Affirmations For New Travelers
When I started planning my solo cross-country road trip, I felt like a damn fool.
I was in my final year of college, floundering to figure out a post-graduation plan, struggling with personal finance, and overwhelmed by my demanding classes while also managing my recently diagnosed ADHD, with few accommodations or support.
I was redeveloping social skills lost in the COVID-19 lockdown. I was tentatively, inch by inch, rebuilding the confidence and self-assurance that once came naturally to me.
I felt too dumb, too young, too lazy, too naive, too unprepared, too embarrassed, too careless, too fearful, too (female) to plan and embark on a cross-country road trip all by myself.
Growing up, I was privileged enough to have traveled with my family, but I was never involved in the planning process. And I certainly never traveled solo. This was a completely new kind of project.
The anxiety was paralyzing. But my yearning was stronger.
While researching for my trip, I felt reassured that many successful travelers shared my fears in their early days. Their uniform advice was to Do It Scared.
So I did. I researched and planned. My doubts remained but I continued anyway. Then I stumbled across the second catalyst of my journey: an affirmation from somewhere in the depths of my For You Page. It said:
“I am capable, and everything is figure-outable.”
Truthfully, at first, I thought it was pretty cheesy. Besides, I wasn’t sure that I was capable, and I certainly didn’t believe that everything was figure-outable. But that wasn’t the point.
Something about that affirmation stuck with me and I found myself repeating it under my breath time and time again- while creating my budget, while looking for free places to sleep, while trying to juggle all my obligations; even at school, at work, in random moments of crises and minor inconveniences.
Repeat after me:
“I am capable, and everything is figure-outable”
No really, say it out loud:
“I am capable, and everything is figure-outable”
How did that feel? In your mouth, in your gut, in your mind. Did it feel like chewing sawdust? Did your insides squirm? Or maybe, did it feel just right?
Congratulations, you just said an affirmation!
Positive affirmations, as described by the Cleveland Clinic, are positive phrases that, when repeated regularly, can rewire your thought and behavior pattern so that negative thinking shifts into positive thinking. This can boost motivation, reduce stress, and increase self-confidence and self-esteem.
If this sounds a little woo-woo fairytopia astrological chart, stick with me for a second.
We say affirmations all the time, we just don’t notice them.
The last time you dropped a glass and it shattered, or you parked your car in a loading zone and got a ticket, you might have said to yourself, “Gah! I’m so stupid!” That’s an affirmation. It’s a negative affirmation, but an affirmation nonetheless.
When your brain hears something enough, it starts to believe it, whether that thing is true or not. If you tell yourself you are stupid every time you make a mistake, eventually you will believe that you are.
So you dropped a glass, so what? You’re not stupid. It was an accident and accidents happen.
The purpose of a positive affirmation is to challenge that negative self-talk and replace it with positive self-talk.
A positive affirmation doesn’t need to be true either. You can trick your brain into treating itself kindly just by saying “I am smart” enough times that you believe it. Who knows the “truth.” If you can believe it, then more than likely, you can achieve it.
A hike I went on with people from my hostel the night I arrived in Colorado.
As I repeated that positive affirmation, the constant churning in my stomach transformed into butterflies of excitement.
By repeating “I am capable”, I primed myself to notice the ways in which I am. I believed I was, and because of that belief, I became capable of achieving all the things I doubted I could do. By repeating “everything is figure-outable”, I started to realize that there is no problem too complicated to solve. If there is a will, there is a way.
Throughout my actual road trip, I was faced with challenging situations that required quick thinking and problem-solving. I had two tornado scares, spent nights in sketchy places (under sketchy circumstances), dealt with extreme weather, had weeks of car troubles, and even had my car sabotaged (and was potentially almost kidnapped as a result?).
But I rarely felt afraid, and I never felt hopeless- or helpless. Because I am capable, and everything is figure-outable.
Over time, I racked up numerous affirmations and mantras that have helped me build confidence as an often solo female traveler. Some are statements that I once saw as little white lies, and now wholeheartedly believe (for example: “I am capable, and everything is figure-outable”). Others are gentler phrases that help ease me out of moments of exponential dread and black-and-white thinking (for example: “It’s okay to be a beginner” and “Everything, in time”).
If you want to travel, but doubt that YOU can do it, you can. Every travel influencer you follow has felt the same way you do right now. You are not alone.
Yes, do the research, make the budget, and start your preparations, but do not get so lost in the details and the “what ifs” that you never take action.
These affirmations will help you develop self-confidence and faith that you can achieve your goals. Along the way, you will develop the skills necessary to fulfill this prophecy that you already believe.
Without further ado, here are my favorite affirmations and mantras:
I am capable, and everything is figure-outable
I can do hard things
I know more than I think
I am old enough to take care of myself
The time will pass anyway (so I might as well start)
Someone out there is doing it worse than me, and with confidence (they started)
It’s okay to be a beginner
It’s okay to suck
It’s okay to make mistakes
I can always get better
I am allowed to ask for help
Other people’s opinion of me is none of my business
Giving 1% of effort leaves me 100% better off than I was before
I can learn new things
I can learn by doing
I am scrappy and creative
Everything, in time
I deserve to experience the world
I am brave enough to try
I welcome new experiences
I am outgoing and interested in making new friends
I am open to learning about new perspectives
I dare to go for the things I want (before I am prepared; before I think I deserve them)
I am audacious (audacity is sacred)
Travel affirmations I wrote in my travel scrapbook
You may be surprised to discover which of these phrases jump out to you as truthful statements, and which ones you simply don’t believe (yet). Reflect on your feelings towards each statement. If something sounds too good to be true, it may be a good affirmation for you to practice.
You can also create your own affirmations! If you find yourself repeating a negative affirmation (eg. “I am stupid”), then immediately follow that thought with its positive inverse (eg. “I am smart”). If a specific block is holding you back, like “I don’t have enough money to travel”, develop positive affirmations and mantras that challenge that thought, in ways big and small. For example, “I am abundant”, “I am capable of earning money”, “I save my money”, and “saving money to travel is important to me”. Even if these statements aren’t true now, they will become true the more you say them.
Many people prefer to say their affirmations in the morning to start their day on a positive note. However, you can say affirmations and mantras at any time. You can say them in the morning, in response to negative affirmations, multiple times a day, out loud or in your head, or however else it feels right to you.
The best way to benefit from affirmations is simply to start. Choose a few that resonate with you, give them time to feel natural, and develop routines that feel good. Then notice as the world around you changes color as you unlock potential you didn’t know existed.
It was possible for them, it was possible for me, and it is possible for you. Because you are capable and everything is figure-outable.
If you’d like to learn how to plan your own cross-country road trip, check out my comprehensive article here.
And as always, scrappy trails to you!
