As my daughter has grown up and extended family has gotten busy with work and school, I find myself traveling alone more frequently. And what I’ve discovered surprises me — even when traveling to see old friends or family, meeting new people has become one of the most unexpected and rewarding parts of going solo. Something I once feared would feel lonely has become anything but.
When I travel with someone, I stay in my own world. I wouldn’t dream of striking up a conversation with the mother and daughter at the next table, or the person standing beside me at the gate. Alone, something shifts. I’m more open, more present — and more willing to take a chance on a stranger.
With common sense and reasonable caution about personal information, I’ve learned that occasionally taking that chance pays off in ways I never anticipated. A fellow winter sports enthusiast I met on a flight to San Francisco turned into a lasting friendship — we later discovered mutual friends and organized a dinner together six months after landing. A canceled flight to Dubai, already a five-hour frustration, led to a conversation with a fellow passenger who turned out to be an equestrian enthusiast. We now meet regularly for walks and lunches, and spend weekends visiting each other’s horses.
And then there was Jamaica.
At Half Moon Resort, I noticed something at the table beside me — a mother and daughter vacationing together, in the very spot where ten years earlier I had sat with my own daughter. Our eyes met. We smiled. I leaned over and said, “I wish I were dining with my daughter right now — you are very lucky to be here with yours.” She looked at me and laughed: “I wish I were dining alone right now — you are the lucky one.” We both cracked up, and just like that, we were talking. We realized we’d traveled from the same area back home. When I got up to leave, I handed her my number and told her to call if she ever wanted to grab lunch.
The summer passed without a word, and that was perfectly fine. Families are busy. Numbers get lost in the chaos of unpacking. And then, out of the blue, a message from an unknown number appeared on my phone. On the other end was that mom from Half Moon — and it put a smile on my face that I wasn’t expecting. We’ve already made plans for lunch.
Solo travel has taught me that the world is full of people worth knowing. You just have to be sitting at the right table — alone.