Hi wonderful readers!
Today, I wanted to share what I did on my very first solo trip! I was 19 years old and was itching to do something adventurous before I hit my 20’s. Plus, I wanted to explore cities I could potentially move to one day! Seattle was a place I always wanted to visit. It just seemed like such a cool city with so many things to see as a solo traveler. I also felt safe as a female solo traveler, which is always my number one priority.
I went the summer of 2021 and decided to plan this whole trip two months before I went! This goes to show that you planning a solo trip isn’t as intimidating as it may seem. I chose to stay for 3 days/2 nights because it sounded like the perfect amount of time to explore the major spots in the city. Also, a shorter trip was simply more affordable (especially as a 19-year-old working at Ben & Jerry’s).
Seattle was just as cool as I’d hoped for it to be. The neighborhoods were filled with art and culture. They had so many attractions to check out. The food was delicious. The public transportation was wonderful and useful. Just a great city to explore! Below, I talk about what I did during my 3 days in Seattle. Hopefully, you find something on this post that inspires you to go explore Seattle as well!
General Tips for Seattle
If you’re looking for general tips about solo traveling as a woman, check out my post about solo travel tips and essentials for women! However, I do have a couple tips specific for Seattle:
- Get the CityPASS
- This helped save a bunch of money on tickets for a wide range of attractions in Seattle! I used this pass to see the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Chihuly Glass Museum, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, and Museum of Pop Culture. Plus, it was my first trip, so not having to worry about buying individual tickets was super nice.
- Take advantage of their public transportation system
- I talk about this more in detail below, but this also saved me so much money. They have a pretty good transportation system compared to where I live. It was easy to figure out, and I felt safer being around other people than sitting in an Uber by myself
- Plan your days out by area
- If you’re on a solo trip, you want to make everything as easy as possible for yourself. I planned each of my days in Seattle based on which attractions were closest to each other and spend the day in that area. This made it so much easier to explore without the stress of traveling to different locations all day.
- Try to plan most of your activities in the morning and get back to your hotel by night
- This one is just a personal preference. Since I am a female solo traveler, I preferred to have all my activities be in broad daylight because I felt safer. Then, once the sun started setting (which was later since it was the summer), I would either be eating dinner somewhere close to my hotel or picking up some food to-go. Again, this is totally up to what makes you feel safest, but I loved having activities during the day regardless!
Where I Stayed
I wanted to stay at a hotel that was close enough to most of the attractions as well as to a public transportation stop. This is because I used public transportation to and from the airport. Walking far distances with your luggage is not ideal, so the closer a stop the better. Belltown Inn was great for that! It was pretty affordable, and the location was right on third street in downton Seattle. I was even able to walk to most popular places like Pike Place and the museums! There was a large homeless population right on that street, but I felt completely safe. I just made sure to keep to myself and try not to be alone while waiting at the bus stop right outside the hotel.
They also had a cute rooftop area guests were allowed to hang out at. I definitely took advantage of this and would bring a book up there to read. Below is a picture from the rooftop around sunset!
Transportation
The public transportation in Seattle was wonderful! As a solo traveler, I wanted my trip to be as cost-effiicient as possible. I clearly wasn’t old enough to rent a car, and I didn’t want to Uber around everywhere. Before I left, I made sure to do a little research on how their public transportation system works. It honestly was pretty easy to figure out. I just looked on any map app and chose the public transportation option. From there, I kept the navigation on while on the bus, and it was able to tell me which stops I needed to be at and how long it should take.
I definitely did get on a bus that was headed the wrong way. It was my last day, and I was trying to head towards the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I was technically on the right bus, but I was just going the opposite direction. I’m not kidding, my heart dropped when I realized this. I panicked and got off at the first stop I could, which was also a mistake. It ended up being a stop in the middle of a highway with no locals around that I could ask for directions. Luckily, I saw that there was a bridge leading to the stop on the other side of the highway, and I was able to get on that one and be on my way.
If something like this happens to you, don’t panic! Public transportation can be scary at first, but it’s better to take your time and figure out a plan. I was lucky that nothing happened, but I definitely would think it out more next time. I also did not let this experience discourage me from using the public transportation again! It was honestly a really great learning experience, and I haven’t been in a situation like that since.
Day 1
Now, we can start talking about what I did on this trip! On my first and last day, I tend to plan lighter days, and I’ll pack more into my schedule on the middle day. This is because I choose an early morning flight on the first day and an evening one on the last day and don’t want to overexhaust myself.
When I first arrived to Seattle, I stopped by the hotel and checked in my luggage since it wasn’t time to check-in yet. Then, I went to check out the museums! I saw the Museum of Pop Culture, Chihuly Garden and Glass, and Space Needle. These all came with the CityPASS, and it was so cool to see popular landmarks I’d only ever seen on social media. Plus, they were all right by each other! There’s so much I can say about these places. Sometimes, the place just speaks louder than words. If you’re someone that enjoys cultural artifacts and landmarks, definitely check these out!
On solo trips, I feel like my experiences at attractions are much shorter because I’m by myself. I like to take my time and look at all the artifacts in the museums. However, there are definitely exhibits in that I spend more time in than others, which wouldn’t necessarily happen if I had someone who wanted to check those other ones out.
I took my time between each attraction. I spent some time in a local coffee shop journaling and reading, which is one of my favorite activities. Then, I would sit outside, people watch, and enjoy the weather. I just took it at my own pace, and that’s the beauty of solo traveling!
Once I was ready to head back to the hotel, I decided to treat myself to a nice sushi dinner at Wasabi Sushi & Izakaya. Sushi is my absolute favorite food, so I almost make it a tradition to get sushi at least once every solo trip. If not sushi, I still always plan a nice dinner. I had a rainbow roll and matcha tiramisu, and they were delicious!
Day 2
Now for my more packed day! I wanted to plan a whole day to check out the Pike Place Market and pier area because there is so much to see and do! My first goal of the day was get breakfast at Biscuit Bitch- a super popoular biscuit sandwich place in Seattle. It’s good to order ahead because the wait time can get super long. I picked it up and headed over to the dock where my Argosy Harbor Cruise was going to be.
It depends on your style of travel, but I usually only have one activity a day (if that) that starts at specific time because I like having flexibility on when I do things. For me, the Argosy Harbor Cruise was that activity. The cruise was super cool! I try to plan a tour on each of my solo trips because I love learning about that city’s history. I learned a ton about Seattle, and would definitely recommend!
Afterwards, I explored Pike Place Market. I spent hours looking through all the vendors and trying different samples and foods. I went to Storyville Coffee Company as well as Pike Place Chowder and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. They were all so delicious! I was so full that I ended up taking the mac ‘n’ cheese home for dinner, but it was still so good.
Later that day, I saw the famous Gum Wall and Seattle Aquarium. It definitely was a little gross, but I did end up putting a piece of gum on the wall just for the experience of it. I also got to see some really cute animals like the sea otter below! From what I’ve seen, it looks like the Seattle Aquarium has high ethical standards for their animals’ well-beings which is incredibly important.
The flowers were one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! I ended up buying a bouquet of flowers and saving some of the petals to make pressed flower souvenirs once I got home so I could remember my first ever solo trip.
Day 3
Last but not least, I spent my third day in Captiol Hill! Capitol Hill is known to be one of the coolest neighborhoods in Seattle and more LGBTQ+ friendly. There were so many local stores to check out and some nice food places to check out!
My first stop was the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. While it may not have been the easiest journey to get there, it definitely was worth experiencing! I tried out a coffee flight, which definitely helped me stay energized throughout the day. I also had a little pastry to go with it. The whole place was super cool, and I got to learn about the different histories of the coffee that they use.
I absolutely love Salt & Straw’s Honey Lavender ice cream, so you already know I had to stop by there. If I could bring a pint home with me, I seriously would. Other than that, I just strolled around the different stores and headed back to my hotel!
As far as the check-out process and getting to the airport, my hotel allowed me to leave my luggage there after I checked out which was super convenient. Again, I like planning less activities on my last day so that I can allow myself plenty of time to get to the airport. I got there using their Sea-Tac Link Light Rail and hung out at the airport for a couple hours before my flight!
That brings me to the end of this post! I hope this post gave you some inspo if you’re planning on taking a solo trip to Seattle! This trip was such a milestone in my life because it gave me this newfound sense of independence and confidence. It made me realize that solo trips teach you so much, and it is super exciting to experience a new city by yourself!
I will be honest. There were moments where I experienced something and thought of someone that would love to experience that, too. Other times, I simply wished I had some company when I felt panicked or scared. Regardless, I made it through those moments and learned to find the positive in experiencing those things on my own. Seattle is such a cool city to check out. I’m sure there are so many more things to do, which I would love to check out if I go back one day. Thank you for sticking around and hearing about my solo trip in Seattle. I’ll see you on the next post <3
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