Fearless Solo Travel: Faith, Freedom and Flight // 184

Fear can sound responsible, even wise, until you realize it’s quietly making your decisions for you. If you’ve felt that tension between wanting to take a solo trip and hearing the anxious loop of “what if something goes wrong,” I’m speaking straight to that moment. We get honest about the difference between real safety awareness and the internal fear that grows in the unknown, especially for women who want freedom but also want to feel grounded and protected.

I share how I lean on scripture when fear gets loud, because God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. We talk about the Biblical pattern of being called to go even without perfect clarity, and how solo travel can become a personal journey of trust, courage, and discovering who you are in Christ. Then we flip the script on the questions that keep women stuck: not just “what if I can’t handle it,” but “what if God has already equipped me for this?”

We also get practical with solo travel tips that build confidence without feeding the need to control everything: praying before you book, researching your destination, choosing accommodations wisely, sharing your itinerary, and staying connected with trusted people back home. I explain why safety isn’t rooted only in control, and how peace grows when you plan well, listen for Holy Spirit prompts, and stay open to the unexpected.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to travel alone, let this be your nudge to take one small first step today. Subscribe for more solo female travel encouragement, share this with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review so more women of faith can find it. What’s one place you feel called to go next?

Coaching Invitation
If you’re feeling drawn toward solo travel but unsure where to begin, this is something I support women with through 1:1 coaching. Together we can explore what kind of travel experience fits your season of life and create a thoughtful plan that reflects the woman you are becoming.

https://cherylbeckesch.com/workwithme/

Transcript

Welcome And Naming The Fear

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Welcome back to Solo Travel Adventures. I'm so glad you're here today. This episode is especially close to my heart because we're talking about something that often holds women back from experiencing the freedom they deeply desire, and that is fear. And I know there's a lot going on in the world that's surrounding you, right? But I'm not talking about that kind of fear that is something to be aware of, yes, for safety reasons, but I'm talking about that internal fear that comes up when you are thinking about doing a trip, a solo trip. Often we ask those questions, what if something goes wrong? What will people think? And am I too old to do this alone? And as many women of faith, there's always that quiet question, is it really safe for me right now? And so if you've ever felt that tension between the desire for adventure and travel, but your fear keeps stepping in and preventing you from doing it. Today's episode is for you and anybody else that, you know, might be on the edge of make taking that leap, but they're unsure. I think what we need to do first is really be honest with ourselves. Fear is human. I mean, fear can be a good thing, right? We know that fear often prevents us from doing something that could be deadly. Maybe we see a fire, obviously, fear. We're not going to run to the fire. That is important to listen to, but I'm talking about this unknown fear underlying kind of in our own mind. Like we think in our minds we have these irrational fears, meaning they're not always true. Okay, so we have to ask: is this fear real? Is it is it something we need to acknowledge it? We just can't ignore it. But we don't want fear to lead our lives. And as we know that fear does not come from God, and scripture reminds us that God has given us a spirit, has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. So if fear isn't from Him, then where is it from? It's often just things that, whether it's external environmental feedback that we're believing, or just some internal old stories that we tell ourselves. I also like the other, there's another scripture that comes to mind when I think of fear and how God in Deuteronomy 31, 6 states, be strong and courageous, do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. So when you're thinking about going on your own on this trip, maybe that's a scripture that you can cling to. And there's other themes throughout the Bible that it's impossible to ignore because God has called his people to go. And I want you to think you are God's child, you are called to go. Going to whether it's a new land, like the Israelites or Abraham, or going to the unknown. Many of them God called and they didn't know where they were going, but they were obedient to go. And we need to trust him daily in all those steps. And none of these journeys were comfortable. Thinking of Esther, stepping into that uncertainty. The disciples traveling without relying on no money, no clothes, Jesus told them to go and just trust that all that would be provided for them. I don't know that that's possible these days, but I love that concept, and maybe that's a fear that's holding you back, right? But a solo journey, it can be the same. It can be a journey into there is uncertainty, just as those people in the Bible, Abraham, Esther, Moses, the Israelites, all those people that made those journeys without really having a plan, right? And you're gonna have a plan, of course. So that's gonna help soften and get rid of some of those fears. But we are maybe called to this trip in a way to help us discover who we are in Christ. And so we don't want to allow fear to prevent us from that opportunity and that chance to really have some time alone with God. And so we need to reframe our fear through faith. And we know that fear shrinks when faith expands. So we have to think about having faith in this. And so instead of asking, what if something goes wrong? I would reframe that question and ask, what if God meets me in ways I've never experienced before? Yes, it is possible. I've experienced that. And instead of asking, what if I can't handle it? Ask yourself, flip that script and say, What if God has already equipped me for this? I think we as women really have more we're more equipped than we think we are. We have more self-reliance, we have more confidence than we think we do. And just because you're taking a step or doing an action step that is out of your comfort zone doesn't mean you can't handle it. So maybe you just take a small step. Maybe it's just allowing yourself to dream again. Maybe you are uncomfortable dining alone. But in each step that you take, uh say, I trust you, God, more than I trust my fear. Because it's faith over fear, God over fear. He did not give us that spirit of fear when we put our trust in him. So let's be practical for a moment where faith and wisdom can go hand in hand. So a couple ways that you can travel more confidently and faithfully is pray over your journey. So even before you book it, invite God into every detail. And he will lead you. He might even you might hit some roadblocks, because I've experienced that, when I'm trying to force my agenda versus God's. So sit and notice if that's happening, maybe that's not where God wants you to go. And then prepare wisely. Research your destination, plan your accommodations so that you feel safe in that area. Stay connected with trusted people back home. So even though you're going by yourself, keeping in contact or letting someone know your itinerary is very important so that you feel like someone knows where you are, right? Then I would say listen to the Holy Spirit in those inner prompting, whether it's during the pre-phase, the planning phase, or actually when you're there. And then just don't panic. I would say have a peaceful mind, a sound mind, as the scripture says, knowing that the Holy Spirit goes with you and you can call on God anytime. And safety is not rooted in control, although we think it is, and we want to plan our hearts out and make sure it feels super safe. But there's always going to be unexpected things, and if we go into that with that mindset of being open to that and knowing that's a possibility, then we're going to be less nervous about something going wrong. But it's more also about rooted in God's presence. And if you're rooted in God's presence throughout the pre and the trip itself, you're going to get more out of that travel experience. And I want to encourage you, I like to one thing about solo travel for me that has been just changed, it was transformative to me, was the freedom I felt. And so for you, as you begin to move outside of fear and into something beautiful will happen, and this freedom, you're going to feel this sense of freedom. You're going to discover courage you didn't even know you had. And for me, I also experience God in a more intimate way and reconnect with myself beyond what my roles are or how people know me back at home. And that's where in the absence of fear, we have the ability to move forward. And I really want you to experience that freedom that is so beautiful in solo travel. And that's where transformation begins and happens, really. And if you've been feeling that nudge to travel, to explore, to step out, I don't want you to dismiss it just because you might have that fear. And it just, it may be that call God is calling you into a deeper level of trust, freedom, and discovery during this phase. And you don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to take the first step. I always say, even in like goal planning, right, we want to identify what is that next first step. And so if that's you and that's where you're at, thinking about what is that next first step. If you really have that desire to travel solo, but it's been fear's been holding you back, I would say start and sit in prayer and ask God to guide you, see where He leads you, see what comes up. And I like to say they're not coincidences, and they're sort of a God's serendipitous way of showing you what direction to go. Is I will often you will sometimes get almost like I call it confirmation as to where to go. Say you have a couple ideas of where you want to travel, or you're ready to take that step and do a solo trip and start to plan it. And you've sat with God, you've prayed, but you still haven't quite heard which one. Maybe you have three on your list, you're trying to decide when to go to. Well, I often will get signs or confirmation from God. Like I'm, as I've laid it at his feet, I've prayed about it. Sometimes as I go out through my day, I might, for example, maybe run into somebody or talk to somebody and they suddenly start talking about one of the places that I've been that I want to go to. And then it comes up again. Maybe you start seeing ads for it, right? So sometimes I see that as confirmation as well. And that could just be God's way of showing you what direction to go. And I would listen to that. And if you're still needing some help in that guidance part, I do offer one-on-one travel coaching where you can actually email me if you're interested, or go to my website to work with me. Get out there, ladies, and have those solo adventures and kick fear to the curb so you can find that freedom in solo travel.