A solo traveler's debut in Lisbon: planning insights and adjustments for next time
The author recounts her first international solo trip to Lisbon, noting that solo travel demands constant attention to logistics like flights and navigation. She found the experience more exhausting than traveling with companions but still worthwhile. She offers advice for first-time solo travelers, such as being prepared for the mental load.
The author's travel background includes multigenerational holidays and a honeymoon, but her only prior international flight alone was a study-abroad program in Ireland with fellow students nearby. Her Lisbon trip marked her first true solo international journey, and she found the pre-arrival logistics—flight monitoring, navigating unfamiliar transit systems, safeguarding luggage—more taxing than the destination experiences themselves.
She also discovered that solo dining and sightseeing offered unexpected calm for an introvert. Conversations with restaurant staff and her tuktuk guide, Eduardo, came more naturally one-on-one. Her key takeaway: the mental load of solo travel is real, but the empowerment and presence it enables make it worthwhile.
This story may resonate with the growing number of travelers considering solo trips, particularly introverts who worry about loneliness or awkwardness. It could encourage more people to attempt independent international travel by normalizing the challenges—like the constant logistical attention required—while also highlighting genuine rewards. The author's honest framing of exhaustion alongside empowerment may help set realistic expectations, potentially influencing how first-time solo travelers plan their itineraries and pace their days.