By Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal

This past spring break I embarked on my first trip across the pond. I planned, funded and went — alone. Probably my proudest achievement thus far. 

I got to live my childhood self’s dream of visiting London, because of the iconic Parent Trap and Paris and Monte Carlo — mainly because of Monte Carlo. I felt I owed it to my younger self to go see the places she would’ve literally sold her siblings for in exchange to visit, as my first big gift to myself. 

I became extremely sick and quite literally almost died just minutes after seeing Sabrina Carpenter live in Paris. I was accused of shoplifting and couldn’t plead my case because my French sucks. I was practically attacked by a rodent while seeing The Phantom of the Opera. To top it off, I unfortunately didn’t stumble across a handsome and wealthy F1 driver to romance me and invite me to sip Dom Perignon and eat caviar on his yacht. However, I could definitely still say I had a great time.

Whether you’re a type A or type B friend, I believe solo travel can be for you. Not to sound like those pretentious digital nomads who go to another country to find themselves, but they kinda have a point. It’s really cool. 

Everything’s on your terms… you get to do whatever you want. 

You don’t have to wait for anyone to be down, get their funds up or worry about them flaking right before booking. My favorite part is getting to the airport two hours before boarding, versus 7 hours before boarding like my anxiety-filled parents would. 

If you like to wake up at 6 a.m. and follow a strategically planned itinerary, you don’t have to worry about fighting with friends like me, who much prefer to wake up at noon and see where the day takes them.

The oddly specific, original experiences and lore you will gain will be so iconic. Solo traveling  gives you endless opportunities to step out of your comfort zone, build trust and confidence in yourself and the opportunities to meet some awesome people and cultures. 

My tips for making the most of your funds are booking flights ahead of time, staying at hostels or shared apartments, walking and taking public transportation versus taxis and/or tour groups, and grocery shopping and cooking versus eating out for every meal. 

It’s not as scary as it seems. The only time I truly realized I was alone was when I’d be seated for one at restaurants, but it honestly made me feel even more mysterious and fed heavily into my main character/god complex. 

I’m just a Mexican girl from Fresno having Indian food at a boujie restaurant in front of the Tower Bridge in London on a random rainy Wednesday afternoon in the middle of the semester — No big deal. 

If you’re someone who is shy, not the most mature, first-gen and/or low income like me — and you could successfully navigate the crazy, unfamiliar new world that is college, especially in a unique place like Arcata —- I have no doubt that you can confidently and safely explore unfamiliar places like me and thousands of others who do it alone! 

It doesn’t have to be extravagant, extreme or luxurious, start small, but get yourself out there and have fun!

Kimberly Alexsandra Madrigal is a multimedia journalist who lives for cruising in her ‘05 convertible beetle, lowballing on facebook marketplace, yacht rock and oversharing on the internet. 🙂