Want to see the world but don’t have someone to go with all the time? A former United Airlines employee and TikTok creator explains why you should book a solo trip.
Megan Homme, who has made several viral TikToks encouraging others to book solo trips, told Fox News Digital that her first solo trip was “life-changing.”
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When Homme worked at United, she was given the perk of free flights, and many of her co-workers went on solo trips, but Homme said she initially thought, “It can’t be that fun.”
“I didn’t think this was going to be a good time. I thought it was going to be very lonely. But once you do it, you’re like, oh, I get it. People say, you’re at your limit.” To do that, and it’s true,” she said.
Ms Homme said she was “tired” of waiting for others to join to take advantage of the ticket benefits. She embarked on her first solo trip to Key West, Florida, and she said she wanted her first trip to be somewhere “easy” and “comfortable.”
Panoramic view of Fort Zachary Taylor State Beach during Easter weekend during spring break on April 4, 2021 in Key West, Florida. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“Once you do it, you’re like, oh, I can do this. So from then on, it became easier and easier to go to more distant destinations,” she said.
Homme explains that one of the main benefits of traveling solo is that you can spend “100% of your time” doing whatever you want while on the road, explaining that you don’t always have plenty of vacation time or money to spend on travelling. I mentioned that it is not.
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“Everyone is spending a lot of money on travel, and just because a friend wants to do something doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do something that doesn’t excite you. So I want to be able to spend 100% of my money. “Your time is precious,” she continued.
The TikToker argued that adventuring alone requires you to make connections with new people, unlike traveling with friends.
Homme said that when she was a flight attendant, she was “tired” of waiting for others to join her to take advantage of flight benefits. (AP Photo/David Zarbowski, File)
“When you’re with friends, you already have people to hang out with, so you might not go out of your way to interact with other people while traveling. But when you’re alone, you’re less motivated to go on strike. “It’s much more intense” while starting a conversation and meeting someone. [I’m] It’s there,” she explained.
When embarking on your first trip, Homme recommends starting small and going somewhere you feel comfortable, and says that weekend trips near U.S. beaches are a great place to start.
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“I think everyone imagines traveling alone, [sees] Videos of people backpacking through Southeast Asia, [but] It doesn’t have to be your first trip,” the TikToker said.
“I’m getting used to the actual physical aspects of solo travel. It’s like going to the airport, getting on a plane, checking into a hotel. So that’s probably the easiest way to get started. I think so,” she said.
Homme says there are many ways to make friends and stay safe when traveling alone. Staying in a hostel is a great way to meet other solo travelers, but if that’s not your thing, you can book various group tours and be surrounded by other people.
“When you work on something like this, the audience is captivated. [Say] “If you go on a small river cruise for a few hours with the same 15 people, you can start a conversation,” Homme emphasizes. Another great way to meet other people is to start a conversation. he said. Ask someone to take your photo.
“Some girls asked me to take their picture, and I started talking to them, and they were like, ‘Oh, actually, I’m waiting for dinner reservations. Do you want to come?’ ‘ And I ended up spending the rest of the weekend with them,’ the author recalled of his summer trip to Denmark.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – JUNE 5: Library garden between the Royal Library and Christiansborg Parliament seen on June 5, 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark. King Frederick VII gave Denmark a constitution in 1849. (Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images) ((Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images))
Homme says staying in hotels with AirBnb is one of her favorite ways to feel safe when jetting alone, and that the hotel staff makes sure she’s “watched over.” ” he said. Otherwise, practicing basic safety measures at home is the same as when traveling.
“Don’t go out alone too late after dark. Just be careful.” [the] But these are all tips that apply to you, whether you are alone or in a group,” Om stressed, adding that she has yet to feel unsafe when traveling alone.
The author encourages others to take the plunge and book a solo trip, imploring them not to get “stranded” anywhere if they need to end their vacation.
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“There’s always a flight home. You’re never stranded. If you just go and have a bad time, there’s a flight home tonight or tomorrow,” Homme reassured. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always change your mind. But I don’t think you’ll know what it’s like until you try. You just have to try.”
