Last Minute Solo Trip to Thailand With No Planning

Right now I should be at Burning Man with my friends. That was my plan. Well until my doctor blew up my plans like a nuclear missile because we haven’t been able to get my blood pressure under control.

To say I was crushed is an understatement. I had been planning for Burning Man all year. Heck, I already had achieved the impossible; I had a ticket. Now the one thing I’ve been looking forward to doing all year was no longer an option.

I didn’t even make it to the backseat of my Uber before I started texting my friends and family to complain about my tragic news. I am no longer going to Burning Man, and I am stuck here in foggy San Francisco. I seriously wanted to cry but thought that was being too melodramatic even for me.

At this point, I had three options:

A. Curl up in bed and cry about how unfair life is and hope to get over my disappointment eventually (hella melodramatic)

B. Book a trip somewhere else

C. Still take time off, have a staycation and get some much-needed rest.

Ten years ago, option A would have been the only viable option. Me of 2016 chose option B. If I stay another month in San Francisco without getting on a plane, I’m liable to do something crazy to compensate for my lack of travel this year. Plus, it’s my birthday!

I immediately checked Google flights to find a deal. Unfortunately, Google Flights was not working in my favor that day. Everything I checked was crazy high:

St. Lucia ($800)
Colombia ($600)
Italy ($800)
Cuba ($600)
New York ($500)

**Round-trip from San Francisco

I’m sure some would say that a few of these prices are still great deals. However, once you’ve gotten used to finding cheap travel deals, it’s really hard to pay over $400 for any flight. I had no choice but to veto these options. (Yes, this completely is a first world problem, but that doesn’t make the struggle any less real.)

That’s when I went on the Hitlist app and found a flight to Bangkok for $380. Bangkok was never on my travel list. I don’t even like Thai food, but the ticket was too cheap to pass up. Well, that’s not exactly true because my analytical Virgo side kicked in for a few hours.

I kept thinking, “Am I stupid for going to a country where I don’t like the food? Is this China and 7^th grade all over again? Should I find a travel buddy? Is this a good time to go? Financially is this smart?”

That internal chatter can get loud and hard to avoid especially when you like to over analyze everything like it’s a hobby. But this time, I didn’t care; it was time to jump out on faith again.

So it looks like I’m about to find out if booking a last minute solo trip to Thailand is a stupid idea or a great way to push myself out of my comfort zone?

Mind you, I booked this ticket the other day, and I haven’t had time to plan anything. I’ll admit that I’m a little nervous. I have no clue where I am going to in Thailand. I may even decide to switch to another country. The sky is the limit! (That’s a lie; the money in the bank is the true limit)

All I know is I want to unplug and reflect, wear a bikini, have new experiences and live to tell about all of them.

The plan is to chronicle my solo trip to Thailand, but for now, I need to hop on this plane because I am on my way now to Thailand right after I push the send button. Pray for safe travels and that I meet a hot guy that’s is single and into me (must be real specific when manifesting)

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Snafu #1: #bookdatisht

When you see a cheap flight deal, book-that-sh*t (aka #bookdatisht). My girl Kenna Williams, who is a travel guru coined that phrase and it is so true. I waited 24 hours and lost my super cheap travel deal. Fortunately, I found another ticket that was slightly higher, but with two bonus trips. I now have a layover in Shanghai and Beijing long enough for me to explore China as well. This time waiting worked in my favor and the price didn’t change that much. Normally this is not the case, so #bookdatisht!

READ: Being a Picky Eater in Thailand – Part 1 of 3 Part Series

Cover photo courtesy of Melenema