What a year of solo trips in England changed for me

People hear that I moved from Canada to England and assume I must be an extrovert. Absolutely not. Going somewhere on my own, even to a cafe or out for lunch, used to make me feel horribly awkward, and filming myself in public added another thing to be embarrassed about.

So I spent a year doing solo trips and recording them. Looking back in summer 2025, I could see a difference, but it wasn’t as simple as becoming a confident person who never worries about anything. I still found public filming embarrassing. I could just do more than I could before.

Starting somewhere I already knew

My first outing was the Imperial War Museum, which I chose quite deliberately because I’d been before. It was years earlier and I couldn’t remember the individual exhibits, but I had some idea of how to get there and what being inside would be like. For an anxious person travelling alone, that felt like a reasonable first step.

I love that museum, but the day itself was a struggle. It was incredibly hot, I was sweating, and I came home exhausted by the emotional side of the trip as well as the outing. Liking the place didn’t stop me feeling overwhelmed while I was there.

The Victoria and Albert Museum came next. I’d visited when I was about sixteen and remembered almost nothing, so it felt new, but museums gave me a useful bit of anonymity. People were busy looking at exhibits and finding their way around. I didn’t feel that being there alone made me stand out.

That became my recommendation for anyone curious about trying something on their own. A museum worked as an entry point for me because I could look at things without having to perform being sociable. Each outing felt a little more relaxed than the previous one, even when the museum wasn’t one of my favourites.

Two museums in one day was a big deal

When I planned the London Transport Museum, I’d read that it might only take an hour or two. Getting into London takes time and costs money, so I decided to try two outings in one day. I went there first, spent about an hour and a half inside, had lunch, charged my camera and walked to the British Museum.

That sounds like an ordinary day out until you remember how wiped out I felt after the first trip. Being able to do another museum after lunch was a big improvement for me. I slept very well that night, but I did it.

At the British Museum I followed its self-guided one-hour route, using a map to find the objects on the list. I loved having that little quest. Normally I walk around a museum until I’ve taken in so much information that I stop properly reading anything, whereas this gave me particular things to look for and a next stop to find.

Eating alone wasn’t the spectacle I imagined

Lunch was one of the parts I found most embarrassing. Sitting there by myself could feel sad, even in a lovely museum cafe, and I remember feeling sorry for myself rather than simply enjoying my food.

Then I’d look around and see loads of other people on their own, of different ages and genders. I think I remember this particularly at the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert had a gorgeous cafe spot too. Being alone felt much more conspicuous in my head than it looked around the room.

By the end of the year, I felt able to go out for a coffee on a patio or have lunch because I wanted to, even when there wasn’t a video involved. That mattered to me. The change had reached ordinary things I’d previously found uncomfortable.

Feeling capable doesn’t mean filming everywhere

At the Tower of London, I noticed that my worry had shifted. I wasn’t spending the whole visit anxious about being alone or people seeing me have lunch. I was more concerned about making a good video. I was having a wonderful day and could actually appreciate being there.

My blue-plaque trip pushed the filming further. Until then I’d mostly recorded footage and added a voiceover at home. On the train into London, I decided to record myself speaking outside instead. I had ten plaques I wanted to find without a proper plan for getting between them, and it became my most tiring, extensive trip. It was also probably the one I felt proudest of.

I still wouldn’t do that kind of talking-to-camera vlog inside a quiet museum or gallery. People looking over can be understandable curiosity, but I also want to choose a format that respects the place. Being able to film myself outside doesn’t mean every setting needs me announcing what I’m doing.

I finished the year more confident about doing things alone and more capable of filming in public, while still finding parts of it embarrassing. I like filming at home, too. Having the option to go out, rather than feeling I couldn’t, was the part I wanted to keep.

Watch my full reflection on a year of solo trips in England.