First ever solo trip!
I’ve contemplated going on a solo trip for years. I finally decided to do so for my birthday!! I decided to visit Aruba as my first solo destination. From NYC, Aruba is a ~4.5-hour flight. Aka, two movies and a tv show on the plane.
I decided to rent a car while on the island. I made the mistake of purchasing it when I got there and paid a bit extra than I would have if I booked online. Also, many of the car dealers were sold out of cars as well once I arrived. However, I was able to find one dealership with on-the-spot rentals. I ended up renting a red compact car with Budget car rentals. The car dealer surveyed the vehicle for any damages before giving me the key. I would suggest you do the same if you ever decide to rent a car. I recorded the exterior and interior of the car just in case any discrepancies came up when I returned the car.
It finally hit me when I sat down in the driver’s seat that I was doing this trip completely alone. I had to rely upon myself to get to my destination safely in a completely different country.
According to my maps app, my Airbnb should be a 15min drive. I want all of you guys to guess how long it took me to find this place.
Over a 1hr!!!
I’m sure you can imagine the frustrations I felt. To be honest, I am not a big fan of driving hence why I chose accommodation “close” to the airport. I ended up using three different map sources to find the Airbnb. The host even sent me a map she drew out to help me locate it. To my surprise, some of the streets didn’t have signs, and the number/letter combination was confusing. At one point, I pulled over and felt my eyes watering. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t find the place. I wanted to call the car company to get the car and just drop me off at the Airbnb.
However, I knew I didn’t want to give up on my first hurdle. So I began to breathe and relax and tried again. I ended up stopping at KFC to get some chicken. Chicken always makes me happy. And after driving around for a few more minutes, I finally found it!!
The house was tucked away in a side road that opened up into this beautiful community. The homes were gorgeous, and the greenery was precisely what I was looking for on this trip.
I parked up and explored my living arrangements for the next few days. It was a cozy studio with a modern feel. It was located in Noord, Aruba, a 15-20 min drive to many of the activities and beaches I had on my itinerary.
In regards to driving, I truly started driving during the pandemic, so my experience might be different from yours. During this trip, I’ve done the most u-turns and roundabouts in my life. But, at the end of the trip, my confidence in driving increased. So I am happy I took the leap of faith to rent a car. Not only did it boost my confidence, but it also gave me so much autonomy.
As for activities I took part in, they were heavily geared towards water activities. I had to take advantage of the beautiful blue waters! I decided to try some new water sports, including Wakeboarding, which has been on my bucket list for years. I also tried kitesurfing and went on a hike that led us to a natural swimming hole.
Below you will see some of the images I took during those activities.
