I'm an Introvert, but Taking a Solo Group Trip Changed My Outlook on Travel

25.09.2024 - 14:46 / matadornetwork.com / Will I (I)

If you told me years ago I’d be traveling to Iceland alone to meet a bunch of strangers for a group vacation, I would have called you crazy and laughed out loud.

Growing up, I traveled with my family; when I got older, I always traveled with someone I knew. Like most people, I had never tried out the solo group travel trend: traveling alone, but meeting other people to travel together on an organized group vacation.

The older I got, the more I noticed myself becoming introverted with group activities. It’s something I wanted to overcome, but I never knew how to do it on my own. I do enjoy traveling, but as someone who grew up in a small town and mostly hangs out with the same friends (and family) I’ve known since I was in diapers, it was a hard adjustment to agree to travel around the world with a dozen or so strangers.

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When it comes to socializing, I’m happy to talk to people, but I spend a good amount of time watching everyone while thinking of the next thing to say – and hoping I don’t appear awkward or weird. Taking a solo group vacation seemed like a big challenge for me, so I decided to try something daring and take a Contiki Tours trip as a solo traveler.

Contiki is a global tour company that caters to 18-to-35-year-olds. It has hundreds of tours across the world, from Europe and Australia to New Zealand, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. I chose to visit the “Land of Fire and Ice:” the beautiful country of Iceland. It was always on my bucket list, but I’d never dreamed of traveling that far away without people I knew.

Photo: Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock

Pre-voyage, I spent most of my prep and packing time finding appropriate clothing for Iceland’s varied and extreme climate. But while packing, multiple thoughts crossed my mind over and over. “Will I choke up?” “Will I be awkward?” “What do I say?” “Will people like me?”

When I made my way to the airport on departure day, I was nervous about not being accepted by the rest of the group. I was able to calm my nerves a bit during the eight-hour flight, but when I landed, even the brisk slap in the face of Iceland’s frigid temperatures wasn’t enough to get the negative thoughts out of my head.

In my shuttle to Reykjavik, I sat with my thoughts, trying to stay positive and reminding myself that I made a good choice by pushing myself to try a solo group travel trip. Of course, the devil on my other shoulder kept telling me it was a bad idea – like many introverts, overthinking can be my downfall.

When I made it to my hostel in the early morning, I wasn’t yet able to check in. Instead, I sat in the comfortable lobby, looking calm but with my nerves all over the place. I focused on building the