My first solo trip

This year I have challenged myself to embrace the idea of not waiting for anyone else + taking imperfect action to do the things I love (even if that means being pushed outside my comfort zone). This has led me to take my first (mostly) solo trip to London + Paris + parts of Germany.

I have been longing to travel to Europe since my first trip in 2016 so when my parents mentioned the idea of going to Europe to watch the Tour De France I was immediately sold on meeting them in Paris for the final stage. I based my trip around this but ended up doing 5 solo days in London, one solo Paris day + 3 days of family time, 3 days with a friend in Munster Germany, a solo day trip to Amsterdam, and 3 solo days in Hamburg.

Some key lessons I learned:

• You will get through a lot of things – I was honestly shocked at how many things I could see/ do in a day when I was by myself. You don’t have anyone else to accommodate for and will through museums + attractions at a much faster pace than you
• Set “chill time” – It’s easy to feel like you should always be doing something fun while solo traveling but listening to your body and taking time to relax will benefit your trip in the long run.
• Plan (a little) Ahead- I love to just go out and explore but I recommend having at least one thing planned or booked for each day, like a museum spot or a dinner reservation, and then exploring from there.
• Don’t overpack – It’s a hassle moving luggage from place to place, especially when taking public transportation sans elevator so pack light. Personally as a fashion girlie, I was determined to find some cool European pieces to bring back so I packed mostly basics that could be restyled or styled with new items I purchased on my trip. I also planned on doing laundry and recommend doing that to allow you to re-wear items.

Must have packing list:

• towel (especially if you are staying in hostels)
• beis mini weekender 
• beis suitcase – I didn’t use this suitcase but my current suitcase fell apart on the way home so I am eyeing this one for my next trip
• packing cubes
• makeup bag
• luggage locks
• comfy white tennis shoes 
• cadence travel containers

Stay tuned for an in-depth dive into my favorite memories and recommendations from this trip: coming soon!