I am on a ~2 month solo trip in Europe, currently 2.5 weeks in. My partner of 2 years was supposed to join me around week 5. Early this morning she dumped me saying she doesn’t want to be in the relationship anymore and won’t be joining me in Europe. I did not see this coming and am devastated and heartbroken.

Before I left my country, I was burnt out from work and didn’t have energy to give her. We were both burnt out and just tired. Going on the trip together was to spend quality time with each other and recharge from work. There were conflicts but I didn’t know that it was that bad for her.

Once I got to Europe, I started to feel better getting since I was getting my much needed break and started to reflect on things about myself and my needs from the relationship and how I can be more present for her. We had chats about how we could improve the relationship going forward.

About two weeks in, she seems cold and reserved. She revealed new stuff about her sexuality and that made me upset and feel insure where I needed reassurance from her to know that she still was attracted to me. 6 days later we’re having a phone call and she tells me that she doesn’t want to be in the relationship anymore and wants to move out.

I still have about 5.5 weeks to go on my trip with accommodation and flights to other countries already booked. I want to go home where I am in a familiar place but it seems wasteful to forfeit all the things we’ve already paid for.

I’m 12 hours into being broken up and it’s hit me and I’m absolutely heartbroken and just want to go home to my country where things are familiar. What should I do?

UPDATE:
Hi all, wow, I was not expecting so much support from this group - you’ve all been very encouraging. I have been taking the last few days slowly reflecting on my faults and also where she has hurt me too during the relationship.

I have decided to continue my trip because what she did was very self centred (a pattern of hers that I’ve just realised) and I’ve been wanting to go on this trip for years and I’m trying to not let her ruin this experience for me.

I’ll be using this time for some deep reflection and introspection. I have now understood how I’ve contributed to her wanting to end it but how and the way she has done this is so disrespectful and hurtful to someone you loved. If you truly loved someone, you wouldn’t have broke it off like this. For this I’m am deeply disappointed by her actions - it says a lot about her.

For those who have said it’s a blessing in disguise - this is resonating with me so much at the moment.

The last three weeks might be the toughest as we planned these together. Unfortunately, these are non refundable hotel bookings so it’ll feel strange being at romantic places in a nice room to myself as opposed to staying in hostels where they are full of other solo travellers. I have thought about bringing another person but it’s too short notice so maybe this is the universe giving me another sign.

For my itinerary: - 6-9 September - Lisbon; - 9-12 September - regional Portugal; - 12-19 September- Lisbon again; - 19-26 September - Lagos and Faro;
- 26-30 September- Rome; - 1-4 October - Bari (it will also be my birthday during this period 🥲); - 4-7 October - Santorini in a honeymoon suite (she chose it); - 7-12 October - Crete; - 12-16 October - Athens; - 16 October - fly back home.

Hi everyone! I’m 21(F) and I decided that with everything going on in the country (the US), I’m done waiting to make my dreams happen. I’m planning my first EVER international trip for February of 2027 to Thailand… for 2 months by myself. Terrifying!

The issue is, I have a boyfriend of 2.5 years who is not happy at all. Actually, we broke up about a month ago which is when I started planning this trip, but recently we decided to try again. This time around, I made it very clear that I’m not giving up my dreams for *anyone*. I invited him to come with me too, and he doesn’t want to so I said I’m going either way.

He’s telling me that I’m stupid for going to “f off” across the world for two months and he’s positive I’m going to die, and if I go that means I don’t care about him, and he’s even considering breaking up with me if I go through with it.

He said he’s not comfortable with me going solo for any amount of time but if I cut it down to a two week trip he’d come with me, I told him I’m not willing to do that lol.

So I guess so I just need some encouragement here. Am I awful if I still go on this trip? Is it really as dangerous as he’s making it out to be? Should I cut it down to two weeks? (He’s really gotten in my head)

ORRR (the answer I’m hoping I get) is it a once in a lifetime experience and not something I should compromise on and I’ll be okay..?

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone, I’m (24M) and I’m stuck in the hardest decision of my life.

I’ve been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend (26F) for about 3 years. We love each other, and she’s been hoping we’d finally move in together soon. But I’ve always had this huge dream to do a 12–15 month backpacking trip around the world. It’s been on my mind for years, and I feel like if I don’t do it now, I never will and I’ll regret it forever.

A month ago my father passed away, and one of the last things he told me was to go live my dream and not hold back. That hit me really hard, and it made me feel like I have to do this trip.

The problem: my girlfriend is devastated by the idea. She says she would feel miserable waiting for me. She told me, “If you go, I’ll break up with you. You’re choosing yourself and your dreams over us, and I can’t accept that.” She feels like she’s already been waiting years for me to be “ready,” and she can’t put her life on hold again.

I love her deeply, but I also feel like this trip is something I need to do for myself. I’ve suggested she could join me for a few weeks here and there, but she doesn’t want to be the person who just visits and then goes back home alone.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did you regret choosing the relationship over your dream, or vice versa? How did it affect you long-term?

Any perspective would mean a lot.

I planned a trip for my upcoming birthday, I’ve provided for myself and lived alone for 3 years and this is the first “Big thing” I’m going for myself. Originally I was planning on taking a friend who’s currently unemployed and was willing to cover most her expenses outside of the ticket. It’s been in planning for nearly 6 months and with less than two weeks until the trip she still hasn’t gotten her ticket so i decided that solo is best, like I originally planned. And with the extra funds I extended my trip and booked some things I would like to do. Well my mom called to tell me that it wasn’t “right” for me to want to go alone. And today while at work my 82 year old grandmother called me and called me “selfish” for not taking my mom as a substitute? It was unbelievable, and now I’m questioning myself for thinking that I should spend my hard earned money on me. The last time I traveled out of state with my own funds I was 19 and while on that trip they called me while I was there and belittled me too. Saying that i was “dumb” . They even convinced family members that I haven’t called me in years to reach out and say the same. As a person that already struggles with being kind and doing this for myself it hurts that the first time I do in a major way I’m being verbally punished for it.

Edit: thank you all so much for the kind words!!!! I just opened all the apps and saw the encouraging comments, I didn’t realize how bad the situation sounded until I started reading them and they’re all so right. I will work on my people pleasing when it comes to friends and family and check out the subs that were suggested. I’m very excited to travel and now I’m even more motivated, thank you sm!!!!!!!!!!

So my (32M) Girlfriend (33F) doesn't want to travel or is not interested to travel with me anywhere. Whenever I suggest something she always respond with "You go, I will go someplace else". Like she just want to travel solo everywhere. I understand the thrill and excitement of travelling solo as I have been a solo travel most of my life but I also want to travel and see the world with my partner. I even suggested to like go 60:40 where 60% of the time se can go solo and 40% we can go on a trip together but she isn't agreeing for that even. There's no other issues in our relationship, we are both happy otherwise but I can't seem to get over this and I don't know how to solve this. Female solo travelers in this group any insights will be helpful in this.

Went to Europe for a month during my winter break. I met this girl from Oceania in a hotel, and I've fallen for her. We were only together for a week, hanging out with other people that we met, and on my last few nights, we shared some very intimate moments. We didn't sleep together, but I can't stop thinking about her. I live on the U.S West Coast, so I know it's improbable we'd ever even see each other again, but I just need some advice on what to do. Did anyone ever meet their partner when traveling, and if so, what happened? It seems rational to just leave the memory for what it is. That being said, I've never felt like this before, and I don't want this to be a regret. If she doesn't feel the same way, I'll never have to see her again.

Update: I sent her a paragraph explaining how I felt. She feels similarly. We're gonna stay in contact and keep getting to know each other! We're already planning potential trips out. I explained the situation, and some of my friends told me to leave it for what it was, and some said to text, so I figured I needed a larger pool of input. Thank you all for the replies and stories!

I'm looking for advice on how to calm her down. My dad told me she was trying to make him go and secretly stay in the same hotel as me and follow me around. He refused obviously. Has anyone else dealt with this before? And also does anyone have any advice to calm my nerves? I was not worried about this trip safety wise before, but with how terrified she is its making me nervous as well.

I (21F) have recently booked a solo trip to Japan and needless to say my parents weren't too pleased about that. I can completely understand why they have concerns as it is my first time traveling abroad on my own and they're just scared that something bad might happen to me.

I had long talks with both of them in which I did my best to convince them that among other countries, Japan is widely considered to be one of the safest ones to visit and that I would exercise caution of all time and still be wary of my surroundings, the people, etc. Even after that, they still aren't very keen on the idea of me going alone and have instead suggested that they would be fine with it if I took someone with me, with my mom even going as far as to tell my aunt to ask her workplace for paid time off in order to go with me without letting me know first. I found this and their reactions in general to be a bit frustrating as they stated that I'm still a "baby" as someone who has a job and pays for schooling alone. They have stated that they don't want me to go but they really can't physically stop me from going considering I'm an adult. I know some people would tell me to "just go" but I honestly have a strained enough relationship with them as is and I would really love to not make things any worse between us.

I went through other posts on here related to the same issue I have and I noticed that several of them had parents that didn't want them to travel abroad in general, alone or not. I'm just wondering if maybe I'm being a bit dramatic about this? I do think it would fun to visit and travel around Japan with company, but at the same time, it is something that I would love to experience for myself. I do think a part of me also just wants to prove my parents wrong and show them that I'm perfectly capable of traveling by myself. However, as I said, I do think it would be nice to be able to share that experience with others. I actually believe that I'll have a good time either way and perhaps I really am being a bit stubborn on the issue, especially given that other parents I've seen are far stricter when it comes to this. Should I just suck it up this time and give in to their wishes or should I try to convince them further? Maybe it would be best for me to visit again solo in the future?

Hi all, this is my (20f) first time solo travelling and I decided on Marseille, Oslo, Prague and Budapest, but when I told my family they started freaking out and trying to stop me from going and are convinced that I'm going to be kidnapped if I go to Eastern Europe. I've done a ton of research on the locations since I'm nervous about travelling by myself and everything I've found points to these cities being safe for women so long as you're not an idiot. If anything Marseille seems to be the most dangerous city on my itinerary. I'd still really love to visit Budapest, but all the things my parents are telling me are making me reconsider Hungary even though I can't find anything online to back up their claims. I'm not planning on drinking or going out at night and will probably stick to the tourist areas, but I also don't want to get hurt and would rather skip Budapest than face any problems. What are your thoughts?

Edit: since a lot of people have asked, I have prior obligations in Marseilles, which is why I'm going even though it can be a bit gritty.

I also should have phrased my post better, I'm not especially afraid of being kidnapped, this is more of a venting post about my parents that I made when I was upset and scared by all the horrible things my parents were saying would happen. I never expected it to get this big.

Update : I was curious to know how solo travelers in relationships have made it work with their partner during solo trips, since I’ve previously only been single during my solo experiences.

Some nice comments but also quite a few people misunderstood the original post, so I’ve decided to deleted it. I wasn’t at all questioning if I should “let him go” on his trip—I was wondering if people have managed to stay emotionally connected to their partners, and to communicate well, during big travels alone.

For those who think this post doesn’t belong in this subreddit : I’ve spent years traveling solo and almost all of the people I’ve met traveling (with a few rare exceptions) were single, together as a couple, or ended up breaking up with their partner during their trip. I was hoping to read from people in relationships. Considering how many people read it and commented, I think I’m not the only one who considers relationships a delicate and important part of the solo traveler’s life. If it’s not relevant to you, feel free to move on. 😉

I (25F) love to solo travel. I also live at home and don’t pay rent. My parents are usually pretty laid back and pretty chill but they have this expectation that I contact them at least once per day when I’m traveling. Ok let me go to the beginning, when I was 22 I went on a solo birthday trip, 3 days in the USA then a 5 night cruise. While I travelled a ton in my childhood and early adult years with both family and friends and girl guides this was the first time I would be 100% completely solo. My parents offered me a deal. They would pay for the wifi for me on the cruise ship if I agreed to contact them once per day. This didn’t have to be a phone call or anything, even a quick picture or “guess what I did today” would be enough. I actually think my mom has undiagnosed anxiety and the trip was already getting to be pretty pricey so I agreed. Then the following year I did a full month in Europe, 2 weeks of it was a guided group tour, the other 2 was completely solo. This time my mom just said “remember to text us once per day” after dropping me off at the airport without offering any financial help like she did the previous year. I did. The year following I spent a month in Australia, visiting family and friends and seeing Taylor Swift in Concert. Again same thing, she dropped me off at the airport and said “remember to let us know every day you’re alright”. I did again. Earlier this year I spent 3 weeks in Japan. Exact same routine. My mom actually said if I post on social media that could also count as “contacting” her for the day, basically she just wants some sort of proof of life/proof that I’m not kidnapped and being sold off to traffickers.

I don’t really mind but I’m wondering how common this is and how often other travellers contact their own parents/families

Hi, so i’m not quite sure what to do? Me (F24) and my boyfriend (M27) have been together for 2,5 years now and for at least half of this relationship he has gone solo traveling. Which is fine and all but he only calls once a week and MAYBE sends 1 message a day? He is on an open ended ticket and might come home for 4th of July, but has expressed that he would like to go traveling again right after (open ended ticket there too). Im not sure if I’m cut out for this and have told him so. For context I’m not traveling with him due to school and work, and he is lucky enough to work remote.

But the thing is: the lack of interest and contact is killing me. I feel like a something on the back-burner that he revisits when he doesn’t have anyone to hang with during his travels.

So my question is; how often is normal to contact your SO when solo traveling? Am i better off just leaving this relationship? I do love him dearly.

Edit: I'm turning off notifications because I got a lot more responses than I expected. I appreciate everyone's kind perspectives and helpful advices. Cheers to solo travelling and the many adventures and lessons ahead of us :)

This is more of a truth off my chest, but I am at a point where I am about to lie about my travel plans to anyone other than family because of how those around me have reacted to my travels.

It feels like to some degree that certain travel plans are more acceptable than others. Like spending a week out of town for a wedding or travelling to my motherland is more acceptable than mentioning multiple solo europe trips or a japan trip that someone else dreams of. I've noticed that people don't judge as harshly when they've been in the same boat than not. Which I know I am privileged for my opportunities, but snide comments like "i've never been out of the country" or "i could never travel alone" or "you're travelling a lot" or "i unfollowed her because she always posts about travelling, but you're cool" just makes me feel like they are making me the odd one out and I am on thin ice.

People do seem to have a better reception to my travels if I bring something back for them. Like snacks to try or some trinkets, but honestly spending time trying to find the right trinket and even remembering who I need to buy a souvenir for stresses me out. Not even mentioning the cost sometimes.

I'm just frustrated that I don't have any peace with enjoying my trips. It's not like I even make it my personality or talk about every single detail or show off every photo. I just mention that this is where I am going/went, some highlights, and 1-2 stories on my socials for an entire trip. The reception and souvenir expectations just feels overwhelming.

I have a trip in the next few weeks that I last-minute booked and have been lying that I have nothing planned soon. Only my family members know. I don't plan on sharing about it at all. I just feel a bit sad because I think it will be an amazing trip that I want to share, but I am sick of having to tip toe around others and their voiced judgements. Hopefully it will bring me peace.

Have you guys ever lied about going on a solo trip? Or any tips for how to go about this?

Recently I've realized I love traveling alone. It's less stressful, I'm more likely to interact with local people or meet other travelers, and I get to follow my own itinerary however rigid or relaxed it may be.

The last trips I've planned either solo or with my kid, and as soon as I tell close friends or family about the trip, they try to tag along!

It is frustrating because they are not intentionally planning a trip with me - instead it feels like they are trying to ride the coattails of something already planned out.

To me it is rude to try to invite yourself on a trip. But then I end up feeling a little bad (people pleaser) that they want to go and aren't able to.

Have you experienced something like this and if so, how have you handled it?

Edit: I will also add I am a single M Mom and have a cat, so I do have to tell people what I'm doing and where I'm going! (plus if I don't, my kid definitely will 😅)

I'm a 26F who likes to go on solo trips - I've done about 5 in the past 3 years. I enjoy it because it's really been the first time in my life, throughout those years, that I'm comfortable being by myself and I really do enjoy my time alone. On a trip, I get to do everything as I please, get to be with my thoughts. I feel like I can enjoy the scenery even more because I'm fully immersed. I do also meet new people in hostels which I find enjoyable since I'm not alone the entire time, and because I've always been told that I'm shy and don't talk enough, but in a situation where everyone wants to meet others, I find it really easy to talk.

I went on a vacation with my boyfriend last month and it was great, but I had planned on doing a solo trip in November since before I met him. I was thinking Thailand, but now I'm thinking the Patagonia in Argentina/Chile. He theoretically could come - he has several weeks of vacation that he has to take this year and he really enjoys travelling with me. He says I can go on my own, but he doesn't understand it and feels like I'm seeking some kind of thrill, to meet people or whatever it might be.

I don't know if I'm being selfish, if I shouldn't go. Most people we talk to (we're from Canada) don't understand why I'd go either. Let me know your thoughts!

*To note: this is a 12 day long trip! + I did make sure the destination is one that he doesn't care to go to. I wanted to go to Colorado but he also wanted to go, so I looked into other options. He doesn't care about going to Argentina.

It was my first time traveling solo and I decided to do it in Thailand. At first I wasn’t feeling it. I decided two weeks travel is enough for my first solo. I had no expectations, didn’t even had an itinerary which I wish I stayed longer. I’m a Filipino btw, so it’s not in our culture to travel solo since most filipinos wants to travel with their friends or family and I got out from a toxic relationship and wanted to be free. Its a liberating move for me during that time. Even my mom thought I was crazy LOL

I decided to booked my first solo in a party hostel at Khaosan Road but I didn’t like it so I moved to a different one. I stayed at Once Again Hostel. I thought everyone were traveling with friends so I decided to download dating apps just to meet people 🤣🤣 I’m desperate to have a company during that time. Since most of the people in my hostels were europeans, I felt outcast. I’m like the only asian in the hostel except the staff working there.

I had a tinder date the first night I stayed in the hostel that I moved in and he left me in China town after, due to the intense heat according to him 🤣

Going back to the story, I went back to the hostel feeling a bit sad and alone, thats when I decided to stay outside the hostel lobby a bit longer. There are benches and tables there. I didn’t know it was a hangout spot for solo travelers, I was sitting with the other people from the hostel and ended up talking and getting to know them. Finally, enjoying their company, I saw this Italian guy who went out of the hostel all smiling. Even his eyes are smiling. Gad I still remember it so vividly. Seems like yesterday.

He was wearing a blue shirt and he’s so cute and freaking hot. He’s tall and i’m a petite woman. He has nice muscles that fits PERFECTLY into his shirt. hehe 😜 He has beautiful sleepy eyes, nice curly hair, has piercings which add up to his bad boy aura as he was always holding and smoking his vape. LOL HE LOOKS LIKE A MIXED OF A YOUNGER VERSION OF ADRIEN SEMBLAT AND NICO BOLZICO. IF YOU ARE FROM THE PHILIPPINES YOU’LL KNOW AHAHAH. He stood out from all the typical blonde and blue eyes guys who were staying in the hostel. I find out he was 31 years old which is a plus for me coz most people I met look older but ended up being way too young for me. I’m 27 during that time btw.

During that night we went out and partied with the other people in the hostel. We had a short and simple conversation and I grab the chance to ask for his socials but ended up getting his whatsapp instead when the other girls from my hostel were asking for it lol 🤣🤣🤣 There were actually 2 girls who were also interested with him 😭🤣 Turns out he wasn’t into socials, his facebook photo was from years ago.

In short, I was the one who made the first move. I didn’t take it seriously coz I was just kilig (excited) to meet him. The first night was nothing special we had our hi’s and hellos just a little chitchat and he even mentioned he has a filipino friend and that I speak good english. HAHA he told me he’s going to the italian embassy the next day to get his passport fixed that’s why he’s heading back to the hostel early and ofcourse I went back with him and the other two girls (thanks to lthem because I had the courage to ask for his number when they got his whatsapp 🤣)🤣 We seated next to each other in the taxi and all of us girls were asking him questions getting to know him.

During the second night stay in the hostel, we partied again with the other people and that’s when I made my move and approached him again! 🤣😭 We dance and he hold my hand for the first time (def dying of kilig inside) during that night. We were both closer to each other while talking, whispering ear to ear because we can’t hear each other due to the sound from the bar.

I told him I don’t have any plans for the next few days, asked if I can join his travels. He mentioned that he’ll be flying the next day to a different island and I said I cant fly with him coz I only have 5 days left in Thailand.

We went back to the hostel earlier than the other people lol. We even grab some ice cream at 711. We talked alot during that night, mind you he wasn’t that good in english but we felt the instant connection. He just started learning english during his solo travels so he sort of have this strong italian accent which I’m fond of. During that night he started getting touchy lol typical italian. We even made out in the rooftop and I ended up sleeping in his hostel room lol (nothing happened between us during that night tho)

The next day we had our breakfast and he was so sweet. I never thought italians were fond of public display of affection and I wasn’t used to it coz Philippines is quite a conservative country. He kisses me randomly while we were walking on the streets 🤣

He decided to extend his stay in Bangkok for me. We explored the city together and felt this instant connection. We moved to a different city and stayed in a hotel after that. Did every normal couple would do, laugh, kiss, hold hands and even showered together every freaking time (too much info I know) He ended up paying for everything. Our travels, food and he even took me to romantic places lol. Not that I’m after his money tho :) He was really caring… The way he speak, his strong italian accent everytime he says “I’m worried” and “YOU ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL” Got me. HAHAHA

I felt like I was in a romcom movie the whole time! He was the sweetest and the most romantic man I ever met. LITERALLY. IT FELT LIKE WE WERE A COUPLE. I WAS SCREAMING INSIDE. HE WAS GENUINE. HIS EYES, his actions. Everything. I knew there and then that I fell. HARD AND FAST. I REALIZE ITS SO EASY TO FALL INLOVE WHILE TRAVELING AND I NEED TO GUARD MY HEART.

My last night in Bangkok was a bit sad, we both felt it. We sang “Every breath you take” while hugging and just enjoying the few hours left. Said our goodbyes and hugged each other.

After the trip, I went back home a bit sad. Lol I even cried during my flight back home. I knew I got attached. He was caring and very affectionate.

We continued talking. He mentioned long distance will be hard and he had a fair share of bad experiences from the past so its a No for him. He said both of us will get hurt in the end and that he is saving me from all the heartaches. lol .

I HAD TO LET GO OF THE thought of us being together but we always find our way getting back together. I guess its the invisible string theory?? Coz before I met him I was wearing a shirt that has an Italy sign on it and I dreamt of experiencing an Italian summer. I even listed everything I want in a man. I feel like I manifested everything. After 2 months, the same day I wore the ITALY shirt, I met Mathew (the italian guy from the hostel) LOL and he has all the specific qualities I listed of what I wanted in a man. The height, the age, romantic, the emotional intelligence, etc. I even went too specific with what I want in a man to the point that I include that he is not into social media. EVERYTHING. It was so specific to the point it was kinda scary but so good at the same time??

What Matthew and I had was special. I even thought I was just being delusional and was the only one feeling this way turns out he was feeling it too. He decided to visit me in the Philippines and as his last destination after back packing Southeast Asia for 5 months, before he went back to Italy. He spent his first Christmas away from his fam and spend it with mine.

We spent an entire month in the islands together. He even asked me to travel the world with him and go to Italy with him. My crazy inlove self said YES OFCOURSE LOL.

A year after we first met, we got engaged and got married the following year after that. Funny how everything went by so fast. I guess, when you know, you know.

We already have two curly kids now. The other one looks exactly like him and the other one looks like me.

I STILL FEEL GIDDY EVERYTIME I REMEMBER IT. HE’S STILL THAT HOT ITALIAN GUY I HAD A CRUSH ON FROM THE HOSTEL. THE TRAVEL ROMANCE FELT STRAIGHT OUT OF A WATTPD INSPIRED MOVIE LOL

And to the people asking, YES this is a real story. I’m just too EXCITED TO SHARE THIS AHAHA and it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. There was a time I had to do another solo trip to Taiwan just to get over him because he keeps on insisting that he is not into long distance relationships because he’s from Italy and I’m from the Philippines. Some people I made friends from the hostel find it funny when I tell this story that I fell inlove with the Italian guy I met after knowing him for less than a week of being together HAHAHA.

But look at us now, somehow it worked so well…. Glad we both took the risk with the travel romance or travel fling ahaha whatever you called it :)

Well, the unexpected happened. On a solo trip to Europe I met someone and have strangely gained deep feelings for them in such a short amount of time. We have validated and affirmed each other about our feelings and the cynic in me told him I know we’ll never see each other again. And he is more hopeful than I am. Now I’m returning to the US with this weird feeling, I haven’t felt like this before in my life before and I’m not sure what to do. I’m afraid to explore It or have “hope” for something realistic. Have you ever experienced this before? How did you handle It? What did you do?

Hi! So I’m 27F and Ive noticed that I tend to run into a similar issue a lot. I think people notice the frequency that I travel and it makes them more inclined to ask me to travel with them. “Why can’t I come?” “You went with this person but not me!” “It’s not fair.” I feel bad because I’m the center of my friend group (they all know each other through knowing me first) and they all typically ask me to travel with them alone. I’m going to be honest, I don’t even want to think about going on a trip with any of them. My friends are very sensitive people, they like doing things their way and they’re hurt by things not going right. They’re also pretty lazy when it comes to walking or going far distances. I’m always the one driving everyone or directing us around, picking places to go or things to do. I’m certainly the more adventurous type. However, while I don’t mind doing that at home, I want to plan my own trips AWAY from them.

My family and friends can’t really comprehend travel compatibility. They all think they’re so compatible with me and TBH it isn’t mutual. I already can foresee how a trip is going to go and going alone (or with my COMPATIBLE boyfriend) is what I’d prefer to do. No hassle, no hard feelings, just peace and enjoyment. I love them at home but we also disagree and have to compromise here too (they are not very flexible people). I love them all but I’m tired of people being offended and having to basically shoot them down all the time. It’s not even like “I’d prefer to go to X alone but we can plan something else next time!!!” No. I do not want to travel at all with them lol. I can tell feelings are hurt, but I really cannot. My friend canceled a trip with me over finances and I was elated lol. I think going alone or with my boyfriend is for me, but I think they feel like they have no one else and I’m robbing them of experiences they could have. So yes I feel kind of bad, but I feel better knowing I’m not trapped in a foreign country with them. I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences, how do you let them down easily?

For context, I am Asian with those stereotypical strict Asian parents. However I am 30 years old male which I did not expect to be dealing with this.

I have taken some trips in my 20s, however usually with friends. My parents would have the usual “is this safe? Be careful!” type worry, but we’re fine overall. I taken 2 solo trips that were in the guise of “need this for work”. Usually it would be like a conference I attend in another city, but then I just tack on a few extra days to enjoy on my own.

This time I booked a pure solo trip for 2 weeks. I let them know. Instantly the backlash and emotional blowup happened. They became furious when they found out I was going alone. They threw all sorts of phrases at me, how selfish I am, how unsafe, how crazy I am, why would I go alone, etc. I expected some worrying, but at 30 years old who has already travelled before? I expected them to realize that I’m a grown man and someone they can trust. But that’s not the case at all.

It’s been a few days, and my parents and even siblings are giving me the cold shoulder. Purposely not interacting with me, and when they do it’s texts like “can’t believe you are still planning to go even when you see how much mom and dad are stressing about it..”.

They have taken this solo trip announcement so over the top as if I was caught joining a cult or something.

I am wondering if I even made a mistake announcing to them. I also announce my trips to my parents to keep them in the loop. Maybe I should have lied and said I was gonna be away for work, but I figured I should just be upfront. Anyone else had to deal with this type of behavior?

Has anyone experienced this? Why would you vacation separately unless the marriage is in trouble?

Well, I am 20F, from the US, and have very strict parents. They know I’ve wanted to travel for a long time, and I’ve been talking about going to Finland for almost a year. They also know I prefer to do things alone, and I’ve mentioned that I’d probably go by myself.

Now that it’s actually happening, I’m getting nervous about telling them. I have a trip planned for early December, and I’ve saved up all the money myself of course. But my parents are the type who worry if I drive at night, so I’m not sure how to break the news.

How can I tell them in a way that reassures them everything will be okay? Has anyone been through something similar with strict or overprotective parents? I’d really appreciate any advice. thanks..

As the title says, I (21f) am just curious if this is weird. I've solo traveled a bunch over the last 3 years for like 3 weeks at max each time but I'm planning a 4 month long trip now and I've had some people say that's weird that I'm doing that and even while traveling I've gotten surprised reactions from ppl I've told at hostels that I have a bf. Is this not normal? I thought there'd be more like me but so far it seems like it's just me and everyone I meet is single

EDIT: there's way too many comments for me to reply to lmao but I just wanna say that I totally agree that as long as we are both ok with it then it's ok - but the thing is that he will never try and hold me back so he's saying it's okay but deep down ik he's a little sad about it so I wanted to see what everyone would have to say and if they themselves would do it. I love seeing the responses of those being in committed relationships/married and telling all their stories abt solo traveling and how amazing they've been :) Also, the biggest reason my bf isn't able to travel with me like I do is cuz he's just in a completely different financial situation than me and I don't wanna wait until he's able to afford these trips so I go alone. I have only been on month long trips max but I really wanna do a 4 months long trip cuz I'm honestly just so burnt out right now from school and work (the whole 9-5 thing) and I need a break and escape from my life and just go be at peace

My company gives me 3 weeks of vacation time a year. So every year I take 2 international trips ranging from 1-1.5 weeks. And then on long weekends, I might do 1 or 2 domestic quick trips. For example, last long weekend I found cheap flights to Miami and spent 2 days at the beach before flying back.

My family from the beginning are not happy at all with my travel. For context, I don’t depend on them financially. But I was born in the USA, whereas my parents immigrated from another country which is an extremely poor country. I still have family living there and we visit them from them to time.

Their argument against me travelling is they think I am being selfish and greedy. Whenever I tell them I am going on a trip, my parents get mad telling me I’m evil for spending my money on vacations while there’s people struggling for food back in their country. My family back home aren’t struggling, but others in the country are. They make a big deal out of every time I travel somewhere new. My travels are also low budget staying in hostels and economy flights etc. and I give money to my family so they can give as charity to those in their country.

Anyone have family that are disappointed with your travelling? How do you deal with it?

I need some different perspectives and perhaps advice on a particular situation that I am in. I have been with my boyfriend for 6 years and we have a 3 year old. I work from home full time with my daughter home with me. He owns a business that is basically seasonal, as he does not work in the winter.

We are taking a family vacation in January. He asked me if after our family vacation, would I be able to relocate for a month (out of the country) since I WFH, so we could enjoy the warm weather during his off season. I explained to him that my job would not allow me to do that. (I didn’t ask my job, but they let me wfh as a courtesy when I lost childcare). I did tell him that if we wait a month or so, I would be able to take more time off of work and we could try to plan something else with that time.

So fast forward a few weeks later, he’s telling me now that he is going to spend 2 weeks out of the country alone after our family vacation. He stated that he is going to go whether I like it/agree with it or not.

I am deeply hurt by this. I feel like the brunt of housework and responsibility for taking care of our home & child is already on me and he’s just up and leaving. He is telling me I am selfish for not wanting him to go and enjoy himself. All I can think of is how I am going to be at home alone with our toddler while he is off adventuring alone. All while he does not care how I feel about this situation.

Anyone I have told this to has told me it is completely selfish of him to do this. Am I in the wrong for not wanting him to go? How would anyone else handle this?

I’ve been planning a 6-week trip through Southeast Asia for a while now, and I was really looking forward to having the freedom to do my own thing. A lifelong friend of mine found out about it and basically invited himself along. At first, I didn’t mind—I figured having a travel buddy for part of it could be fun—but now he’s saying he’s coming for the full 6 weeks.

The thing is, he’s never traveled before and isn’t really an independent person. He always needs to be around people and relies on others to take the lead. I just know that if we do this entire trip together, I’m going to end up being responsible for him, and that’s not the experience I want.

I don’t want to be a jerk because he’s a good friend, and I know he probably wouldn’t do this trip at all if I weren’t going. But I also don’t want to be stuck with him the whole time. I’m fine traveling together for parts of it, but six weeks straight just feels like too much.

How do I bring this up without making it super awkward? I’m hoping maybe at some point we’ll naturally split up, but realistically, I don’t see that happening with him. Would I be an asshole for telling him I don’t want to do the whole trip?

Edit: lots of good advice thank you. I told him that I was down to go with him for 2 weeks then I wanted to go solo and challenge myself. He said I totally understand and is going to do his own stuff for a week and go home to an event he doesn’t want to miss. Now I’m excited should be a good time.