Glam Glitz Global: My Journey To Solo Travel

In 2010 I packed a suitcase, shockingly exceeding my weight limit, and jumped on a plane to work a season in Magaluf. Prior to leaving I had arranged to move in with three other girls and I’d arranged to meet a number of other season workers at the airport who were staying in the same workers accommodation.

And thank god I had because picture me on the floor of the airport with all boys’ suitcases open around me stuffing my stuff in because turns out there is an overall suitcase weight limit and I had exceeded that too. So, I had to put my trust in a bunch of strangers that they would transport all my stuff overseas and give it back on arrival, don’t you just love that boys under pack!

Although technically I didn’t know anyone, I don’t class that as my first solo trip because the only time I was really alone was on the way to the airport. I’d spoken to everyone for so long before actually leaving that it felt like I already knew them and living in workers accommodation and going on pub crawls and having pot luck dinners together it was easy to make friends and you never really felt like you were in another country alone.

Despite having worked that season and having travelled around the UK by myself multiple times I had never actually been on a solo trip overseas. Prior to my trip to Malta last December I was basically living vicariously, and extremely jealously, through Char and her adventures. And then one day a thought hit me, what am I doing just lusting over her trips when I should be just seeing the world for myself and not through social media posts.

Whilst I do enjoy travelling with friends and family there are so many bonuses of travelling on your own. For one thing there is no need to compromise, no worry about conflicting budgets, holiday dates at work and choosing a destination everyone is happy with because you only have to please yourself. It’s a chance to be a little selfish and do what’s right for you which is not a bad thing in this instant. You have full control of your trip and can only blame yourself if something doesn’t go right, and you can just throw your entire plan in the air last minute without a care or worry.

Last year I turned 30 and I decided that I would treat myself to my first solo trip, although my Mum actually then decided that could be her present to me as seriously who knows what to ask for their birthday as we all get older. So, there were two very important questions I had to answer at the point, where did I want to go and when did I want to go.

My birthday is in August and the previous month I had been in Ibiza for Lauren’s Hen Do so I settled on having a little winter break. I am not one for the cold weather, so I wanted to find somewhere that was still relatively warm and of course I turned to Google for help. I literally googled something along the lines of warm weather holidays in December, and safe solo travel destinations for females, and then cross referenced the two until I settled on Malta.

I booked a three-day long weekend in Sliema at the cutest little apartment, just a 10-minute walk from St Julian’s Bay. Although cut a few months later and it turned out I was flying the morning after my work’s Christmas party, which I of course got completely wasted at and then got home to realise I hadn’t packed yet. It had been a really busy few weeks as I threw myself into The Live Review and accepted a few too many events, so there I was at something ridiculous like 1am packing my suitcase for a flight I would have to get up for in just a few short hours… But that’s a story for another post.