Did my first proper solo trip at 43. Not backpacking, not a gap year situation. Just me, a carry-on, and a week in Lisbon with no one else's schedule to work around.
I'd travelled plenty before, but always with partners, colleagues, or friends. Solo felt like something I'd missed the window for.
Turns out I hadn't.
Curious whether others came to it late. What made you finally do it, and did it change how you think about travel generally?
Planning a slow drive down the Pacific Coast Highway later this year. Not in a rush, so I want to actually stop and sleep properly rather than just pull into whatever looks quiet and hope for the best.
Looking for spots that are genuinely usable. Pullouts, dispersed areas, day use lots that tolerate overnight stays, whatever. Not looking for campgrounds with hookups. Already know about those.
Specific stretch is roughly Crescent City down to Malibu. Happy to hear about any section of that.
What I actually want to know is where people have had consistent luck and where they've been moved on. The difference between a spot that looks fine on an app and one that actually works at 3am is the part that's hard to research from a desk.