Tracee Ellis Ross' top tips for travelling solo
When Tracee Ellis Ross needs to unwind, she books a trip with her favourite travel companion: herself.
"I've been solo travelling since I was, like, 24 or 25," the effervescent star of the award-winning comedies black-ish and Girlfriends tells the BBC. "And I think my first solo trip went so well that it just… stuck."
Ross, who now takes herself on holiday at least once a year, believes there are different reasons for travelling on one's own. "Some people solo travel for adventure," she says. "Some people solo travel to meet people. Some people solo travel to get away from their families and their lives… I solo travel as a way to be with myself out in the world."
What does being with oneself out in the world look like for a beauty brand CEO, actor and producer who admits to living a "very regimented, full, hard, working life"?
"I decompress," she says. "[I] let the dust settle... I learn a lot about myself but mostly I gain this emotional muscle of how to hold space for myself even when things don't go according to plan. I can do uncomfortable things and find joy."
Ross is such a passionate advocate of travelling on her own that she has made her own docuseries Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross for The Roku Channel, which premieres on the platform 25 July. The three episodes follow Ross as she travels to Morocco, Mexico and Spain to indulge in her passions: beauty, fashion, design, food and culture. The style maven breaks down her routine from overpacking to how to relax on the plane, all while sharing her favourite ways to enjoy a new place entirely on your own.
"I find that it's a glorious luxury," she says. "[But] I've never had any shame about it. I think I've had more shame around having so much luggage, but not about solo travelling. And I think that's really part of what I hope people gain from the show… It's okay to know yourself. It's okay to know the things that work best for you. It's okay to know how to take care of yourself. It's okay to lean into that."
She adds: "One of the ways I've gotten over the shame of overpacking: my overpacking has never hurt anybody. It only brings joy. So do it. Pack it!"
What other tips does Ross have for people who are dreaming of taking the plunge? Here are her tips.
What advice do you have for people who aren't sure if they're ready to travel on their own?
If you have an inkling inside that you might be somebody who wants to solo travel but you're anxious about it, go to dinner by yourself on a Tuesday or a Wednesday night at 18:00 when the restaurant opens. If you can do that and it feels good, upgrade yourself to Friday or Saturday night at 20:00 when the restaurant is hopping and full.
In those experiences, ask yourself: Are you somebody who wants to bring a book? Are you fine just sitting there? Do you feel embarrassed? Do you feel ashamed? What's making you feel uncomfortable? How can you address that? Is that something that's real? Or do you really not care? If the experience was great, you can graduate to solo travelling.
How do you pick your perfect solo travel destination?
I do have to say that safety is a much bigger factor than it was when I was younger. I don't know if that's the world we live in now or if it's that I'm a 52-year-old woman who's very aware… but I do look for safety. I personally love a resort. I love a hotel room with a bathtub. I love a hotel room that has natural light. I love a hotel room that if I get too anxious to go out and do things out by myself, I can stay in the hotel room the whole time and feel fine. [pauses] I love a hotel that has really good French fries.
How do you plan for safety beyond the hotel?
That's when you ask yourself the question: 'Are there things about me, my life and who I am and my identity that are going to leave me vulnerable?' [Whether you say] I'm a woman, I'm a Black woman, I'm LGBTQ, I'm non-binary, I'm differently abled… Whatever those things are, research so that you make sure, to the best of your ability, that you know you're not going to feel overly vulnerable in those areas. [Then], go enjoy yourself!
In the episode where you travel to Mexico, you wind up working. Does that happen often?
I think it depends what's happening in my life, but the truth is that I'm a founder and CEO of a big, huge beauty company. There's no off time. This is my big, beautiful life so I don't find it to be a burden. I do answer texts more slowly when I'm on vacation. I don't have my phone with me every move I make. And I sometimes day drink. [laughs] So if you day drink, you can't be on that phone working!
What are the first things you do in a new place?
I settle in. I like to unpack; I'm an unpack girl. I also like to take a bath, because I feel like it settles my body off the plane, and I now actually have my feet on the ground. I love to look for a lymphatic drainage massage.
How do you plan your trip?
Usually, I have researched in advance if there's a particular restaurant I want to try or if there's a gallery or a museum that I want to visit so that I'm not spending my time researching. My favourite thing to do is find those places by asking [local] people versus TikTok, you know? Because I lived in Europe growing up and went to school in Europe, I know people and I can usually collect a really good sort of itinerary for myself.
What's one thing you never do?
I don't overbook. If I go on a trip, it might be like one restaurant that I try. I don't like to jam pack my days in any way, shape or form. You don't want to need a vacation from the vacation. I come home from my solo trips and I'm, like, ready to jive back into my life.
There are some great scenes of you celebrating local food culture in the series.
I try to keep it simple and order things that I know and love. [But in] Morocco, my mouth was so happy and I had no idea what I was eating. [There] were flavours that my mouth had never tasted! And it was delicious! I was, like, 'I don't even know what these things are!' So I love that part of it. And then you just wanna have some fries.
What's the best way to experience a city on your own?
I listen to the sounds. I find it so soothing to listen to the sounds of an environment, because they sound different everywhere. Wind sounds different. The birds sound different. The traffic sounds different. So I do a lot of listening when I'm travelling. One of my favourite sounds in the world is wind on trees. Truly, it's just magic to me.
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