Life moments, big and little, are worth marking in a special way.
There are certain life moments that cannot be forgotten. They are just so huge.
But there are so many more that deserve celebration and can be somewhat lost to memory over time. This is why they must be marked by doing something special.
Which moments matter most in life are very personal. What matters to one person may not be significant to another. That's how moments can get lost. They don't evoke traditional celebration by family and friends. They require the individual to whom the moment is significant to declare it so and make it memorable.
Solo travel is a natural way for marking a significant life moment in your own, very personal way.
Life Moments Best Celebrated with a Solo Trip
A life moment is a defining moment. It's a moment when a decision is made, a goal is achieved, or an external force changes everything.
Sometimes these moments are important to you but found quirky or mildly amusing by others. These are the moments that are particularly suited for celebration with a solo trip.
I'll give you an example close to home.
Tracey, our editor, is working on an editing certificate from Simon Fraser University. The detail that is required to get this certificate is beyond me even considering. Technical knowledge of grammar, above what even the most proficient writer needs to be successful, is demanded in this course. From my perspective, this certificate program is as uninteresting and as geeky as it gets. But for Tracey, it makes her heart soar. She loves it. Graduation from this program demands a personal celebration for which solo travel is a good fit.
Here are a few life moments worth celebrating with solo travel.
- A new job, business, or side hustle. When you begin any of these, you will be busy. Possibly, very busy. Still, you can carve out a weekend to mark such an important event.
- Completing school. College and university can be all-consuming. Graduating can be a relief. Start saving early so that you don't add to any student debt but have a fabulous celebratory trip on the horizon.
- Reaching a new level of proficiency. For me, it will be when I reach a new level of fluency in French. For you, it may be completing a painting course or reaching another level in yoga. Take your success with you and enjoy it in another locale.
- An empty nest. When a child heads off to college or university, they are definitely going to celebrate. The parent, however, is often left with a void. And yet, this occasion deserves celebration for they have achieved the grand task of raising a child to independence. Celebrate your success with a solo trip.
- Loss of a loved one. Whether it's a partner or good friend, losing someone is a life passage. While celebrating may not be on the agenda, commemorating and marking the loss is. I have found travel to be a gentle lift during grief.
- Completion of a personal project. If you have been doing something that has been consuming your time and you complete the project, you have reason to celebrate. Perhaps you've been working on a quilt for a year, or renovating your home, or completing a complicated project at work. Whatever it is, when time is freed up, celebrate the accomplishment with time on your own, traveling solo.
- Retirement. Friends and partners do not typically retire all at the same time. Solo travel affords a celebration of retirement that is very personal.
- Being debt free. For many, this is a huge life moment. The freedom of being debt-free is significant. Celebrate with a trip that is paid off before you leave.
- A health scare. Surviving a health scare is about as good a reason as I can think of for celebration.
How to Make Solo Travel Your Celebration
To celebrate anything well, we shake up the ordinary. We do special, sometimes over-the-top things, to make the life moment being marked, memorable.
There is little better than travel to shake things up. To take it over the top, choose a trip that is both significant to you personally but also epic in terms of grandeur, whatever grandeur means to you.
Here are a few ideas.
- Have a portrait taken. What better way to mark a special trip than to have a proper portrait taken at your destination. Flytographer has photographers all over the world that you can book online.
- Climb a mountain. It doesn't have to be a big mountain but, if you have achieved something significant, if you have overcome a challenge, the climbing of a mountain can be symbolic of your triumph.
- Go to a new continent. Travel somewhere truly special, a place you've never been, into a new culture, for a memorable experience that you will always connect with your life moment.
- Cross the continental divide. The continental divide in North America is the boundary that delineates whether a river will drain into the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. It's like a geographic decision point and seems appropriate for certain life moments.
- Take an epic train trip. There are some truly special train trips around the world. The Ghan in Australia and the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada are just two that are absolutely celebration-worthy.
- Stand in nature's grandeur. Standing in nature on a grand scale, where the landscape is vast–for example, in the Arctic–can fill you up with the meaning of life and the natural world. It may make the reason for your celebration actually feel small, which is counter to the purpose of this post. But it can also tilt the axis of your life in preparation for whatever is next.
Life is full of occasions for celebration. Sometimes that celebration is best lived solo.
Go and celebrate you!
You might also enjoy reading about how members of the Solo Travel Society have celebrated birthdays and other milestones with solo travel.
