#3 Key West, Florida
Key West was my first solo-travel adventure. It was January 2015…and I had no true idea what I was doing or what I was looking for. I just knew I wanted to travel. I had caught the bug- the travel bug- and it got me BAD! So, at the start of 2015, I decided to make my word of the year “Travel”. And that is what I did and continue to do to this day.
I don’t remember how I picked Key West as my first trip; I just knew I wanted sun, sand and beach. Living in Virginia, winters can be hit or miss, but I am not a winter person regardless of snowfall. (I do believe if it’s going to be cold, it should be snowing; otherwise, it should be warm, sunny and bikini weather all the time.) As soon as fall hits our area, I tend to go through seasonal depression and yearn for sun and warmth. So off to the beach I was!
I remember my dad really worrying that I was doing this trip solo. “You should be going with someone. I think you are just trying to recreate your job!” “Dad, are you crazy? Seriously? I don’t have time to wait for other people. This is my life and I need to live it!” I have to say- I have completed over 20 trips (not all solo) since those concerned words came out of my dad’s mouth and I am still here to tell you about them. Poor dad- bless his heart! If it makes him feel better, I do appreciate that he worried about me and just wants to make sure I am safe. Love you dad!
Back to Key West- here was my plan. Fly into Fort Lauderdale, stay the night in Key Largo, drive to Key West, and make my way back up the Keys to Fort Lauderdale to fly out. I flew into FLL because I wanted to experience the drive of the Keys- over the long bridges, see all the open water, and take in the sights at the end of the U.S.! This was also the first time I was going to be staying in a hostel. I’d never stayed in one before, but there’s a first for everything, right? (It was definitely an experience I will share, if you keep reading.)
Key Largo was my first stop. As soon as I landed, I drove to KL- wasn’t too far- and stayed in a cheap motel. Hey, I wasn’t there to live like a queen. I simply just wanted a place to lay my head for the night. As soon as the sun came up, I was off for the day. I ate breakfast at a local spot I found on Yelp, Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen, and then spent the day at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Between sunbathing, exploring the park and going on a glass-bottom boat tour out to the coral reef, I had my fair-share to keep me busy. I thought about going scuba diving, but was a little terrified to do it alone- I know, I know, crazy right? Doesn’t help that I might have a slight fear of dying while scuba diving. I will get there in time. The glass-bottom boat tour was cool, though. I love being out at sea, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around except the sea creatures swim around the coral reef, underneath the boat. Just amazing!
After the boat ride, I was off to Key West! What a view. Water surrounded me on both sides. The sunset on the horizons. It was just me and the open road…in the middle of water. What a neat experience. It did take a couple hours to get from Key Largo to Key West, but I had all the time in the world.
So, remember when I mentioned that this was my first hostel experience. Here goes the story. Before booking this trip, I asked anyone I knew if they had ever stayed in a hostel before. Most people told me “yes, but in Europe”. Rarely did someone tell me they stayed in one in the U.S. Going off suggestions, I booked a bed in an all-female room, thinking “girls are cleaner than boys, this should be easy”. That was far from the truth! I had two “roommates” when I checked in (there was more later). One was butt-ass naked changing on her bed when I walked in and the other might have been sleeping. The butt-ass chick also hung her underwear on the edge of the bed…to dry? I am not even sure about that thought process! The bathroom was also a mess! I stood on my tippy-toes my entire shower- it was gross. Needless to say, when I decided to stay another night in Key West, I booked in a co-ed room…and it was 110% cleaner and oddly enough, quieter. (I have since stayed in other hostels and will continue. I book whatever is cheapest and don’t care much about the look anymore. Key West hostel, you didn’t scare me! Maybe, just the underwear on the bed did!)
PROOF!
While in Key West, I ventured to different beaches, ate frozen key lime pie, photo-opt’d with the Southernmost Point buoy, and found Mile 0. I also toured Hemingway’s House, saw 6-toed cats and explored the Key West Lighthouse. Originally, I had planned to only stay one night, and venture back up the Keys to different places, but there was so much to do and I felt so safe walking around the area. In addition to the tourist spots, I managed to find some bomb-ass food, local live music and meet some really interesting people. I met an old man who chartered boats for a living. He was a delight and refreshing to talk to. He told a bunch of stories of his ventures out at sea. If/when I make it back to Key West, I will be sure to look him up!
On my last full day in the Keys, I made my way up north, towards FLL, stopping off at different parts of the Keys. Before I left Key West, though, I stopped at a popular beach to lay out a little, Smather’s Beach. There I met two guys, living out of one of their mom’s van, simply getting away from their hometown in North Carolina. They were pretty cool, so when they asked where I was heading next, I didn’t hesitate to say “Bahia Honda”. Maybe I should have had a filter to complete strangers, but they turned out to be respectable, good people. We went separate ways, but exchanged numbers and met in Big Pine Key to watch the sunset. I even had dinner with them, before parting ways. I always like meeting new people!
This trip I did something that I will never do again- stay overnight in an airport, without flying out. When I was booking everything, I thought I would be okay with sleeping in the airport for a couple hours and catching an early flight the next morning. NO WAY, never again! I tried to sleep on the floor of an airport that was under construction and did most of the work and cleaning in the middle of the night. Bad move! Next time, I will book the car rental a day longer and stay in another cheap motel. It would have been totally worth that extra money spent. But if that was my only complaint for my first ever solo-travel, I walked away a CHAMP!
This trip set a standard for the rest of my future trips. I learned that I could travel alone. I learned that I could push myself outside my comfort zone. I learned that I didn’t need to wait for anyone else and I could live my life through solo-travel. And the most important lesson I learned was that solo-travel is the most amazing thing EVER! You set your own schedule; you do what YOU want; you wake up and eat what you want. There is no time frame in which you have to get anything done. You are living for YOU in that solo-travel trip.
If you haven’t tried solo-travel yet, I highly encourage you to try it. I would love to be your guide in your adventure. I am here to help! Cheers to starting your solo-travel experience. I know you can do it and will LOVE it, just like me!