My First Solo Trip

It’s hard to believe it’s already been 7 years! Back in 2011 I embarked on my first solo trip into the world without family or friends. I was in high school at the time. The journey would not be entirely alone as I went with a group of students from another high school. My photography teacher told me about a trip his wife was organizing. She was an art teacher and was putting together a student trip to Italy! I decided it sounded like an awesome trip and agreed to go. Not knowing anyone from that school, but I didn’t let that stop me.

I met the other kids that would be going at the handful of meetings for the parents of the kids going. These meetings essentially told parents what kind of supervision would be in place and what would be included in the trip.

I showed up at the airport early in the morning and found the group waiting. We made our way through the ticketing line and passed security. We boarded the plane and set of for Philadelphia. After grabbing a Philly cheese steak sandwich I made my way back to the gate for the last flight to Rome, Italy.

Rome

Arriving in Rome, I ran into a strike at the airport. The ground crew went on strike and we were stuck without a gate. It took an hour to get someone there to connect the jetway and get us off the plane. Heading off to the hotel I got settled in. 

View from the window of my hotel in Rome

The group was much less structured than it appeared it would be and was in fact very independent. The organizers only asked that we be at the meeting point on time each morning, other than that we were all free to do whatever we wanted in Rome!

It was so exhilarating being in a foreign country for the first time without family. During the day we explored Ancient Roman sites and medieval churches. My favorite stop in Rome was the Vatican Museum. It was chock full of ancient artifacts and beautiful artwork! The next stop was Florence, Italy where I learned all about leather crafting. 

Standing Guard outside the Vatican

Rome

My favorite stop of the trip was coming up. I got to explore the ruins of Pompeii and then hike up mount Vesuvius. Next it was off to Sorrento where I stayed in a beautiful hotel on the cliff. Capri was my favorite destination on this trip. The island of Capri was the most beautiful place I had ever seen up to that point in my life.

Sailing around Capri

My first solo trip wasn’t quite entirely solo but it was my first time traveling without anyone I knew. This opened my eyes to the fact that I could travel without needing someone else to want to go too! This is a liberating feeling, knowing you can travel solo!

For 7 reasons to travel solo check here!