My First Solo Trip Was a Disaster—Here’s What It Taught Me

I thought my first solo trip would feel empowering and effortless. I pictured myself sitting at cafés, shopping, and fully leaning into that main character energy everyone talks about.

Instead, I found myself standing in an airport in a foreign country with no phone service, no clear plan, and a growing feeling that I had made a huge mistake.

My first solo trip was a three day trip to Paris. I had heard it was the perfect place to start. It felt safe, familiar, and easy to romanticize. Looking back, I think I underestimated how different it would feel doing it alone.

From the moment I landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport, things started going wrong. My phone service was not working, my eSIM would not activate, and the offline maps I thought I downloaded were not helpful. I had planned to take the metro to my hotel, but instead I was convinced to buy a bus ticket and ended up on a bus heading somewhere outside of Paris.

I did not realize what was happening until the bus stopped and everyone, including my suitcase, started getting off. I grabbed my bag and followed the crowd, which led me to a metro station. From there, I somehow managed to buy the wrong ticket, get on the wrong train, and end up in what looked like a mall. At that point, my phone battery was almost dead and I was struggling to connect to public wifi. I walked around until I found a signal strong enough to call an Uber, and somehow the driver showed up just before my phone died.

When I finally made it to my hotel, I felt relieved for about five minutes. Then I unpacked and realized I forgot to pack pants. I only had the sweatpants I wore on the plane.

After charging my phone, which still did not have service, I took screenshots of directions and walked around the city trying to find a store. I ended up at a GAP and bought jeans, thinking that maybe the worst of it was behind me.

It was not.

After visiting the Louvre Museum, I bought a box of macarons from a nearby café and that ended up being what I lived on for the rest of the trip. Not exactly the Paris food experience I had imagined, but at that point it felt easier than another uncomfortable interaction

Over the next couple of days, I felt completely out of place. I got lost on the metro more times than I can count, struggled with the language barrier, and had several interactions that made me feel uncomfortable. At one point, I got stuck at a metro station outside the city after a shopping trip. I could not figure out how to get the right ticket, and the help button was not useful because I could not communicate what I needed.

Eventually, I did something I would never normally do. I slipped through the turnstile behind a woman with a stroller just to get out. In that moment, I was not thinking about rules, I just wanted to get back.

Ironically, on the way home, I went to the ticket window and asked for help directly. That simple decision made everything easier, and I realized I should have done that sooner.

When things started to click

It was not until my last night that things finally started to feel the way I imagined.

My eSIM started working, and I met two women from New York around my age. We ended up sitting at a café drinking wine, then went on a Seine River cruise, and finished the night with espresso martinis and crème brûlée.

For a few hours, everything clicked, and I got a glimpse of the trip I thought I would have.

On my departure day, I thought I was in the clear. I got to the airport early, handled my VAT refund, and made my way to my gate. Then I overheard someone say they needed a stamp on their paperwork, which I did not have. With less than two hours before boarding, I decided to go back and try to figure it out.

I waited in line for almost forty five minutes, only to be told that I did not need the stamp. By the time I made it back toward security, things took another turn. Passport control was suddenly cleared out because of a potential security issue, and everything came to a stop. That was the moment I knew I was going to miss my flight.

I walked over to the Delta counter feeling completely defeated. A representative stopped me and asked what I needed. I told him I thought I was going to miss my flight, and he walked me over to the counter to help. When the agent asked where I wanted to go, I said, “I just want to go home.”

He looked at me and said, “Don’t worry. I’m going to get you home.”

It was a simple moment, but after everything that had happened, it meant more than I expected.

That trip did not go the way I planned, but it made me a better traveler. It gave me confidence, perspective, and a much more realistic understanding of what solo travel could look like.

I get asked a lot if I would go back to Paris to give it another chance. Maybe. I know I would navigate the city differently now, and I am sure the experience would feel easier. But there are also so many other places I would rather explore first.

Then again, travel has a funny way of bringing you back to places you did not expect. Maybe one day I will find myself there again for work or for a completely different kind of trip.

I share this story because if you are worried your first solo trip will not be perfect, it probably will not be. But that does not mean it will not be worth it.