Why Solo Travelers Thrive on Multi-Day River Trips

Not so Solo After All: Finding Connection on the River

“Gather around everyone! We’re going to say our names, where we are from, and who we’re traveling with.” We circle up in anticipation, sunscreen lathered on noses, sandals between toes, and newly-fit PFDs tightened around torsos. 

We are strangers who are about to spend a week intimately, sharing meals, transportation, and adventure. Moving quickly around the introduction circle, a woman in her 60s states: “My name is Trudi, I’m from Washington, and I am traveling alone!” 

Surrounded by couples, families, and the like, Trudi is the only individual on the trip who doesn’t know anyone else. At first she is quiet and a bit more subdued than the rest of the group—noisy in their excitement to be on the Salmon River. The first evening at Alder Camp, surrounded by the buzz of the chair circle, she sits alone, acclimating to the group as the sunset casts a smoky glow across the water. By day two, still wary, she joins a couple sitting on one of the gear boats. They’re friendly and conversation flows easily amongst them. By the time they arrive at camp, they are laughing and exchanging stories. By day three, she has a sureness in her step as she moves from boat to boat, each day after embarking with a new host of passengers chatting and even contributing to some of the banter. 

Trudi was on one of OARS’ most unique adventures: a twelve-day Main and Lower Salmon combo trip which gave her plenty of time to settle in. About halfway through the trip, she shared, “I have come to love river trips so much. I can’t let being a solo traveler stop me.” Having now done several river trips on her own, she said she’s found that river connoisseurs, like herself, are “without exception, welcoming and happy to share their experiences and stories.”

Trudi wasn’t alone in this experience. Week after week, I noticed a growing number of folks eagerly embarking on river trips, solo. Andrew, a young business professional from the Midwest joined us for a week on the Lower Salmon. This particular trip, which had numerous kids, was full of water gun fights, sandcastles, cliff jumping, and rowdy camp games. Andrew, not anticipating so many children, took to the group like a leaf in the current. Soon enough he was adorned with nail polish, a squirt gun, and many new, albeit small, friends. 

As I got to talking with these individuals I found myself inspired by their steadfastness, jumping into a week-long trip, not knowing a single person. Traveling alone has long held a connotation of anxiety, social vulnerability, and perhaps a bit of loneliness. So often, the company we do or do not have can dictate what experiences we seek out. However, I watched each solo traveler this past summer transcend my expectations.

Jeff, another solo traveler, told me, while floating down the Main Salmon, that despite missing his family, “I also gained a river family.” 

Jeff is no novice to river trips, having completed 50-plus excursions with OARS since 1989. Even after so many adventures, Jeff said he is amazed by the way that people just “gel” when they are on the river, no one a stranger and every experience a catalyst for creating a rapid community. 

River trips lend themselves exceptionally well to the solo traveler. Rivers are notorious for their connecting power.  The sheer abundance of time on a multi-day river trip brings together people who may be too busy, distracted, or disconnected in their day to day life to foster new friendships and connections. 

A group of three older gentlemen on a trip this summer told me that they met on an OARS Grand Canyon rafting trip fifteen years ago. They still meet, nearly every summer, to seek out a new river. It’s the only time of year they see one another, but trust me, you wouldn’t know it. 

Whether you’re seeking new connections or simply craving time in wild places, the river has a way of delivering both. As Trudi told me, “If you’re somewhat introverted, as I am, you can have as much interaction as you like, but there are also plenty of opportunities for solitary time.”

On the river, the chair circle of laughter and story-sharing is always waiting—and always welcoming. So if you’ve been looking for a sign to explore the West’s wild rivers but don’t know who to go with, take it from Andrew: “The most important thing is stepping outside your comfort zone. Life’s too short not to.”