I’ve only ever taken trips that were under 10 days, and I’ve never really travelled outside of my continent alone before, only ever with family. So when I think about taking a bigger solo trip, the “splurge” part feels very real
Solo travel sounds amazing, but it also comes with all those costs that are usually easier when split with someone else like single supplements at hotels, rental cars, taxis/transfers, even just not being able to split meals or little extras. It adds up so fast.
So I’m curious, what’s a trip or experience you splurged on that was genuinely worth it? It can be under 10 days or way longer, doesn’t matter. I’d love to hear what made you think, “okay yeah, that was expensive… but I’d do it again.”
When I travel alone (and I always want to keep a budget in mind) I usually pick one or two nights in a really fancy hotel- either at the end of somewhere in the middle of my journey. I consider it a way to reset, enjoy a super long hot shower, and it really makes the vacation feel like a vacation.
I built a trip around a splurge: a 5 day live aboard in the Galapagos during Covid, so I (with the others on the boat) hiked and snorkeled every day in different spots on different islands with a naturalist. It was a good deal. If you can afford to be flexible, I would go during low season and see if you can get a reduced price ticket because if the ship is not full, you can sometimes score a discount. Go to Santa Cruz’s Puerto Ayora and ask around. You can spend a few days ahead of time learning/exploring and seeing things even on your own. It is enchanting because there are endemic, native species you can see easily (frigates, bluefooted boobies, smaller marine iguanas and sometimes the bigger ones). The Charles Darwin Research center is there, you can use a day and take a tour and see all the islands’ tortoises because of the breeding program. You can see the big tortoises in the wild if you rent a bike and take the bus up to Bella Vista and ride downhill, stopping whenever you see a tortoise. Don’t go on private property and don’t bother them, but you can get up to the fence. Also you can take a ferry to San Cristobal and snorkel in Los Lobos (AMAZING). I bought a fish at the market and had the restaurant next to my hostel prepare it for me. I bought bread from bakeries and produce as well as dried fruits, so it was less expensive than eating out all the time. It was expensive, but it was a screaming good deal during pandemic because there were much fewer people and lots of options (everything was not overbooked already). 100% worth it. I want to go back, but am trying to get some other places off the bucket list. Made me fall in love with solo travel though.
While I wouldn’t do it again, the most expensive solo trip I ever took was to Antarctica. All told, it cost me about $10,000. So, yeah, I splurged. Was it worth it? Every penny. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had. To visit a place that relatively few people have been to, and to see the world at its most wild, was something that I will never forget. I don’t know if it’s for everyone, but it was definitely the right call for me.
@AaronP Antarctica is probably the one trip I’d splurge on without overthinking it. It’s been on my bucket list for years, and I’m hoping I can make it happen sometime in the next 15 years to be realistic hahaha. It’s definitely not a small expense, so I’m already mentally preparing for it to be my “big travel splurge.” Just a quick question tho, anything you wish you’d known before you booked? Or feel like could have gone a bit better/smoother?
