I went on my very first solo vacation when I was 25 or 24 years old. I had just got my first TV series. The Dish Lifetime. I was able to save up a lot of money and I decided I would take a trip. I found a beautiful place to stay in the Bahamas You can call them Pink Sands Resort The first thing I did was to look at the pictures. Condé Nast Traveler. I used to rip pages out of magazines and put them into a travel folder—I still have boxes of all the old tear sheets. The pictures showed a pink sand and turquoise water. Initially, I thought this place could not be real. It was real, and it was wonderful. I spent four days there alone, and didn’t leave. I’m not an ocean person—I’m a pool person—but the sea was so clear there that I played in the water for hours like a little kid. I wore pretty clothes, tried out different restaurants and even had my very first cocktail. I was wearing a Ralph Lauren bikini with a twist in the front. I was hanging around and doing the silly George Washington wet hair flip that we all used do. It defined for me how solo travel can allow you to just…be. While my career is focused on doing, doing, doing, when I’m alone, I have the opportunity to just…be. This is why I enjoy a. good resort. The trip was a great experience. I didn’t need to worry about anything and it was all taken care off. The trip taught to me how much I enjoy my own company. For me, luxury is really the ability to follow my heart around—like, ‘Today, I want to sleep in,’ or ‘You know what, I’m going to take a nap!’ Or ‘I’m going to go night swimming.’ When you’re alone, you can enjoy all these simple pleasures and follow your own schedule. It was the perfect solo vacation and I’ve recreated it ever since.
Hear more about Tracee’s solo travels…
Tracee Elliot Ross: Solo Traveling with Tracee Roku Channel to debut in the second half of this year This article was published in the June/May 2025 issue. Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the Magazine here.
