Things I Realized on My Solo Trip to Rehoboth Beach

A few months ago, I had a painful realization: I don’t do much. I do a lot, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t go anywhere often. I’m not talking about leaving my apartment and bouncing around town. I have bounced around plenty of towns in New Jersey - even some in New York. 

That’s the issue. I use excuses to keep things local. To take an easy day trip instead of an overnight adventure someplace over state lines. After a little self-reflection and seeing one too many Anthony Bourdain edits on TikTok, I decided it was time to treat myself to a hotel in a place I’ve never been: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

What? You have to start somewhere. 

When you’re on a solo trip, you have a lot of time to think. With thoughts came very strong realizations. Here’s some things I realized on my trip to Rehoboth and wrote down while tipsy on the beach:

My mom was right. Five to seven p.m. is the best time at the beach. Growing up, my mom would always make us stay until at least six p.m. every time we went to the beach. Keep in mind, we would arrive around ten a.m., making for an extremely long, extremely exhausting day in the sun. However, as I’ve gotten older, I have fallen in love with that timeframe. Typically, families are gone for the day because lifeguards pack up around five. It’s not too hot, so you don’t feel the need to jump in the water unless you really want to. It’s the perfect time to sit and read. And that’s exactly what I did before pulling out my notebook and writing down this list. 

I hate aggressive beach birds. They almost make the beach unbearable. Luckily, I was near the boardwalk, which was near my hotel, so almost every meal was eaten at a restaurant or in my room. But god forbid a girl open a chip bag on the beach. The birds swarm, and it’s impossible to hold the open bag in your hand because they will come close enough to land on your shoulder like a parrot. They will dig in bags while you take a dip in the water. Honestly, I’m not scared of someone taking my phone or wallet while I’m dipping – it’s the birds taking my chips that keep me from leaving my items unoccupied on the beach.

Dining solo is a lost art. Not really, but kind of. People don’t dine alone like they used to, and going on a solo vacation forces you to do that. Honestly, I was a little nervous to do it at first. Especially on the nicer days of my vacation when there were a lot of people in the restaurants and at the beach – even getting takeout was a little bit stressful. The key to dining alone, if you want to avoid dining in a packed dining room or stuffed at the bar: go at a random time. It was a little rainy on the day I decided to dine out. I also decided to go after lunch and before dinner, so around 3 p.m., and the place was practically empty. My waiter was excited to have someone in their section, so they were really nice and attentive, but I could also tell he was using the time to relax before the dinner rush, so I was left alone most of my meal. I did a word search, wrote in my journal, and just stared out the window and enjoyed the view. Since moving to a more walkable city, I’ve found myself dining alone more and doordashing less. I’m not sure I would be able to do that if it wasn’t for my trip to Rehobeth to rip the band-aid off.

As much as I love dining alone at a restaurant, sometimes I just needed to be alone in my hotel room – and after all the money I spent on it, I deserved it! I got a little frustrated with myself when I wanted to sit on the couch and watch another episode or take my lunch back to my room, but then I remembered that it was part of the vacation – the most expensive part of my vacation. I even got a room with a separate “living room” area with a couch and TV so I could hang out someplace other than the bed. And I still felt guilty! Even when it was raining! Sometimes, I feel like I have to get up and go on vacations, making them feel like more work than they are worth. I will no longer feel bad about taking my time to get ready in the morning or stopping at the hotel room in between shopping trips. 

I guess the biggest takeaway from my trip is that it was worth it. It was worth the money and the hard work I had to do to make it. I am so glad I took Mr. Bourdain’s advice and decided to move.