Hi Wealthy Fam! I know it has been a while since I posted. You can catch up with what I’ve been up to here. In April 2019, I decided to get a divorce and I kept it a secret until January 2020. Shortly after my life settling down, COVID-19 arrived, and here I was quarantining alone in a tiny apt and in a new city. That ish sucked!!!

Either way, I’ve been desperately overdue for a vacation and mental reset so I took the plunge and booked my first international vacation during a never-ending pandemic. I understood the risks of travel and this isn’t a blog trying to convince people to do something they don’t want to do. This blog will detail my budget, solo travel experience, and thoughts on being alone. Let’s begin!

My vacation sinking fund

At the beginning of 2020, I proudly decided to set my vacation budget at $3,000. I intended on taking myself to Paris for my 30th birthday in June but that was of course canceled.

I ended up spending my 30th birthday in my expensive, tiny Oakland apartment in the middle of “Rona” lockdown, curfew due to protests, and the sounds of gunfire going off outside of my building. 2020 has been so trifling!

My vacation budget

For my “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” vacay, I budgeted $1500. I wanted to only spend half of my fund because I may go home to NC before the lockdowns restart this winter.

I planned to stay a week at an all-inclusive LUXURY resort, in a secluded area, and WITH tons of vegan options. It was mandatory that I also went somewhere warm and directly on the ocean.

What I ended up spending:

• Resort: $1,148.53
• Plane tickets: $0 (covered by airline points)
• Airport transfers: $0 (Resort covered this)
• Parking: $50
• Travel food/drink: $6.78
• Bag fees: $0 (covered by credit card)
• Tips: $40
• Souvenir: $20.65

Total: $1265.96

I also splurged on things to prepare for my trip:

• Lush bubble bar: $10.82
• Sunglasses/Beach accessories: 73.33
• Fabulous beach hat: $28.30
• Book and tripod: $40.22
• Safety gear: $23.74

Total: $176.41

Grand total: $1422.37 ($77.63 under budget)

Where I stayed

I stayed at the beautiful Palmaia, The House of Aia in Playa del Carmen. Being there still feels like a dream! Their focus is on wellness so all of the activities are meant to restore you. From yoga, gong baths, meditation to ancestral dance, and more, there was always something to help you calm TF down.

It was important for me to never have to leave the resort due to this being my first solo travel adventure. Socially distancing was also a top priority. One day I’ll be able to go to actually explore the area and hopefully even visit Chichen Itza.

The selling point for me was their food menus. The number of plant-based options exceeded my expectations. I knew that I wouldn’t have to struggle to find something to eat and I swear I ate my weight in food. I did feel weird as a solo traveler eating alone, but I quickly got over it.

Social Distancing

It honestly felt like I was in an alternate universe while there. I always had the beach and pool to myself and the only time I ran into people was at mealtime. There was between 1 – 5 other tables being occupied and they were always spread out.

I even got to do many of the activities alone like ancestral dance class:

Airplane Travel Experience

Traveling in an airplane was the thing that I was most terrified about so I spent money to ensure that I was as safe and comfortable as possible.

I bought a travel pack of sanitizing wipes, face shields, and masks from Costco. My mom also sent me N95 masks that I wore inside of my surgical masks for extra protection. I gave extremely dirty looks to people who came within 6 feet of me and tried to avoid crowds AT ALL TIMES!

If you do decide to fly, I’d recommend flying with an airline with clear safety precautions in place like Delta. They had the following:

• blocked middle seats
• loading from back to front
• sanitizing wipes were given when boarding
• pre-packaged snack packs with hand sanitizer included
• organized deplaning aka sitting your tail down until it’s your row’s turn

Since I was a germaphobe pre-pandemic, I was terrified to drink my water or eat snacks until hours after receiving it. It didn’t make sense for me to take off my mask when everyone else was unmasked at the same time.

FYI: I took a COVID test a few days before leaving on my trip even though it wasn’t required by Mexico. I got my test through my county. The next time I get a test, I’ll be going to a drive-in testing site because I didn’t feel confident in the procedures at the location I went to.

Final thoughts

I truly enjoyed my first international solo travel experience. Being able to finally relax after all I’ve been through is worth much more than I spent. I felt safe and at ease the entire time at my resort. Taking care of my mental and physical health will continue to be my top priority. If you’re thinking of embarking on solo travel, I highly recommend it.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it has shown that sometimes being around others will not be an option. We must learn to enjoy spending time with ourselves and focus on loving who we are when no one is around.