Traveling to Banff for My First Solo Adventure – Part 1

While mindlessly working on my laptop one day in early May 2024, I checked my email. One new email in my inbox piqued my attention. It was from the tour group called Wild Women Expeditions. I had been a subscriber to Wild Women for a couple of years and a member of their private Facebook group. Browsing the upcoming trips on their website, I would dream of joining one someday. The one that involved traveling to Banff and riding horses in the backcountry of the Canadian Rockies lived rent-free in my head.

The email said they had two spots available for the horseback riding adventure in Banff in June and that this is the last year they would be offering this trip! Was this my sign to finally join them?

But then I saw the dates – it was during my husband Joel’s and my 10th anniversary. Obviously not wanting to miss our anniversary, I let the small spark of hope that I might be traveling to Banff fade and accepted that it wasn’t meant to be.

The Next Day…

Midway through folding laundry on the bed, I picked up my phone and started scrolling through social media. Right there was a post in the Wild Women Facebook group saying a spot had opened up for the horseback riding trip, but this time, it was in July! I only slightly hesitated before messaging the admin who posted it, saying I was interested. After getting my hopes up the day before, I realized just how badly I actually wanted to go on this trip!

If the Trip Fits…

I’m the type of person who doesn’t impulse-buy things. Instead, I let them simmer for some time, and if I find myself thinking about it, I’ll go back and buy it. That’s what happened here, although not on purpose. However, YOLO is my favorite word, so if the trip fits, book it, right?

Asking My Husband

After messaging the admin, Cline, I called Joel and briefed him on my last 24 hours of angst and excitement. I told him how I had been following this group for years, specifically this trip, and that this was their last year doing it. I also told him the price and dates. (The prices were in Canadian dollars, which I didn’t realize. What a fun surprise that was when I checked my credit card statement later and realized the trip was $1000 cheaper than I thought!)

He ultimately said if I wanted to go, I could go. Not that I thought he would tell me no, but I needed to catch him up on all that I was going through! Also, there would be no cell service once we were in the backcountry. So I needed to ensure we were prepared to go without hearing from each other or knowing if there were any emergencies.

Cline messaged me with more details, sent a link to some hiking/riding boots for me to buy, and signed me up. I was officially going on my dream trip – a backcountry horseback riding adventure from Banff and into the Canadian Rockies!

My Background Traveling Solo

I have never traveled entirely solo before. I’ve actually barely driven anywhere further than two hours solo before. Even now, the furthest I have driven by myself was to the Adirondack Mountains, only four hours from my home in Rochester, NY. When I went to Australia in December 2023, I flew to LA solo. It was my first time ever flying alone, and I’m a bit of a nervous flyer, so that was huge for me. Once in LA, I met up with friends, and then we all flew together to Sydney. That was also my first time traveling without Joel.

Making Plans

Just traveling to Banff was going to be an adventure: it involved driving to Toronto, crossing the border, flying to Calgary, and taking a bus to a hotel by myself. I wouldn’t meet the stranger I was sharing a room with until I knocked on the door to my hotel room. Although this trip was a group trip, I did not know anyone else on it, so it felt like a solo trip for me.

Getting Ready to Go

Preparing for the trip took a lot of thought. Usually, Joel and I don’t pack for a trip until the night before we leave. But this one required extra time and planning. While in the backcountry, your gear travels via pack mules; therefore, they have a weight limit. Our bag for the week could not exceed 30 pounds. And you had to be prepared for everything – hot, cold, rain, bugs, sun, swimming, hiking, riding, lounging, everything. So I talked with others who had been on the trip before and did my research. You could leave anything you were not bringing with you in the backcountry at a hotel. I packed one bag for my time in the town of Banff and brought another bag for the backcountry.

Stocking Up On Supplies

I bought used boots on eBay, figuring they were already broken in, and they were $100 cheaper than buying new. I also went to REI and bought wool layered clothing, a wool hat, and waterproof hiking pants. Side note: I highly recommend buying wool clothes in July because it was all on sale. Additionally, I bought mosquito repellent stickers, waterproofing spray, a headlamp, biodegradable, safe soaps, and cheap Bluetooth earbuds as well. The most complicated purchases were the flights, bus tickets, and travel insurance, then arranging a hotel room with other women on the trip. The most exciting part for me was planning out my first day in Banff. This required a lot of pondering and googling – more on that in part 2.

The Day Finally Arrived

On July 9, 2024, I put my two bags in my car, said goodbye to Joel, and began the three-hour drive to the Toronto airport. I was on my way to have an adventure of a lifetime, and I couldn’t be any more excited to get started.