From Resolution to Reality: How Women Can Add Solo Adventures to 2026

As we begin a fresh year, many of us feel that familiar surge of possibility — the desire for more joy, more growth, and more adventure. If you’ve been thinking about adding solo travel to your list of 2026 goals, you’re in the right place. Solo travel isn’t just about sightseeing; it’s about recharging, pursuing your interests, and finally doing something for you — even if your boss, family, or friends don’t understand it yet.

At Travel With Joy TV, I help women build confidence and safety skills for solo travel — whether it’s a weekend road trip close to home or a dream flight to a place that's been on your bucket list. If your heart’s calling you to make this year your most exciting yet, here’s a practical, actionable six‑step guide to turn your good intentions into incredible experiences like I had last year.

1. Dream Big: Brainstorm 3–5 Solo Destinations

Start by letting your mind wander — without limits. What places make your heart skip a beat? Is it a beach you’ve always wanted to walk? A city rich with art? A cozy small town perfect for reading in a café, journaling and wine-tasting? A spa or resort you'd love to recharge at taking a sunset hike with a view? A place meaningful to you that you must get to "someday?"  

Write down three to five places you’d love to explore alone. Then, go online and request visitor guides or download and flip through PDFs for each destination. Daydreaming is a powerful first step — seeing the colors, reading about the experiences, and imagining yourself there makes the idea feel real and reachable.

Tip: You don’t have to book anything yet. This stage is about inspiration and excitement — setting the emotional groundwork that makes a destination feel worth pursuing.

2. Set Smart Travel Goals

Now that you’ve picked a few inspiring places, turn them into goals with deadlines. Ask yourself:

• When could I realistically go? You might be thinking when is a lighter time to be gone from work?  
• Would a weekend getaway refill my spirit without overwhelming my schedule or budget?
• Speaking of budget, how am I planning to pay for this? Maybe you'll use a year-end bonus from work or a tax refund you're anticipating this Spring.

Not every trip needs to be a long haul, and you definitely don't have to have money all figured out yet. Some of the most impactful solo trips begin with short escapes close to home — places you could drive to or reach with a short direct flight instead of connecting. This makes solo travel more accessible even if your spending needs a little slowdown after the holidays.

3. Download Your Solo Travel Secrets Guide

One of the best ways to feel confident before booking your first solo trip is to prepare with the right tools. That’s why I created my Solo Travel Secrets Guide — a simple, highly affordable resource that takes you from pausing to packing.

Inside you’ll find:

• Tips for planning and budgeting
• Safety and packing essentials
• Mindset shifts every first‑time solo traveler needs

👉 Get your Solo Travel Secrets Guide — only $9 — and start planning with confidence today.

This guide helps you cover the must‑know basics so you can travel with joy in your heart, and not the anxiety so many feel.

4. Budget Smart: Solo Travel Without Breaking the Bank

After the holidays, wallets are often lighter than usual. But solo travel can still be within reach if you plan strategically. Here are a few of my many helpful money‑saving tactics:

• Shorten your trip: Start with a weekend or overnight instead of a weeklong escape.
• Stay closer to home: Choose destinations you can drive to — no flight, no checked bag fees, no airport parking costs, and no rental car needed when you drive your vehicle. Plus you already know right where the windshield wipers are! 
• Travel mid‑week: Accommodations and sometimes flights are typically cheaper Monday–Thursday than over the weekend. Crowds can be lighter too.

These small decisions can significantly reduce the cost of travel without reducing the joy and growth you get from the experience.

5. Start Small, Build Confidence

Your first solo trip doesn’t have to be thousands of miles away or require months of planning. In fact, the best way to build confidence is to start with something achievable.

These small wins with solo experiences give you practice navigating on your own, trusting your instincts, and discovering how capable you really are. If you want to talk with someone highly experienced as a safe solo traveler who's encountered and thought of everything after traveling for decades, I offer a limited number of individual sessions to encourage you and confidence-build while answering all your questions and providing tips customized to your specific situation. Just one session has helped so many women maximize every future trip they take - solo or with others! 

6. Connect With Purpose and Celebrate Every Step

Solo travel isn’t just about the ticket or the destination — it’s about the transformation along the way. Use this year as your personal journey toward freedom and joy. After putting others' needs and wants first, you deserve your own fulfillment and fun pursuing your interests or just resting and relaxing! Track your progress, celebrate every milestone (even the small ones), and let each trip build your confidence for the next one.

I'm here to support you along the way, whether it’s planning, encouragement, or inspiration, I’d love to speak at women's conference, church or corporate event you're attending this year. Request me to speak to your group here.

🌟 Ready to go? Your best year yet starts with a single step — and I’m cheering you on.

© 2026 Joy Huber. All rights reserved.

This blog and all content herein is the intellectual property of Joy Huber and Travel With Joy TV. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact: joy@TravelWithJoyTV.com.

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