About a month ago, I celebrated my birthday with a casual gathering of friends—no flights, no passport stamps. There was a joke amongst my friends about how unusual it was that I wasn’t spending it at a random destination. In their defense, over the years, my birthdays have doubled as travel excuses with trips ranging from Egypt to the Dominican Republic.
While I loved this year’s low-key celebration surrounded by friends, it also reminded me just how special — and how opposite— last year’s solo birthday adventure to Australia and Fiji was. Even though I spent it alone, it turned out to be one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. Since it’s been a while since I wrote a journal-style post, I thought I’d take a moment to reminisce about that trip — and maybe inspire you to consider a solo birthday of your own.
The trip began a few days before my August birthday in Cairns, Australia. My goal was simple: dive into the Great Barrier Reef during its best viewing season. I had the pleasure of starting my trip swimming among kaleidoscopic fish and coral gardens and glimpsing humpback whales migrating through the waters.
Mornings in Cairns
Great Barrier Reef
Hanging with a Kangaroo
On land, Cairns charmed me with its beautiful sunrises and vibrant esplanade. I took the Kuranda scenic railway through the forests of North Queensland and got up close with kangaroos, koalas and Tasmanian devils.
The day before my birthday, I traded palm trees for skyscrapers and flew into Sydney. During my two days in the city, I wandered through eclectic neighborhoods, bakery-hopped my way across the city, and soaked up the coastal beauty of Bondi Beach. Of course, I did the classic ferry ride to Manly that gave me the postcard-perfect view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
On the night of my birthday, I treated myself to something I’d been wanting to see for years: Hamilton at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. I had spontaneously bought the last tickets I could find that morning when another guest at my hotel had told me about how much they had enjoyed the show the night before. The performances were amazing and my ticket cost half of what it would have in the US!
Sydney Opera House
The magic about celebrating your birthday in Oceania is that time itself bends in your favor. Because of the time zone difference, my birthday felt like it stretched across two days. On my actual birthday, I celebrated quietly in Sydney and soaked in the city. The next day as I boarded my flight to Fiji, the calls and messages from friends and family several hours behind me started pouring in. Suddenly, it was my birthday again. Two countries. Two birthdays. It felt indulgent in the best way.
I landed in Nadi, Fiji, just as the sun was setting. At my hotel that evening, a traditional fire dance performance was already underway. I ended up at a table with a mix of travelers around my age. We chatted about what had brought each of us to Fiji—sailing, volunteering, backpacking. The South African couple sitting across me discovered it was my birthday and insisted on buying drinks for the table. After a round of cocktails, we had a massive bowl of kava, the South Pacific’s famous ceremonial liquor (Spoiler: it tastes like muddy water, but the ritual and laughter made it worth it.)
For the rest of the night, we clinked coconut shells until the performers pulled us in to try the traditional Fijian meke dance. We couldn’t stop laughing at ourselves as we tried to keep the rhythm — hips shaking, hands swaying — doing our best to move like islanders. The rest of my Fiji trip stretched into another week: island-hopping, beach clubs, endless slices of cassava cake, but that’s a story for another time.
Sydney Lyric Theatre
Kava Ceremony
Fire Dance in Fiji
What I loved most about last year’s birthday wasn’t the fire dances or the dives in the world’s largest coral reef, but the balance of the quiet moments in-between. On my actual birthday in Sydney, before the calls came pouring in, I had the chance to pray and quietly reflect on the year I’d lived and the one I was stepping into.
And having the chance to reflect in a new country, out of your comfort zone, is so effective as it lets you to see yourself from a fresh perspective. Plus, solitude doesn’t mean loneliness. In Cairns, I became friends with a wonderful Brazilian girl at my hostel that insisted on accompanying me to Target to buy new clothes after telling her about how I had left my backpack at airport security because I was about to miss my flight. We had a fun pre-birthday dinner before I left for Sydney. And of course I had the best time with the travelers on my table at my hotel in Fiji who had been kind enough to pay for my drinks and celebrate me while barely knowing me. I was definitely reminded about how wonderfully human connection can appear in unexpected ways.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
A solo birthday trip is the ultimate reminder that you are enough company for yourself. It’s an opportunity to ponder, meet new people, and step into a new year with confidence, gratitude, and memories you’ll never forget. If you’ve never tried it, I can’t recommend it enough!
