My Beach Solo Vacation
So I went to the beach by myself for a few days in June. I’d never thought of doing this until a mentor suggested it a couple years ago. I’ve lived alone for a few years, but always thought vacations must be had with people. After being introduced to the idea, however, I started to realize how truly relaxing and fun vacationing alone could be. I loved the idea of doing anything I wanted whenever I wanted without responsibilities of “real life”. Don’t get me wrong, vacations with friends are so much fun, too, but a solo vacation is another level. As you probably know, I’m an introvert, so my idea of a solo vacation may look different than a more outgoing person. But I believe there’s an introverted side to all of us, and my itinerary below can cater to that side.
For the curious ones out there, here’s a play by play of my solo beach vacation. Also, all of my favorite places in Seaside and Rosemary Beach are linked in case you want to experience them for yourself!
Day One:
Fit half of everything I own into my car
Mentally gear up to stay awake for 7 hours…and GO
Alternate between podcasts and tunes (here were some of my favorites!)
Call mom to see if Maya misses me yet
Arrive half dead and desperate for a bed
Attempt to fall asleep to Gilmore Girls
Fail at that so bike to Seaside to find dinner
Realize Dinner Plan A was closed
Get a drink and wander over to the beach for the sunset
Say hello to the ocean and watch it wave back at me
Realize my life is like a shell I found…broken but still beautiful and worthy of being chosen by someone loving
Receive a picture of me and the sunset from a random, kind stranger
Say goodnight to the beach and bike back to the tiny house to go to bed
Day Two:
Get donuts at my favorite place: Dough Sea Dough
Eat a donut on the beach and realize people are already setting up their spot so I’d better do the same
Bike to the tiny house to throw on swimsuit and grab beach supplies
Bike back to the beach and get fried
Make an adrenal cocktail
Find out that 3:00 pm is the best time of the day to wander Seaside…much less crowded plus it’s happy hour
Decide dinner plans = Pizza by the Sea + Netflix in bed
Day Three:
Decide to do a real breakfast at the Great Southern Cafe (their Smoked Gouda Grits are AMAZING)
Read my book while eating
Cruise along 30A
Stop at 3rd Cup in Rosemary Beach to work on blog posts
Nearly die from the heat and humidity
Drive back to the tiny house to hydrate and take a nap
Read my book at the Seaside tower beach entrance at dusk
Day Four:
Watch the sunrise on the beach
Get more donuts
Take a nap then start to feel depressed
Go into town for a smoothie and to read then realize I’m sweating buckets in the minimal wind environment
Bike back to the tiny house and finish my book
Get sushi for dinner
Bring sushi, beach chair, and book #2 to the beach to commemorate my last night
Watch the sun go down and the stars come out
Be sad when walking away, because I don’t know when I’ll be back
Day Five:
Pack and head home!
But first, stop for coffee and gifts to bring Mom and Dad for watching Maya
And there you have it! If you are also a huge 30a fan, and I missed one of your favorite things, let me know what I need to add to the list next time!