Dana Strahnson, from Minneapolis, had never traveled internationally on her own. Then she joined SoFe’s India trip for Holi and came home with lifelong friends, a rug she can put faces to, and a new sense of what she’s allowed to want.
The jealousy was telling me something
Jess and I worked at the same library years ago. Different departments, friendly but not close, the kind of friends who follow each other on social media. Then Jess started posting from Lebanon. Mongolia. Egypt. Places that weren’t even on my radar. How was she doing this?
The secret was SoFe.
Every post made me inspired, curious and, honestly, a lot jealous. Eventually it occurred to me that the jealousy was telling me something. I wasn’t making travel a priority the way I could have been.
So I crunched the numbers and went to SoFe’s website. There was an India trip. India had been on my list since college, when I passed on studying abroad there because I didn’t think I was ready. I’d always felt like I missed my chance. This was my jump moment, so I booked.
Little did I know Jess had booked the same trip. Icing on the cake.
Alone, but not really
I was nervous. I’d done work trips, but I would never have called myself a solo traveler. Tackling India on my own? Not happening.
That’s what makes SoFe great. You’re alone, but not really. Of course, a group comes with its own nerves. It felt like middle school or summer camp. What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t make any friends?
My biggest worry was the roommate. To make the trip affordable I needed one, and I was dreading it. SoFe has a roommate quiz, and I got matched with Christie, another acquaintance who’s now a lifelong friend. Every night felt like a sleepover.
Before we left, SoFe kept us on top of everything: appointments, insurance, flights. They also held a Zoom call to prepare us for India. There’s poverty, and here’s what helps. Things will be unpredictable, so you’ll need to let things go and stay present. That advice made my trip. I don’t think I’d have had a good time without that mindset.
The one thing SoFe can’t control is your flight. Mine was on time, and the second I walked into the Delhi airport and saw our driver, I took a big, deep breath. I knew I was in good hands.
Strangers on day one, inside jokes by the end
It really was like summer camp. You show up on day one not knowing what you’ve gotten yourself into, and you leave with inside jokes, shared stories and real friends.
Around day two or three, I realized I didn’t know what anyone did for work. But I knew who’d been to Antarctica. I knew who’d been to Egypt, who loved traveling solo and who usually didn’t. Travel was how we got to know each other, and I can’t think of many places in adult life where that’s how you connect. It was the richest peer learning I’ve ever had.
“I didn’t know what anyone did for work. But I knew who’d been to Antarctica.”
Jess, Christie and I are getting together next weekend. Our group chat is lively. We’ve watched Bollywood movies together over FaceTime.
Looked after
India comes with safety risks. Traveling anywhere does. What reassured me was knowing SoFe had done the research. Our hotels were vetted, our transportation was handled, and there was no chance of ending up in the wrong city. Those logistics are exactly what stop a lot of people from traveling.
One moment sticks with me. About halfway through, we were in Jaipur and a few of us needed an ATM. That meant crossing a busy road, and a big group of mostly American women walking out of an ATM isn’t the best look. Our drivers offered to walk us across.
It felt a little silly at the time. I know how to cross a street. But it wasn’t part of their job at all. They were just looking out for us, and I still think about it warmly.
No trip FOMO
I have terrible trip FOMO. When I plan my own trips, I cram everything in, which doesn’t always make me the most fun to travel with.
With SoFe, I knew everything we did was intentional, researched and worth it. That took so much pressure off.
Take the Taj Mahal. I honestly thought it might be overrated. It wasn’t. And I got to spend that morning in actual wonder instead of stressing about camera angles, timing or what I could bring in my bag. I still got my photos and heard the history from our guide. I just never had to think about where I needed to be next.
The days I couldn't have planned myself
In Jodhpur we had a jam-packed day. A potter’s home. A rug weaver. Five or six stops in all, ending with lunch at Sambhali Trust. I remember thinking, that’s a lot of logistics. And it just flowed. Our guide watched the clock. We just showed up.
On my own, I never would have found those places. Now I can picture the faces of the people who made the rug in my living room and the stuffed toys I gave my nieces. At Sambhali Trust, we met women learning to sew while their kids were looked after during homework time. There was so much joy and love there. It isn’t in any travel guide, and being there felt like an honor.
Jaipur was my favorite city. By then I had my India legs under me. We started with a block printing workshop and saw how many hands go into a single scarf. Then free time: coffee across from the Hawa Mahal, photos, shopping. Then a rickshaw tour with Pink City Rickshaw, driven by fearless women drivers, with roadside chai along the way.
That night, nobody wanted the party to end. We took over our hotel courtyard, ordered pizza and wine, and played get-to-know-you games. Total slumber party energy. It was action-packed, and it never once felt like too much.
What I loved most was how much supporting women and women-owned businesses was baked into the whole trip, from Sambhali Trust to Sheroes Cafe. I couldn’t have replicated that on my own.
We stayed in a palace
I knew our hotels would be safe, clean and in good areas. I didn’t know we’d stay in an actual palace.
Our hotel in Jodhpur sat on palace grounds with a lake, horses you could ride, and monkeys and peacocks wandering around. Where do you even find these places? I never would have found it on my own, or been willing to pay for it.
It mattered more than I expected. Jodhpur was our first city to really explore, and my first walk to the market was full culture shock. Sounds, smells, people, rickshaws, mopeds, cows and dogs, all at once. I was overwhelmed and honestly a little scared. Can I handle this?
Then we went back to the palace, and it was peaceful. Knowing I had that calm place to come back to is what let me head out the next day and keep exploring.
The gutter guards
Before I booked, I left the SoFe page open for a week. I knew the dates worked. I knew I could make the money work. And there was still a voice in my head: Are you sure this is worth it? You could use that money for gutter guards.
(We did end up getting gutter guards.)
I finally pressed the button because I knew I would regret not going. India had been on my list since I was 20. If I didn’t say yes then, I might never give myself permission. There are seasons in life when a trip like this isn’t in the cards. This was my season.
Coming out of the pandemic, I’d been recognizing my anxiety and the ways I wanted to grow. This trip was how I challenged myself. If I could tell my pre-trip self anything, it’s this: you’ll be okay. You’re allowed to travel without guilt. It isn’t selfish, and it isn’t frivolous.
“Investing in a SoFe trip was really an investment in myself.”
What a solo traveler really looks like
In my head, a solo traveler was fearless. Two backpacks, speaks the language, nothing fazes her.
The women on my trip showed me something different. Everyone was at a different place in her travel journey. Being a solo female traveler doesn’t mean you’re alone. It means you’re willing to make travel a priority.
Also, I could not convince my husband to go to India. So I’m grateful there was a way for me to go anyway.
“Being a solo female traveler doesn’t mean you’re alone. It means you’re willing to make travel a priority.”
Should you go?
India isn’t for everyone. Plenty of people have told me they’d never go, and I respect that. But if it’s on your list, I can’t recommend going with SoFe enough. If you can handle a little chaos and not being the one in control, this trip could be everything for you.
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I celebrated Holi. I saw a sliver of a country the whole world owes so much to. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
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And honestly? Udaipur is on the next itinerary, and it looks amazing. I’m a little jealous of the next group.
