Solo Travel and the Long Email Home: A Habit Worth Building

There are a few practices that solo travelers adopt in order to document their travels, including for example posting on social media and keeping a notebook of notes. However for some reason writing a weekly long email to a small list of friends and family members has become a practiced art form that yields far more valuable results than either of the above two methods.

The setup

A mailing list of 10-30 real friends and family. Set a day and time when you will send off the emails every week. For example, Sunday evening, 9 pm. 500 to 1,200 words per email. One or two photos.

The structure

One paragraph summarizing the week. Two or three paragraphs or more of details of particular events or issues of interest that have occurred during the week. A short reflection on something the week revealed. A small ask or question to the recipients.

The audience effect

Writing for an audience as opposed to everyone or no one produces more thoughtful writing. Long emails create a structure and regular accountability for a traveler to notice more of a trip. Plan ahead.

The replies

Some people reply to your email at great length, others never reply, and that’s okay. What’s important is that you’ve written.

The summary

I can hardly stress enough how underused the long email solo travel practice is. It takes 60 to 90 minutes a week to write out a full summary of your time. But the end result is so far greater than a series of social media posts that it is well worth the time.

The Logistics of Going Alone

There is more planning involved for solo travelers than for groups of people. Because there is only one person to make decisions for, the solo traveler has to pre-book his first night’s accommodation, keep someone back home informed of his whereabouts, have some basic knowledge of the area he is traveling to. Solo travelers who arrive in a new place without these preparations in place tend to make more costly mistakes or to have unsafe experiences. They make more harried decisions than travelers arriving as part of a group.

This was to the best of my knowledge accurate as of early 2026 when I last checked. In reality it was probably about 70% – 80% correct when I was traveling.

The Social Question

One thing to bear in mind is that just because you are traveling solo does not mean you will be traveling without people. Many of the most memorable parts of a solo trip will be spent with other travelers and local people that you have met along the way. Hostels, especially those with communal areas, are perfect for meeting other travelers. You can also join group activities and sign up for organized walking tours and for cooking classes. These types of activities are a great way to meet other people but they do not require a huge commitment of time.

The Safety Layer

You want to prepare for the worst case. Share your itinerary with a partner or friend, find out the number of the local police and of the embassy, save a scanned version of your papers (passport, ID, health insurance, etc.) on your cloud and bring a physical copy as well. Don’t trust people who seem too friendly too fast. And if you feel in danger, go away immediately. These precautions are simple to take, but they can save you from really serious problems.

The Takeaway

Solo travel can bring the most meaningful and powerful trips ever, but they require a lot of planning and work. The preparations for a solo trip will give you confidence and skills that you can apply to future trips, both solo and with groups of people.

The Decision Fatigue Reality

Many solo travelers falsely assume that they are alone in making decisions. Actually, each solo traveler makes many more decisions than every group traveler combined. In fact, each decision adds to a growing mental load that can be wearing as the trip wears on. This “decision fatigue” can be alleviated by establishing a number of predetermined routines and sticking to them. Even seemingly minor matters, like when one eats, how one books hotels and other travel arrangements, and when one stops for the day, all can be decided in advance. This form of structure can feel almost suffocating at first, but it can become a protective mechanism as the days turn into weeks.

The Emotional Rhythm

It is common for travelers on long solo trips to go through an emotional “rhythm” over the course of their time away from home. The beginning of a long solo trip can feel anxious or stressful, especially in the first few days. As the traveler becomes more confident in their ability to handle the daily tasks of traveling on their own, they will typically enter a period of time where they feel very competent. It is not uncommon for this period of time to last for several weeks and to be the highlight of the traveler’s time on the road. However, as the trip nears its end, many solo travelers report a re-emergence of the anxiety or stress they felt in the beginning of their trip, often in the form of homesickness or a feeling of restlessness. This final emotional high point can be misinterpreted by the traveler as a problem with the trip, but in reality it is a normal part of returning from a long solo trip.

When I went to ask a local guide about backpacking in Lebanon he told me things that I had not read in any of the guidebooks for that country.

Returning Well

Another thing that travelers don’t expect is re-entry difficulty. Independent solo travel can be very intense and the experience does not always translate well back to the rest of life. I have found that adding a few quiet days at the end of a trip helps deal with re-entry to work. Meeting up with other travelers who have completed solo travel is also very helpful in processing through the experience.

The Communication Loop

A Solo Traveler staying in touch with loved ones and being able to report back to them frequently will have far fewer “down” moments than one who is completely cut off from home and traveling solo. It doesn’t need to be regular and does not have to be a long phone call. Merely letting someone know every 2 or 3 days that all is well is enough to ward off the worst effects of feeling utterly alone in foreign countries.

The Returning Solo Question

Many travelers have found that they have become “solo travelers” after having completed their first solo trip. These individuals have found that after having gained the skills of a solo traveler (i.e., packing, decision making while tired, navigating unfamiliar systems, eating alone, and asking for help when necessary), subsequent trips whether solo or in groups are less anxious and more enjoyable per day.

A Note on This Topic

After conducting extensive research, I found that the majority of serious travelers practice a very limited set of simple habits before and during their trips. They read past the initial page or two of results for key terms and sites. They take the time to ask locals and sight staff, for instance, for genuinely helpful advice instead of hurrying off to the next site of interest. While on trip, they make notes of sufficient detail to reconstruct events later instead of waiting until home and relying on an incomplete memory. In aggregate, these simple habits generate an enormous amount of skill-building in exchange for what seems to be very little in the way of effort.