There are a lot of reasons people decide to travel solo. For me, it was less about adventure and more about necessity. I was stuck in a negative headspace, focused on everything that felt wrong in my life, and a good friend noticed. She suggested volunteering as a way to shift my focus outward. She was onto something. But I took it one step further and decided to volunteer internationally, somewhere far enough from home that I’d have no choice but to be fully present.
After researching organizations, I settled on a reputable program and started narrowing down destinations. India had been calling my name for years, but I knew myself well enough to know that an intense, hot climate on a first solo trip wasn’t the right starting point. I needed something manageable. Short flight, cooler temperatures, enough structure to feel supported but enough freedom to explore. Peru checked every box. Six hours from the U.S., winter temperatures in the Sacred Valley, a Spanish immersion class built into the program, and a full week of independent travel afterward. I was in.
Of course, I had plenty of what-ifs swirling around. What if I was the oldest volunteer there? What if I was placed alone with a host family and couldn’t connect? What if I hated it and wanted to come home? I committed anyway, and that decision changed everything.
I landed in Lima, survived a long layover, and caught an early morning flight to Cusco. From there, I did something I would not recommend in hindsight: I found a random taxi to take me to Pisac in the Sacred Valley on my own, with no one waiting for me on the other end. My taxi driver turned out to be perfectly lovely and I arrived safely at a small cottage where I’d spend the weekend before the volunteer work began. Lesson learned, though. There is a difference between brave and careless, and I got lucky.
The Sacred Valley was worth every bit of the journey. It was beautiful in a way that felt almost spiritual, full of travelers from around the world on their own versions of a reset. I wandered, I exhaled, and I felt something shift. For the return to Cusco, I asked the property manager to arrange a car. Progress.
Arriving at the volunteer HQ in Cusco, I was taken to my volunteer house and pleasantly surprised. Patty, the host, had a four-story house with volunteers occupying the second and third floors. I paid extra for a private room and quickly felt at home with my fellow volunteers, who ranged from a retired teacher to a recent high school graduate.
My assignment was at a boys’ orphanage, working afternoon shifts from 2:00 to 6:00. Mornings were spent in Spanish class, which I loved so much I immediately regretted not signing up for a full month. The orphanage, though, was harder than I expected. We were told not to bring valuables because theft was common. On the second day, I reluctantly took the bus back with my colleagues instead of a taxi, and I was pickpocketed. Standing in an unfamiliar part of the city, in the dark, without a phone (didn’t have esims back then!) or wallet, was not a highlight of the trip. A kind American woman at a nearby café let me use her phone, the volunteer office came to help, and my housemates rallied to get my cards canceled and money wired. It was stressful, it was scary, but I did not go home.
My assignment was at a boys’ orphanage, working afternoon shifts from 2:00 to 6:00. Mornings were spent in Spanish class, which I loved so much I immediately regretted not signing up for a full month. The orphanage, though, was harder than I expected. We were told not to bring valuables because theft was common. On the second day, I reluctantly took the bus back with my colleagues instead of a taxi, and I was pickpocketed. Standing in an unfamiliar part of the city, in the dark, without my phone or wallet, was not a highlight of the trip. A kind American woman at a nearby café let me use her phone, the volunteer office came to help, and my housemates rallied to get my cards canceled and money wired. It was stressful, it was scary, and I did not go home.
After that week, three of my housemates and I set off together for what turned out to be one of the most memorable stretches of travel I have ever experienced. An overnight bus to a small town, then a boat across Lake Titicaca to visit the famous floating islands of the Uros people, and eventually a night with a local family on one of the islands with no running water and no electricity. I am not someone who roughed it easily at that point in my life. But lying outside that night looking up at the Milky Way stretching across a completely dark sky, I understood exactly why people do this.
We made our way back to Cusco and on to the moment I had been anticipating since I booked the trip: Machu Picchu. The train to Aguas Calientes, the early bus up the mountain, and then the site itself. Every photo you have seen of Machu Picchu does not fully prepare you for standing inside it. Our guide brought the Inca civilization to life in a way that made the ruins feel inhabited rather than just old. I stayed as long as I possibly could.
I left Peru a different person. Not dramatically, not all at once, but in a way I could feel clearly. I was more present, more grateful, and considerably less stuck than I had been when I boarded that first flight. Solo travel has a way of returning you to yourself, and Peru handed me back a version of myself I had been missing.
I have taken several solo trips since then. Each one has taught me something I could not have learned any other way. If a solo trip has been sitting in the back of your mind, I hope this nudges you forward. The first one is the hardest, and it is also the one you will talk about for years.
And yes, the moment I got home I ordered a proper backpack. I was ready for whatever came next.
A custom itinerary can make solo travel feel more supported and less overwhelming, that’s exactly what I help with.
I put together a free one-page Solo Travel Confidence Checklist to help you feel prepared and excited before you go. Just the essentials, plus a little encouragement for the road. I would love to help you take that first step.