Travel Tips
Solo Travel Tips for National Parks
Whether you’re road tripping across the country or checking out a bucket list national park, these solo travel tips will help provide cathartic opportunities to explore nature and find yourself in turn.
Prepare Yourself
This is usually one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me – the prep! And starting from square one (or even zero) is part of the fun. So of the most important solo travel tips is to pull out those bucket lists, find those destinations that you’ve been eager to go to, and build that excitement for yourself. Use that beautiful, all-knowing tool that we have at our disposal and search the worldwide web for all of your answers. We all travel differently, and as a solo traveler, you only have to tailor the experience to the most important person: you! There is so much know about every destination: where to eat, what to do, where to lay your head at night and more. However, it is important on all outdoor excursions to have the essentials such as:
- Nutrients: whether it’s water bladders, freeze-dried meals or glacier-fed waterfalls you should always know where and how to sustain your food and water supplies.
- First Aid: the further you get into nature, the further you are from emergency services. Having a First Aid kit handy is vital, as it is always better to have it and not need it.
- Wildlife Awareness: Be knowledgeable about what wildlife you might encounter. Know if you’re in bear country and carry the necessary bear spray and have a food storage plan.
- Communicate with Your People: I always let at least three different people know my whereabouts and when they can expect to hear back from me. Disconnection is the best part of the outdoor experience, which is why we must do it safely.
Did you know Yellowstone National Park can receive snow all 12 months of the year? This Florida boy was particularly shocked to get dumped on in June! Always pack layers, in any event. Nature is unforgiving, which is why it’s important to do your due diligence. As important as it is to be prepared, I find it equally as important to capture these moments for yourself. With nobody else in your party, don’t be afraid to get creative! I’ve taken selfies and videos at packed locations, set up the tripod for myself and even asked others to take photos of me! The outdoor community is quite welcoming for the most part, which can strike conversations and even new friendships.
Make Connections
My friends have told me “Jayson, you can make friends with a rock!” While I have, it is equally as fun to befriend fellow humans. Nature provides the perfect endorphin boost to increase both confidence and kindness, a wonderful combination for genuine connection.
As a man of color, it’s always reassuring to find the diversity that surrounds me in all forms and I like to think it encourages others to feel comfortable doing the same – because mother nature welcomes EVERYONE. When those authentic interactions occur, they only cultivate more. One minute you’re asking someone to take your photo or viewing wildlife at the same time and the next you are summiting a new trail together, creating an insane new memory with people you enjoy to the fullest.
I have made countless lifelong friends from similar interactions and I thank them all the time for being another kind human to entrust on this experience I worked hard to create, only for it to be taken to a completely different level with them. While I could go on about the attachments we make with others in nature, I could go on much further about what solo travel does for the individual.
Seek Solidarity
As I said earlier, most of my travel is alone. It’s hard for friends who are so committed to their lives to drop everything for little old me, which is understandable and also why I must keep on my own path. The year-round solo travel certainly has its advantages. I grew up in cities like New York City, Orlando and Atlanta, and work in some of busiest destinations during the warmer months. It could be why I frequently live and travel in smaller places – I’m talking like less than 2,000 people small for the most part. Less people and more space can give us time to recharge and look inward for reflection. The health benefits I receive alone are more than worth the constant movement, whether that’s mentally, physically or spiritually.
I encourage you to solo travel simply for the sake of nourishing that love you give to yourself, if for nothing else. Through it, I’ve found attributes in myself that I only dreamt of years ago. That inner work will not only allow you to thrive but lift others around you. You can’t imagine the natural path you’ll find when you walk the one truest to who you are and traveling by your lonesome is a great way to find it. My key piece of advice: GO and go often!
