The Millers in Motion Podcast
The Millers in Motion Podcast
Join Ryan and Lauren Miller as they take you beyond the world of RVing to explore all things travel! Whether it’s road trips, flights, cruises, or the hidden gems of small towns and big cities, the Millers bring you along for the ride. In each episode, we’ll dive into our latest adventures, share insider tips, discuss travel challenges, and meet fascinating people along the way. Whether you're an experienced traveler, a weekend wanderer, or just looking for inspiration for your next trip, we’ve got stories and insights that will inspire your journey. Let’s keep those wheels rolling—wherever the road, sky, or sea might take us!
The Millers in Motion Podcast
Navigating the World Solo: Tips for Independence
Ever wondered how solo travel might reshape your world? I, Ryan from the Miller's in Motion podcast, invite you on a journey of discovery as I share my personal experiences of stepping out alone while typically being part of a duo with my wife in our RV. This episode promises a deep dive into the exhilaration and growth that comes from embracing solo adventures, whether you're navigating the lively atmosphere of a Disney park or setting sail on a solo cruise. You'll hear about the unique connections that form over shared meals and spontaneous conversations, as well as how solo travel often turns out to be both budget-friendly and liberating.
Join me as we navigate the art of traveling alone, offering insights into maintaining individuality within relationships and sharing tips on how to prepare for international solo travel. From ensuring you have all your travel documents ready to leveraging technology for staying connected, this episode covers it all. Learn the rewards of engaging with local cultures and the unexpected friendships that can blossom along the way. Don’t miss the shared stories from our listeners and advice that could inspire your next solo endeavor. Whether you're a seasoned solo traveler or contemplating your first trip alone, this episode is packed with insights to motivate your journey.
Have you ever thought about traveling solo, whether you just don't have somebody to travel with or you need to get away for a little self-reflection time from whatever is going on in your life? We're going to talk about how, why and some of the different scenarios with solo travel coming up. Next, welcome back to the podcast. My name is ryan and if it's your first time here, welcome to the miller's in motion podcast. What is miller's in motion, you may ask? Well, that's my wife and I. We travel as much as we possibly can. For the last two and a half years, we've actually been living full-time in our Alliance Valor RV and traveling on cruises and other types of trips all around it. So why are we talking about solo travel today? Obviously, it's my wife and I. We live in an RV. We travel together a lot, but there are some scenarios coming up that is requiring us to do a little bit of solo travel. Now, there's two different kinds of solo travel. There's traveling for business solo, and then there's traveling for pleasure solo. We're focusing on the pleasure because if you're going somewhere for business, that's a little different, because you're going to get there, you have people you're going to work with, you have things that you have to do and or achieve. And so by doing that, you know there's inherently going to be something to do in community and less nervousness and all of those things associated with that, as it is Now, the flip side of that is why in the earth flip side of that is why in the earth would someone want to travel solo?
Speaker 1:Well, there's the obvious right Flat out you're by yourself. So you know there's plenty of people in this world that either are just dating, haven't been married, whatever scenario. That is the reason why that you would travel by yourself. And I think what's important to know is that you know people get this anxiety with traveling solo and I completely understand it. I had it the first couple of times. I did it by myself, but you know you don't want to completely disregard the fact that. You know if you like to travel, if you like to learn more about different cultures and integrate, that it's okay to be uncomfortable, right, it's not necessarily a bad thing to be nervous or uncomfortable. I mean it can cause some anxiety, but you know, just know that depending on the scenario, and I think you can build up to a different types of solo trips.
Speaker 1:So, obviously, what are we going to be talking about solo trips. So, because we are so heavily immersed in the RV world, there's obviously solo RVing. Then, in addition to that, you have the typical trip right, I'm just going to get on a plane, go somewhere for X amount of days and then I'm going to come back. And there's even different. You know variations of that which we'll get into in a little more detail in a second. And then you have, like cruises and other types of things and group travel, even though you're riding solo.
Speaker 1:So we're going to start kind of in chronological order or whatever. The easiest would be Now. The easiest thing would be is to join like a group of people that are traveling, even though you might be going by yourself. So the easiest way I can explain this is, for instance, we're doing a group trip with our friends Phil and Stacey, from Today is Someday, and it's not like you could like. If it was just going to be me I would still go but you have that group atmosphere already inherently built in. So that's the easiest version of solo travel. So you're really not minus getting to the destination and getting home, wherever that may be.
Speaker 1:You know, in this scenario we're doing a cruise and we're both going and this is later on in the year, in 2025, actually in March and you know, if I was going to go by myself on something like that, this would be where I would start, because there's already a group of like-minded people that you may know some of. You may not know some of them, but you know you can meet some people quickly, easily integrate into the culture of the trip very, very fast. So from there I would actually put probably like either a Disney trip, if you're into that kind of thing, or a cruise as next, because inherently there are so many like-minded people on those two types of things and both do a pretty good job of helping solo travelers integrate together a little bit. So after that, then I'd probably put RVing just slightly behind that and I say just a general RV trip. Now you can go to a rally or an in-person event or an RV show and get a little bit more of that group. So I'm kind of using a wide spreading compass here.
Speaker 1:You know, if you're going somewhere to see sites and all that stuff a lot of times in the RV community, just hanging out outside, meeting people at the campground, all of those kind of things, especially if you're going to be somewhere for a little bit more time, can be a great way to meet some people and then, who knows, maybe go on an adventure with some of them as you go through that. So from there, obviously the hardest to do is if you're just going to go somewhere for a long weekend, like you want to visit new Orleans or Paris, it doesn't matter where it's, obviously you're going to have a harder time integrating and that's where you know start with the hotel kind of a thing and and chat with like a concierge or something and figure out where people like to go, and then maybe find a bar. If you're a drinker, if you're a non-drinker, you know you just kind of hang out and just ask some people right, take an Uber somewhere, go experience something, but then talk with people. And I think the important part about kind of learning more about different cultures and getting into it and this is where a lot of people's anxiety likes to flare up is just have a conversation with a local, assuming you can speak their language and or they can speak English, that kind of a thing. Obviously, if you're in France and the person doesn't speak English and you don't speak French. There's a whole different level of complexity there. But you know, if you're in New Orleans, then then try and go meet some people, kind of.
Speaker 1:You know, in the age of social media there's two different ways you can go about doing this. Now, one is the old school way, you know. You can go to bars, you can go to restaurants, you can go out where people are in more of a social environment and from there, you know, you can meet some people, do some things and then potentially by mid or the end of the trip you've kind of met some friends that you can get to know in that area before you head back home. Now you flip that around and in the age of social media, you know there are plenty of groups that are solo travelers, that are, you know, in a specific area, on a specific cruise, all that kind of stuff where all of a sudden you can have a little bit more integration prior to going and kind of start building those relationships before you ever step foot on whatever it happened to be that trip, and have a little bit of a game plan, if that makes sense. So, planning that perfect solo trip, you know what's popular and where to start, I would tell you to start with cruises. If you're a fan of Disney and or Universal, those are also pretty easy to integrate places.
Speaker 1:You know, from the cruise perspective, a lot of the cruise lines are doing you know they're actually catering to solo travelers. Now the one thing I have to tell you from a booking perspective, you know a lot of cruise lines will do what's called a second supplement. So they assume every room is going to have two people on it. So if you're looking at a, if you haven't changed the search criteria to one person, and you're looking at a price of a cruise, you're probably going to have to double that dollar amount that's on there. So if it says starting at $499, it's probably going to be $1,000. If it's $500, you're going to be at $1,000. Now there are some cruise lines that do a better job of this. I have found um norwegian is probably the best where they have a very, very, very discounted what they call second supplement. Um royal caribbean, depending on the cruise, is pretty good about it. The worst are going to be disney, um holland, america princess. They just they're going to make you pay that full second person. So you know there's some pros and cons to that, depending on how you're doing it, um, and also this is a little insert here moment I am actually going to be doing a solo cruise in about two and a half to three weeks.
Speaker 1:I don't have a calendar in front of me, so I'm guessing a little bit there, but in about three weeks, at the beginning of December, I'm going to be doing a solo cruise. Lauren can't go Quite. Frankly, we need to get some content built in because we have some fun, fun, fun things happening in early 2025, but, uh, some of them require a little bit of lead time, and so, going to get some content on a solo cruise plus, I've never done that before and I want to be able to speak to it. I've done Disney solo a couple of times. Uh, it's been slightly integrated with the work trip, um, but I'm looking for feedback.
Speaker 1:So we have three ports, a call, and I also want to know what questions do you have about solo cruising? What you know, I'm going to let you guys pick what I do in some of these ports, and so the three ports I'm leaving from Miami and so I'm not really going to do anything in Miami besides get to the ship, get off the ship and then fly in and out, but I'm going to be in Nassau, bahamas, which I think I have a game plan. But if there's something specifically that anybody out there would like to know more about, whether it be through the podcast or the main videos, by all means shoot us an email. Also, key West is one of the other ones, and so I'm excited about Key West. Lauren and I have been there before, so I kind of have an idea of some stuff I'd like to go do. But if there's something you guys would like to see in the videos, by all means reach out.
Speaker 1:And then, last but not least, great Stirrup Cay. That is actually Norwegian's private island, so that one we're probably just going to go experience whatever there is to do on the island, because I'm not even 100% sure what I've gotten into on that one, and then we're coming back. So then there's a couple of at sea days. So if you have questions about solo cruising, specifically on Norwegian or anything else, we're on the Norwegian Pearl or Norwegian Jade. I'm sorry, we're on Norwegian Jade, that you know. You can reach out to us and you can shoot us an email info at Miller's in Motion or you can follow us on any other socials Instagram, facebook, it's just at Millers underscore in underscore Motion or just search Millers in Motion and our little logo icon our faces will pop up and it's the same across all platforms. So shoot us an email, send us a message.
Speaker 1:I would love to know any places you'd like us to experience and share on the channel, or if you've just got some good food recommendations and that kind of stuff in key western nassau and then great scurp k. If you've ever been, let us know. I'm curious about that because I don't have no clue what I've been into. So, um, getting back to kind of planning the rest of that trip, the you know, being able to be on a cruise ship and and kind of have that integrated where you can go to a like a nightlife party if you want to. Um, I know on Norwegian what they do is they have like a five or five o'clock um kind of cocktail hour for solos and then after that the idea is that you can meet some people and then if you want to go to dinner with them, you can um, because dinner's like right after that first hour, and so you know, there's a lot of things that they do to integrate people so that you can try to meet fellow solo travelers. However you want to do that. So again, follow the YouTube channel and we'll show you how we kind of go about doing all that. I'm sure I'll talk about it. Post here on the podcast as well. Disney I know that there's a solo traveler for Disney Facebook page. There's a lot of Facebook pages for things these days, so you can definitely check those out as well.
Speaker 1:You know the thing about some of the tips I have like when you're eating at different places, like as a solo person, especially like at Disney, it feels a little weird sitting at a table for like two or four by yourself. Now it's really weird for us because I always have a camera crust from me so I get double the weird looks. But one of the things I like to do is actually sit at the bar. People typically that are sitting at the bar are a little more open to conversations. It's a little more cohesive. You have a little more of the ability, just kind of how a bar is set up, versus sitting at a table and having a conversation with someone on a different table. When you're at a table, you're very kind of inclusive to that table. When you're at a bar, it's a little easier to have that conversation, and most places have the exact same menu at the bar, so it's not like you have to go there to drink. You can sit there and have a meal.
Speaker 1:I would tell you that if you're going to sit at a bar, do something. Don't just sit there and drink water all night. Get a drink, get some food, whatever and hang out, relax, enjoy it and on top of that, talk to. Maybe the bartender start off with and then you never know, you know get outside that comfort zone. So many people with social media now kind of close down in those situations, and I see it a lot with the younger generation. They just don't know how to start a conversation anymore, and so there is a little bit of an art form to it and I'm having to go back 20 years to when I used to do it.
Speaker 1:But you know, that is one way you can do it as well, and when you're in a place like a Disney or a cruise, there's already people around you that are like-minded. Right Now, if you'd go to New Orleans, you don't know if they're a local, if they're on vacation, you have no idea. So I would say, start solo travel. In some of those you know more condensed, people have the same views, and I say views are there for the same reason, like Disney. You know people are there to enjoy Disney on a cruise. You know people picked it because of the ports of call or they like cruising or whatever. Those are very like minded heavy scenarios versus just going out somewhere and jumping on a trip. So it's hard to not talk about kind of some of the budgeting We've already talked a little bit about on cruises. But in hotels and airfare, one of the bonuses by traveling yourself is it is cheaper and you can kind of do it how you want.
Speaker 1:Like when Lauren and I travel like we're planning a couple of different trips right now and we're going back and forth, you know we're having the conversation of, well, I'd rather do it this way and she'd rather do it that way. So like I may say, well, I'd rather fly first class with a connection, she'd rather fly coach and be direct. Um, just because of how everything falls and lands. So for us to make a decision, there is a give and take, just like everything else in this world. When you're married or with someone is because I want her to be happy, I also want to be happy, and we find what works the best in the middle and we go forward. So neither of us are 100% getting our way, but at the same time too, we are getting to experience all those things together. So it has its pros and its cons.
Speaker 1:When you travel solo, like, for instance, when I've gone down to Disney for a work trip and I say a work trip at Disney Orlando, but I'll go visit the parks for a day or two, like in the afternoons, because I would normally do my morning stuff at a conference and then I would be able to have the afternoons to myself. At the end of the day, I do whatever I want and while I love Lauren and I would never trade experiencing anything with her for me getting to do it my way when she physically can't go or be there at the end of the day I get to eat what I want, again within reason. The what I want versus what I should eat comes into play, but I also have the ability to do the things I want, again within reason. The what I want versus what I should eat comes into play, but I also have the ability to do the things I want. Like you know, I'm not a big like she doesn't like going on Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. I love going on Tower of Terror. So when we're there together we typically don't do that ride because she doesn't want to.
Speaker 1:And that's perfectly fine. We move on, we find something else to do. But when she's not there, I go on the stuff she doesn't want to go. On the flip side of that too is I don't necessarily I'm a bigger guy. I don't necessarily fit or very comfortable on a lot of roller coasters. So if she was there, I know she would be going on more roller coasters than I can go. In addition to that, I've had a handful of concussions playing football in my younger days, and so you know I can't ride every roller coaster because I'm scared I'm going to black out. So I know that if she was there without me she would do things a little differently as well. Plus, at the end of the day we have different tastes. She's going to go for salads and that kind of thing. I love a good hamburger steak pretty much red meat Not that we can't integrate both across. The other thing too is I have a tendency to go a little later in the night she doesn't, and so you know, being able to do something solo versus that isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, and there's a benefit of this, even if you're in a relationship or not.
Speaker 1:Is it's always good to kind of self reflect and be able to function as an individual? Sometimes, you know, I think we become so self-reliant on our partners that we forget how to function by ourselves, and this requires you to do that. Now, as much as she now and I say this full disclosure she helps even when I'm gone, because I, you know, we can't take care of the dogs by ourselves. There's a lot of things we can't do without the other person, even when we're not there. So I help her with booking reservations and those types of things. She helps me by taking care of the dogs and all that other stuff when I'm gone. So now, that being said, you know some logistics, you know. You know talking about accommodations, transportation, there's nothing really special about booking that kind of stuff, except for the fact that you know hotels are going to be about the same price. There's no discount, magically.
Speaker 1:But obviously airfare, you know, you have to be a little bit more open, like I have a tendency to fly more premium, economy and first class when I go solo. And it's not because I don't want Lauren too, but, again, being a bigger guy, you know, when we're in economy together or flying Southwest, for instance, we don't mind snuggling up to each other, especially on shorter flights, as long as we can keep it cool enough and I don't sweat her out. But we typically will get close anyway and so that doesn't bother us when we're traveling, whereas I don't want to get to know this random person. Am I right that? Well, so I will typically fly pre-economy or up in first class when it is solo.
Speaker 1:You know, packing that's the other thing too is like a lot of times I don't pack as much as Lauren does. Typically. Now it ends up being close to the same size worth of stuff, because my clothes are inherently bigger than Lauren's. She's quite a bit smaller than me but there's a lot of times where we'll throw stuff in the other person's bag just like oh crap, I forgot that. Can you have room for, you know, my pills or my deodorant, or I forgot this. Oops, you mind if I throw it in your bag, and there's a sure, why not when you're traveling solo, it's all you, you know, and that goes for when you're traveling through airports and securities and whatever you happen to be traveling on, you know you have to be self sufficient. You cannot rely on help at that point. And so you know how you pack, changes some things and how you kind of move your luggage around. You have to be coherent, that you know. Like with Lauren, I'll typically take one of her bags.
Speaker 1:This is assuming we're not filming, or if we are filming, she might take my bag so that I can get a shot a little bit easier. You know, if it's one of those situations where you know we're going on a cruise, like I'm really curious and you have to stay tuned for late March and April for the series. But we're going to do a cruise series, like I said earlier, in March we're going to be gone for like nine days. We don't travel light, especially on cruises, because on cruises we typically have what we'll wear during the day and then we clean up and put something a little nicer on for the evenings. Well, it's a seven night cruise.
Speaker 1:We'll be in LA for a couple of days, uh, and then getting back, um, I don't know how packing is going to work, because we're going to have a lot of stuff and so, you know, I don't know how much I'm going to be able to film whilst moving luggage from one place to the other, because I'm pretty sure I have at least three bags that we're going to check. Plus, she'll inherently have her purse or some sort of a bag like a satchel. I will also have my camera bag or some sort of a bag like a satchel. I will also have my camera bag, and so, you know, being able to film and move kind of that stuff, we've had to improvise along the way or stop, film what we need to film and then keep moving, kind of a thing, because it's so difficult.
Speaker 1:Now, you know, one of the big things and this is what I hear most from people when they say well, my biggest concern with traveling solo is safety. You know, there's some generic safety stuff and we talk about this a lot with the RV stuff and that's if you feel uneasy with a boondocking spot or maybe a slightly questionable campground, the best security system when you're doing that is your gut. Well, that's kind of the same thing when you're solo traveling, like, if something feels uneasy, change the situation, right, you know, get out of that particular area hotel, whatever the situation may be, you know, change it Because at the end of the day, your gut's probably the best security you have. But also be super aware, like again, this comes back to the younger generation. I've noticed that they're less aware of what's going on around them, whereas I'm very aware.
Speaker 1:I just I kind of like I'm that guy that likes to sit in the corner of restaurants and be able to see the doors and all the exits and know where they are, and I don't know why. I just always have been. Some of that's because I'm being protective of my family or the people that are with us, but it also has a lot to do with that. I have a better understanding of my surroundings when I'm in a corner and I can see the entire facility, kind of a thing, versus, you know, having my back to the door right near the entrance. That's my biggest pet peeve. I hate tables that end up like that in restaurants.
Speaker 1:So, you know, just be aware of your surroundings, you know, and book things at correct times, like you know, booking a 6 am flight and knowing you're going to have to go park in a you know, in a parking garage or a parking lot at 5 am, 4 am, whatever time you need to get to the airport, is setting yourself up for potentially a bad situation. So in your planning phases you can think through that stuff, like just take the later flight, assuming you can, now, if you can't, you can't. But then it comes back to parking in the correct places, right, like, pay for a lot that's monitored. So, like for us, I always use the parking spot and I will. You know, the nice thing about that is typically the shuttle van at that hour will follow you to wherever you park and then help you get your bags out. Um, to wherever you park and then help you get your bags out. And so that's another one of those scenarios where instead of parking, you know, at an airport, in the back of a parking garage where there's no assistance, I'm parking offsite with a shuttle, but there's someone there to help. Now that's not as big of a deal to me because at six, two to 75, you know I'm a bigger guy People have a tendency not to mess with me, but if you're maybe female or or smaller, maybe that's an actual concern. Um, so it comes back to kind of making the correct planning and then make smart choices along the way, like understand where you're going, you know have, do your research before you actually leave, like make sure you have things. It's.
Speaker 1:It's funny because I was talking to a couple in the airport leaving for Dallas Actually, they were on the shuttle as we were leaving Dallas and going up to Wisconsin a few weeks ago and they were talking about they didn't know 100% where they were staying when they were going to Cabo, because her boss had a home and that's where they were staying. Well, when you go into another country, understand what you're going to need. They didn't know they needed to actually have the address of that, otherwise their tourist visa is going to get denied at the border. Now you can travel between, like you can enter the Mexico just from the US, just on a US passport, right, but you still have to fill out your forms and declarations. And one of those things is where are you staying? When are you returning to the US? Right, and so most people. It's a long weekend, a week, that kind of 10 days max, 10, 12 days max, but you know, you need to know the address and or the hotel name, or if it's a villa, you need to know the address that kind of a thing. And so they actually started trying to figure that out right then and there and did Otherwise they're going to get to Mexico and not know they're not gonna be able to put something on that form and they're going to be denied entry until they can fill that out.
Speaker 1:Then you end up in purgatory, just like Tom Hanks in that movie, the Terminal. You're just stuck there for a little bit. I mean, you're going to get the information, but now does your phone work in Mexico? Well, ours does, but not everybody's. May you know? Do you actually have a connection? Do you have the ability to have a connection, that kind of stuff? So just if you're a solo, kind of, look through those things and understand the requirements.
Speaker 1:If you're traveling internationally, if you're on a cruise, make sure you have the proper documentation, whether it's digital or physical, you know. Make sure you have your boarding pass for your airlines, all the basic stuff that goes without saying on travel. But with a solo, because there's so much other anxiety, you really want to make sure all that stuff is kind of all your ducks in a row and all of those things. Maybe have some emergency preparedness just in case. So like, for instance, this cruise I'm going on without Lauren. I already have the emergency phone number for the ship. So if something were to happen, um back home and Lauren absolutely had to get ahold of me, she has a phone number she can call. I'll let her know my state room as soon as I know it, um, and then that way there can be a situation where I can still get a hold of her.
Speaker 1:Now I am, I'll have an internet package which I'm adding once I get there. Um, that'll be on my computer, because I'll need to be able to kind of do a few things, and then I'll talk to Lauren at least, probably once a day. But I'll have to FaceTime her from my computer, because if you've ever bought on a cruise ship, the way Norwegian works, it's based on time. Well, if I turn it on on my phone, my phone's going to constantly want to use the internet and so it's going to burn through it really fast, whereas my laptop I can just turn it off and I know it's not using it, right. So I know I'll have so many internet hours and I'll just be able to use the computer to call Lauren and or text message that kind of a thing. So, um, from there, you know kind of talking through, you know making friends and socializing on the road, like we talked about, use social apps, find meetup events, take group tours, that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:You know a lot of challenges you're going to overcome. Anxiety being a big one is when you get to where you're going. You're going to kind of want to I call it being a hermit. You want to just stay in the room and stay, because you get a little bit too anxious about going out and meeting people and that's where you kind of have to have that drive to step past that if that makes any sense and get outside, even if you just go wander around and those kinds of things. So you have to kind of embrace that alone time and know how to deal with it. Like eating, like we talked about earlier, being able to have a meal and those types of things. But look at Facebook you might.
Speaker 1:There might be some group things, group travels. Another one, like Viator, is a great use of a. It's tours, no matter where you are, and you might be able to find a group tour to go on and who knows, maybe you made friends with some of the people on the tour so you can put yourself in the right scenario of being able to maximize and see things and meet people and, who knows, maybe you'll even integrate into the culture a little bit and learn more about why people live there Some of the you know, whether it be religious or cultural exchanges in that area and then learn more. Ultimately, that's why Lauren and I travel is we like to embrace, you know, local cultures, food, all of that kind of stuff. So the rewards of solo travel right. So it can be very rewarding because you will, if you can, step outside that comfort zone and be a little, be okay with being a little uncomfortable, if you may, for that kind of a thing. It's it's great, but you are going to have to step outside that comfort zone.
Speaker 1:So, have you ever traveled solo? Are you considering traveling solo? Or if you just want to give us a tip on that cruise to Key West, nassau and Norwegian's private island, we would love to hear from you. You can shoot us an email at info at Miller's In Motion, or you can go to the website or any of our social media and shoot us a message through those as well. If you're thinking about doing a solo trip and you decide to do it. We would love for you to share your pictures with us, tag us and, by all means, ask us any questions you might have coming up. Thank you, guys, so much for joining, and don't forget, get out there and enjoy the world. We'll see you next week. Thank you.
