Solo Travel at Thanksgiving: The Best Time to Begin Your Journey Abroad

The week of Thanksgiving is alive with ritual – packed highways, crowded tables, and the same ol’ stories shared over pie.

But, somewhere beyond all that warmth and noise, another kind of gathering awaits. It’s the quiet company of your own thoughts, the kind that only pulls up to the station when you travel alone.

Imagine waking in another country where the air feels cold and new, and the day is fully your own. Gratitude, it turns out, doesn’t always need witnesses.

The Soft Opening Of The Off-Season

Late November sits at the shoulder of the year. Summer crowds have thinned out, winter’s rush hasn’t yet arrived, and cities all over the world settle into their own pace. The streets are more spacious, and the local rhythm comes through without interruption.

For your first solo trip, that gentle tempo matters. You have time to get your bearings, linger over a bakery counter and learn a few words the easy way. Basically, the city gives you grace as you navigate some of your firsts.

Flight Math That Works In Your Favor

Thanksgiving week is a domestic peak in the U.S., but, internationally, the landscape shifts. For many routes, transatlantic fares are comparable to popular domestic flights.

That small advantage clears a psychological hurdle. Distance feels manageable when the ticket matches what you might pay to cross the country.

Choose a simple itinerary. Aim for a nonstop flight or a single connection. Book through an airline app you already know and trust. Clarity at the beginning gives you courage later on.

A New Kind Of Gratitude

Traveling alone changes the color on nearly every encounter you’ll have abroad. A café owner may slide an extra pastry onto your plate; a bus driver might nod you in; a stranger might draw a map on a napkin to help you find that bookshop or beach you’ve been looking for.

These small exchanges add up to a feeling of gratitude, far away from the usual dinner table. And, by some magical force, that sense of gratitude opens up all your senses.

You’ll taste it in a bowl of soup by the fire; you’ll hear it in the music floating through the air; and, most importantly, you’ll feel it deep in your soul.

The Ease Of Empty Lines

Inaugural solo trips are all about practice – practice ordering, navigating, and trusting your instincts. When queues are short and popular sites are unhurried, you’ll get that practice without feeling pushed.

You can step into a cathedral and give your eyes a moment to adjust. You can walk the long way home because nothing and no one is pulling you anywhere else.

The city becomes a classroom where time is the curriculum. You learn to notice. And, best of all, you learn what kindness feels like when it shows up in a place you’ve just met.