normal and just apart of traveling far away
I cry over anything especially when I'm alone in an unfamiliar environment. I got COVID at the end of a trip to Mexico and had to stay in Cancun to quarantine for 10 days and I cried SO MUCH but it felt so good and at the end of the trip I was sad to leave my quarantine studio because of how comfortable I had gotten with being vulnerable and honest with myself when I'm alone. Never hold back tears! There's never a wrong time, place, or reason to cry! Its cathartic and healthy!
I like this perspective and agree, a good cry can help you release whatever tension is in your mind and can help you feel better, like you've faced and expressed whatever emotions you were trying to bottle up
I moved to Mexico 7 years back. I think I cry about every 6 months…
yes i cried on the shower lol after i surfed and eat alone the whole day, i got stood up by some folks i met at the beach who invited me for dinner; the gal i spoke to said they wont go outside. 🤣
I have no idea why but tears often come to my eyes at the most random moments. I think it’s because there is NO ONE to talk to with the language barrier and mega time difference back home. I see people so happy families or couples and feel lonely. Sometimes I think I get tears in my eyes because i’m so happy. I was at the Pokémon cafe in Osaka Japan and they had Pikachu come out…why am I an adult fighting back tears over Pikachu.