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May 3, 2017

5 Tips for Solo Travelers at their first All-Inclusive

Earlier this year, I was #blessed with a trip to Mexico. Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya was a dream, and while I was going to be spending some of my time with the other amazing bloggers on the trip, I knew I’d be tackling some of it as a solo traveler. And actually, for one of the first times in my adult life, I was really excited about that. But as this trip also happened to be the first time I was staying at an all-inclusive, I wanted to share some things I learned that could help you, should the travel bug hit you for a solo vacay.

What I learned traveling by myself to my first all-inclusive

Sort out your wifi situation ahead of time

I was veeeeery lucky that Secrets had pretty darn good wifi throughout the resort so I could check in with my mom, do some blogging, etc., but that doesn’t happen for everyone (my friend Brooke covered her first solo trip here on Her Philly and pointed out that we are not all that lucky). When I arrived at the airport, there was some confusion about my transportation, and the airport had truly no wifi in Arrivals. I was thrilled I had printed every last confirmation email and travel document before I went, tucked away in one of these trusty neon Poppin zip folders (that I love).

Bring bills for tipping

The services you receive at an all-inclusive give you plenty of reasons to tip the staff. From carrying your bags, to delivering room service, to bringing you your 7th drink by the pool with a smile (/smirk), a little tip can go a long way. I did some research before I went, and found it US dollars are totally acceptable as tips. I wasn’t planning on leaving the resort and I didn’t need to change over my currency for anything else, so this was a welcomed treat. Go grab a bunch of ones from the bank before you go (though some resorts do offer ATMs on-site), and keep some on you at all times.

Enjoy your time as a party of one

While the thought of visiting restaurants alone at a resort that’s made for honeymooning couples could seem only slightly daunting, I’m going to urge you not to give in. I know – it’s tempting to order room service for every and all meals, but getting out not only allows you to experience the resorts’ various restaurants, but the food also is inevitably better. A friend had told me this about all-inclusives in general (and I have no hard research to back it up, but it sounds absolutely correct): because you could call for room service at any hour, they need to have pre-made items/things prepped/an Aramark concept and can’t possibly snag the nachos from the Mexican restaurant to bring to your room on the other side of the resort.

But, don’t feel like you have to do everything 

During my stay, there were plenty of times I was sitting by the pool when an organized activity would kick off. Organized activities at resorts are really not my thing (sans the sunrise beach yoga I did on the trip, yes please). Even when the staff asked me about 7x to join pool volleyball, I didn’t feel bad about saying no. Do what’s right for you in that moment. I also stand by this: if that means taking a mid-day nap while the sun is out, do it. It’s your vacation. Tips for solo trip to an all inclusive

Sit back, smile, and enjoy the view!

When I was hanging solo at the spa in the hydrotherapy pools, I had no freakin idea what I was doing. At one stop, I had to lay down on a lounge-like seat, submerged down in the water, with jets hitting me from all angles. There were humans around me everywhere and the jets were pushing my body all over the place, and I was so embarrassed at first. But then, I took a deep breathe (not of water), and laughed. Who cares if you can’t do the hydrotherapy pools perfectly, and if you can’t pronounce all the items on the Japanese restaurant’s menu, or if you’re traveling to a place where everyone around you is a Mr. & Mrs., and you’re still a Miss. You’re here, you’re doing it, and hopefully you’ll be leaving with a full belly, slight hangover, and a nice tan.

Tips for solo travelers at all-inclusives

Disclosure: This post was made in partnership with Secrets Resorts, Apple Vacations, and Amstar. All opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: travel Tagged: her philly travels, mexico, secrets resorts, solo, solo date, travel, traveling

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Took a little break from the city 🌆 & headed do Took a little break from the city 🌆 & headed down the shore this week. 🛣⁣
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Jim has been in in Atlanta for a *3 week* 😅 work training. After isolating for two weeks myself, I relocated down to my parents’ & sister’s houses to let Jim quarantine when he gets back, and for a little more space for me. 🌳⁣
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I have been thankful for the fresh air & (private!) outdoor spaces for workouts & morning coffee. ☕️ After months apart, it’s nice to be spending some time with my family. 🖤⁣
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How have you guys been spending your first week of summer? ☀️⁣
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#phillyblogger #southjersey #southjerseylife #njshore #summerdreams #visitnj #southnj #njisbeautiful #just_newjersey #njisntboring #njisallgood #southjerseyadventures #wildnewjersey #phlbloggers
I’ve been having really mixed feelings about sta I’ve been having really mixed feelings about starting to post anything unrelated to Black Lives Matter again. ⁣
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I know people have been unmuting themselves this week. And I find myself conflicted, because while I don’t really fault them for getting back to posting and still (hopefully) keeping up their anti-racism work, some of the stories and posts I’ve been seeing have really, really angered me. ⁣
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These past few weeks, while I do feel like I have been waking up, have also been extremely painful. I am capital P Privileged. I have Black friends, colleagues, acquaintances. I never talked to them about race. I never pressed through the challenging conversations with people close to me. I never knew my role in this fight, or took responsibility enough to ask what it could be. ⁣
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I have been having many, many, daily conversations about racism. With my family, my friends, with Jim, and *a lot* with coworkers. Prior to George Floyd’s death, I would have never talked about race at work. Let alone put things out there on Zoom calls and settle into the uncomfortableness. But I’m working on getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. ⁣
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I keep seeing this quote from Sonia Gupta:⁣
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“Unlearning white supremacy isn't Instagrammable. It's deeply personal, existential, and difficult work. It often feels horrible. It will make you cry. You might become depressed. It can be very lonely and isolating. It will shatter your ego and your belief system.⁣
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Do it anyway.” ⁣
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To use some steps from @theoptin workshop I participated in tonight (& that brought me to tears), I am motivated to make a personal change, and I have hope that our world can end white supremacy. I need to make my personal work a consistent part of my life. So I know, even though the getting back into posting things outside of BLM has been very jarring for me, I do believe it’s inevitably how I’m going to make this change long term. ⁣
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Please continue to call me out, I’m learning. I’ve been very thankful for those who have kindly offered me alternatives to some of my white saviorism ideas. Community is important right now (another takeaway from @theoptin), so I’m thankful I have you. Talk to you soon. xx
Muting to listen & learn. I’m with you. #blackou Muting to listen & learn. I’m with you. #blackouttuesday
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