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Welcome to Cessend. I'm Shana Alexander, and this is the podcast we talked through all of your problems, and I attempt to give you my best advice.

Today we have a fun little Q&A advice episode.

You guys sent in your questions on Instagram, and here we are. I'm here to help.

So we have like a huge variation in questions today, but I thought I'd give a little life update.

First of all, when I was in Palm Springs the other like a couple weeks ago, I was thinking about like how it felt so good to travel again.

And obviously I know not everyone has like the resources and ability to travel right now with like, I mean worries about, you know, COVID still being around and obviously always like financial constructions and all of that and like time away from work.

But I was just thinking when I was there, like why haven't I done this? And I realized that when I was in a relationship, I was really constricted to like what my partner could do, like both financially and time wise, and also obviously we were in lockdown.

But I just realized I'm like, when I was there, I was like, why don't I do this more? Like, why am I not just going places more and allowing myself to travel? And so I'm trying to plan my first solo trip.

And I've never traveled fully solo just for enjoyment. I've always traveled solo for work. And so I had places to be and I had people to meet me and it was kind of like never a fully solo trip.

And there's part of it that makes me feel really nervous. If I'm honest, like, I'm very independent. I can eat by myself. I eat by myself in New York all the time. I'm able to get around by myself. I think I'm pretty like well versed and figuring things out. But there's something about not having like strict plans with other people and just fully being by myself for days experiencing an adventuring that I don't know it.

Like, if I'm honest with myself, it makes me kind of nervous and it ticks this kind of part of me that's like how independent am I? How much do I actually like spending time on my own?

And so I really felt that like reverberating in me and being like, I feel like I need that challenge. And I put it on on Instagram that I was thinking about this and like tips for solo travel.

And I was so overwhelmed by the responses. First of all, like so many of you have solo traveled and wrote me your experiences, which really helped me. And like the the craziest part was so many of you said it was like the best thing you've ever done. And that you do it, whether you're in a relationship or not.

And it just made me, it made me really excited. It made me also feel so proud of like being part of a community that really puts themselves out there and wants to like adventure on their own.

And I think it's so cool. I think it's so kind of like brave and I don't know. It just really inspired me hearing y'all stories. So anyone has more tips for solo travel. I'm just really I'm trying to plan something.

But I wanted to confront those feelings about like why that made me feel so nervous. And I think like the best thing in those situations, especially when there's like not a lot of risk is to confront them and to do it. And then I'm really excited like if I'm by myself in a country exploring and those feelings come up like while I'm there.

Just being like, what is this like why in this moment, do I feel lonely or why in this moment, do I feel conflicted about not having someone to eat with or to explore with.

And maybe you know who knows, maybe I won't feel that way at all, but I'm got some telling you this on the podcast that if you're thinking about also kind of embarking on a solo trip or even something that makes you feel like a little bit like out of your comfort zone.

Like you really won't we won't know until we actually do it and put ourselves out there. And so I have a few trips that I'm considering.

But yeah, I just kind of wanted to share that in the podcast in case someone listening is also sitting there in like the fear of doing something big for yourself or something that could be scary or it, you know, it feels like you're on this ledge about to make a decision about something that could be really beautiful and life changing, but it's also a little bit scary.

Like I'm right there with you. And yeah, I'm considering my options. So give me travel tips. If you've got them. I'm so excited to like challenge myself this year. And I think I think you can challenge yourself anytime, but I think particularly for me being out of a relationship right now and kind of being just like dating and like reforming my life without a partner.

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