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Dear Friends -
I spent last Saturday morning paging through my own greatest-hits reel of solo adventures: sipping a cortado on Montréal’s Rue Saint-Denis; roaming Paris’s Left Bank with zero pressure to “keep moving”; losing track of time at London’s Tate Modern; and taking a cat-sitting gig in Upstate New York for the coziest of holidays. Each trip ran on the same quiet thrill—total agency.
So when Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross dropped on The Roku Channel a couple weeks ago, I binged the three-part docuseries in one sitting. Ross takes us to Marrakech, Cancún, and Marbella, filming much of it herself for a diary-like feel. My favorite scene: she pauses a night out, slips into a Royal Mansour suite, unbraids her hair, orders fries and a glass of wine, and talks to the camera like an old friend. It’s luxe, intimate, and refreshingly honest about the joy and occasional loneliness of exploring alone.
If you have a couple hours I HIGHLY recommend watching the show on Roku. It’s free! Here’s the trailer:
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Why Try a Table-for-One Ticket?
Freedom you gain | What it looks like in real life |
|---|---|
Own your pace | Sleep until noon in Paris or chase sunrise at London’s Columbia Road flower market. No negotiations. |
Meet more locals | Solo diners are magnets for conversation. I’ve left cafés with restaurant tips and new friends. |
Hear yourself think | Ross calls it “luxury of calm.” Hours alone on a train can spark ideas that never surface in back-to-back meetings. |
Flex your confidence muscle | Solo travel bookings are up 42 percent in just two years, and 36 percent of 2024 solo travelers already plan four or five more trips in 2025. |
Women, especially, are leaning in. Forty-five percent say they’re keen to travel solo this year, and 59 percent who’ve already gone it alone would do it again within 12 months.
Joys You Can’t Replicate on a Group Tour
Serendipity
A free afternoon in New York’s West Village turned into an impromptu encounter with an amazing jazz trio in a park and a new friendship with a stranger.Same day — I was at a dance concert at the Joyce Theater and by chance struck up a conversation with another solo woman sitting next to me. She just retired, has an incredibly interesting story and agreed to be a guest on my podcast!
Sensory immersion
Without companion chatter, you hear the accordion on Pont Saint-Louis or the gulls over the Hudson in a whole new register.Self-rediscovery
Ross frames solo travel as a “revolutionary act of joy,” especially for Black women choosing themselves first—a perspective that resonates well beyond race or gender.
Safety & Ease: The Solo-Traveler Playbook
Stay someplace social. Boutique hotels with lobby bars, hostels with private rooms, or one-day group tours give you instant community.
Share your breadcrumbs. Text a trusted friend your itinerary and daily check-ins—a Ross go-to for peace of mind.
Trust the tingle. If a street or taxi feels off, pivot. Intuition deserves a first-class seat.
Pack for freedom, not Instagram. Ross admits to “packing for beauty and disaster,” but lighter luggage still equals a lighter mind.
Ready for Your First (or Next) Solo Escape?
Micro-test: Spend a full day in your own city on your terms—no plus-ones, no advance reservations. Notice what delights you.
Reflection prompt: “Where have I been waiting for permission to go, and why?”
Action step: Block five days this fall and book the ticket before second-guessing sets in.
Parting Thought
Solo travel isn’t a consolation prize for the unpartnered; it’s a master class in self-trust. Whether you board a flight to Tokyo or hop an Amtrak to the Hudson Valley, the richest souvenir is the reminder that you alone can design a beautiful life—on the road and back home.
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Have a solo-travel story or a destination on your wish list? Hit reply and let me know. Your note might inspire a future newsletter segment—or even my next ticket.
Cara Gray
Third Act Consultant, CPRC, CEPA™️
P.S.S. If you want to start planning your third act, set up a time on my calendar for a chat: Schedule a Chat with Cara