Simple, supportive ways to prioritize yourself through travel this year

There is something powerful about turning the calendar to a new year. It feels like a fresh start and a quiet invitation to put yourself back on your own list. For many women, travel is one of the most meaningful ways to do that. It gives you space to breathe, think, reconnect and see yourself in a new light.

In 2026, make room for yourself. Make room for rest and discovery. Make room for the version of you who deserves more than survival mode.

Travel can help you get there. It can be small or big. It can be close to home or across an ocean. What matters is that it is yours.

These ideas are designed for solo travelers, new solo travelers, social travelers and anyone who wants to build more joy and confidence into their life.

Why Travel Helps You Prioritize Yourself

Travel interrupts your routine in a healthy way. It shifts your environment so your mind can shift with it. It helps you process stress, recharge your energy and create momentum toward goals you may have pushed aside.

Many women feel more confident, more grounded and more independent after even one solo trip or one night away. The distance helps you gain perspective. The quiet helps you hear yourself again.

Travel planning is healthy too. It gives you something positive and future focused to work toward. It reminds you that you are allowed to want something for yourself.

Small Ways to Prioritize You in 2026

1. Start with a One Night Staycation

A single night away can reset your entire week. Pick a hotel within twenty minutes of home or in a nearby neighborhood you love. Order room service, explore a local restaurant or take a long walk with no schedule.

Perfect for anyone who feels drained, stuck or overdue for space.

2. Take Yourself to Breakfast Once a Month

Simple, calm and grounding. Bring a journal. Capture what is working and what is not. Ask yourself what you need more of this month.

This is an easy way to build comfort with solo moments.

3. Add a Micro Adventure to Your Calendar

Try a new neighborhood, museum, botanical garden or hiking trail. Explore with curiosity, not pressure. These micro adventures build real confidence over time.

4. Try a Solo Class Trip Near Home

Cooking classes, pottery studios and pickleball clinics are great low stakes options. You get community without commitment and growth without overwhelm.

5. Create a Travel Bucket List for 2026

Not a big one. Just five places that make you feel something. A national park. A charming city. A warm beach. A place with mountain views. A food city you have always wanted to taste. Your list becomes a north star.

6. Journal Your Travel Intentions

A few prompts to help you start:

• What do I want more of this year
• How do I want travel to make me feel
• If I took one trip just for me, where would I go
• What would I do if I felt completely confident

Journaling helps you build clarity before you plan anything.

Bigger Ways to Prioritize You in 2026

1. Plan a Solo Long Weekend in a Safe, Easy Destination

Choose a city with simple transportation, lots of walkable areas, and neighborhoods filled with restaurants, shops and things to do. Cities like Charleston, San Diego, Scottsdale, Boston, Portland and Savannah are great places to start. These trips give you freedom and comfort at the same time.

2. Try a Women Only Tour

Group travel removes the pressure of planning and gives you instant community. Browse the Just Go Solo Women’s Tours Calendar to find trusted, women led trips around the world. Food tours, hiking retreats, cultural explorations and wellness weekends are all strong choices.

3. Pick a Healing Trip Theme

Many women begin the year wanting clarity or a reset. A healing themed trip could be:

• A hot springs weekend
• A nature focused hiking trip
• A fitness or wellness retreat
• A quiet beach with sunrise walks

You do not need to travel far to feel restored.

4. Let Yourself Try One Trip That Stretches You

Not unsafe. Just a stretch. It might be dining alone in a new city, flying somewhere new or taking a class where you know no one. Stretching builds trust in yourself and grows confidence over time.

Finding Other Women to Travel With, Safely and Comfortably

You do not have to travel alone if you do not want to. Many women are looking for the same thing, a safe and supportive way to explore without relying on partner, family or friend availability. Women only group tours are a great option because planning, safety and community are already built in. You can also join online solo travel groups where women connect for shared itineraries, local meetups or small group trips. It is an easy way to enjoy companionship and confidence without the pressure of coordinating everything yourself.

How to Start Prioritizing You, Even If You Feel Nervous

Confidence builds through small steps. Start where you are.

1. Begin With Close to Home Confidence

Choose experiences within your own city or within one hour. Each small adventure expands your comfort zone.

2. Use the Just Go Solo Planning Tools

Our interactive tools help you decide where to go and things to do while you are there. They help with the planning and support new solo travelers with simple, clear steps. Our planners also are here to help when you want help from a pro!

3. Choose Easy Transportation

Direct flights, airport trains and ride share friendly cities make travel less stressful and more enjoyable.

4. Choose Safe, Solo Friendly Destinations and Neighborhoods

A destination can feel very different depending on where you stay. Look for cities with easy transportation, walkable areas, busy public spaces and hotels or rentals located in neighborhoods that are well lit and close to restaurants and local attractions. Search for places that are known for being welcoming to solo travelers and read recent reviews to confirm that the area around your accommodation feels comfortable at all hours. Picking the right neighborhood is just as important as picking the right city. This goes for both social and solo travel.

5. Go Slow and Give Yourself Permission to Ease In

You do not have to travel far. You do not have to do everything. You do not have to prove anything. Your only job is to show up for yourself.

Travel Ideas to Kick Off 2026

1. A Clear Your Head Weekend

Destinations: Sedona, Asheville, Santa Fe
Why: calming scenery, short hikes, great food and plenty of space to breathe

2. A Short Beach Reset

Destinations: St. Petersburg, San Diego, Hilton Head
Why: sunshine, ocean air and slow mornings

3. A Winter Cozy Escape

Destinations: Park City, Lake Tahoe, Stowe
Why: scenic snow, easy access and inviting lodges

Each of these works well for new solo travelers or anyone craving rest and clarity.

You Deserve Experiences That Fill You Up

You are allowed to want more joy and more peace this year. You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to book the trip, even if it is just one night, one activity, or one city over.

Travel is not about distance. It is about intention. When you choose yourself, even in small ways, everything around you begins to shift.

Here is to a year of courage, clarity and meaningful experiences. Here is to prioritizing you. Just go (solo or social)! Just do it for you.