After 50,000+ miles of traveling with my little in the past year, it’s a rare and special treat when I hit the road alone.  Recently, I took a trip without my Tiny Traveler and let me tell you, it was not at all what I expected! It was awesome but it was lonely, it was exciting but relaxing, it was sad and still SO fun. Come along with me on this thoroughly documented, selfie enhanced, SUPER real, sometimes unflattering, crazy roller coaster ride of emotions! I’m going to take you down the rabbit hole of the 3 Stages of Solo Travel that I experienced.

Hang on…here we go!

Stage #1: Extremely Excited!

My initial reaction to the idea of traveling solo is always pure EXCITEMENT! I typically do a little happy dance of some sort! Next, I spend a disgustingly long time daydreaming about all of the glamorous things I could be doing on my trip since I’ll have two free hands, no children hanging on my legs and I’ll be FREE. I tell myself all kinds of exhilarating lies…

Lie #1: “I’m going to hit the spa for the whole day!”

Once I’m actually on the trip, the unfortunate reality sinks in. I’m actually not going to hit the spa for the whole day because I usually blow all my fun money on buying cute outfits and souvenirs for Lucian! My “spa day” turns into just slathering up with free hotel lotion and sunning my outrageously white, Wisconsin legs, while sitting out on the patio. So lame.

Lie #2: “I might get crazy and drink a whole bottle of wine!”

So it turns out, I don’t get to drink that much anymore and I’m kind of terrible at partying now days. With that being said, I’m cashed out and rendered completely useless at two glasses. (Bonus: I guess I’m a cheap date now!) Being a new mom, I find myself dreaming of my comfortable bed and a full nights sleep, instead of club life and bar scenes.

Lie #3: “I’m going to catch up on some rest and sleep in!”

This is the biggest lie I tell myself. Come on now…we all know that there is no more sleeping in, so why do we keep telling ourselves this tall tale? Sleeping late has been replaced by this aggravating, little internal clock. At the exact time I would be getting up at home, an annoying alarm starts buzzing in my body. It’s 5 :45a.m. and I’m fully awake! Shoot me! I force myself to lay there to appreciate the quiet and stressless wakeup but then I’m mad at myself for wasting a beautiful morning. Who am I?! In the days before kiddos, I would sleep all day if I wanted and now I’m worried about wasting a nice morning? Sigh….

Stage #2 – Super Sad!

Yes, this me. (So embarrassing!) Looking like a monkey…choking down tears…right before a classic ugly cry. This is the weirdest of all the feels. One would imagine that after being joined at the hip with my baby for 50,000 miles, that I would be thankful for some alone time…well….not exactly. I genuinely feel sad and lonely when I’m on the road without my Tiny Traveler. It’s really like a pathetic, after school special during this phase. This is the “lumpy throat and hoping no one asks if you’re ok”, moment of the solo travel.

“Who is going to snug me during takeoff?”

“I miss my baby!”

“I should’ve just brought her with me.”

“I wonder what she’s doing now?”

I’ve gotten so used to having a little cling-on, that it’s sometimes hard to enjoy things alone. I spend a lot of time wishing Lucian was along for the ride. Passing cute parks and thinking about her playing, seeing other kids and feeling devastatingly heartsick, and experiencing cool things and wishing she was with me. I think I might be losing my mind, but I even miss the crying, the whining and the messes, when I’m on the road!

Note: Sappy music while traveling makes you miss your kids so much MORE!

Tip: If you slow danced to the song at your wedding, do NOT listen to it when you’re sad. It won’t make you feel a bit a better and it’ll leave you snot nosed, red eyed and blotchy faced!  You’ll be tearing up faster than you can say, “I need a Kleenex!”

Stage #3 – Really Relaxed!

There is something magical that happens when a momma truly relaxes! Once I finally let go and allow myself to relax, the trip gets exponentially better! I order myself a drink on the plane and enjoy the fact that I can have my tray table down and no tiny fingers are going to destroy the contents. I lounge back into my seat, (that I’m thankful I’m not sharing with anyone), and rest my arms at my sides while I appreciate the fact that I’m not hopelessly wrangling a child to sit down. In the morning, I take time to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of coffee on my patio in silence, even if it’s just for a few minutes. At night, I lay down knowing that I don’t have to get up unless I feel like taking an evening stroll. Better yet, I happily roll around in my snuggly nest knowing that I don’t have to get out of bed in the morning until I’m good and ready. This is the really GREAT stage of solo travel.

A final word of wisdom: JUST ENJOY IT!

There are very few times in our crazy busy lives that we get to take time off of “Momming” and just enjoy ourselves. It’s unbelievably important that we take the opportunities when they arise to go on those girls-only vacations, take work trips solo, schedule a romantic getaway without our littles or even just go on a short recharge weekend away! And even though, the emotions of Solo-Travel Trips are a wild trip all on their own, I’m thankful and refreshed when I return. I’m ready to tackle the everyday whirlwind of life again.

My advice…do it for YOU, do it for your FAMILY and absolutely DO IT whenever you can!