Traveling Solo: The San Diego Zoo

Sometimes when you are a busy mom of two, juggling two businesses, and everything else that life is throwing at you, you need to take the time for yourself, by yourself. After the amazing trip in San Diego at the Kia brand Experience (read about my adventures in Part One and Part Two), I had a FULL day to spare since I was booked on the redeye the following night.

I have realized more and more especially approaching my mid 30s that I absolutely LOVE to travel solo. It is like a breath of fresh air to me. To be completely honest, I look for reasons to travel to a new place solo because I love taking in new experiences without any worry of anyone else tugging on me, asking me what the next task is, or wondering where we are going to eat next. I feel a special kind of only child freedom that is just bliss.

Entering the San Diego Zoo

I took an informal Facebook poll about what I should do with my 7 hours of free time in San Diego. The overwhelming response was to visit the San Diego Zoo. Now, as you guys know, I am not a animal person, but I figured why not–there has to be a reason why everyone was recommending that I go.

My arrival to the Zoo was uneventful, I took an Uber from the Hard Rock Hotel in the Gaslamp District and it was about $9. The entry to the zoo, is a little pricey at about $50+ per person but turns out the place is completely worth the price of admission.

A Bus Tour Around The Zoo

I usually have a battle plan when it comes to big parks, but again, I feeling very go with the flow with this one. I walked in and sauntered over to the tour bus because I wanted to get a feel of the park before I hit the ground running.

The tour didn’t cover the entire park but definitely saw a lot of the animals that I was interested in like the giraffes, and the Koalas. Once I hopped off the bus I immediately ran over to the giraffes and they were so majestic. One thing I love about the San Diego Zoo is that viewing the animals is a very intimate experience. Sure there are guard rails and such, but the way it is designed, you feel like you can reach out and give the animals a stroke (but you really can’t).

After that I pretty much walked wherever my feed would lead. I’d look up for directions and follow whatever I was interested in. The one thing that was obvious and incredible, were the hills. The zoo is VERY hilly.

The Pandas at The San Diego Zoo

I did specifically seek out the pandas and they were just as cute as ever. They were sleeping–of course– that is what they do most of the day, but they were still extremely beautiful in person.

I grabbed a bit to eat, checked some emails, and went on my way again.

I wasn’t too interested in the water animals, so I avoided them all together. I did walk for miles and miles racking up over 20k steps by the time I was done.

Highlights of Traveling Solo To The San Diego Zoo

• YOU choose the exhibits you want to visit. There are SO many, I doubt that you can get to all of them in a day, if you do–so much respect to you!
• Plenty of different restaurants and cultures to choose from when you dine. Whatever you feel like eating–go for it!
• You blend in–really well. No one will notice if you spend too long gazing at a panda, or getting the perfect shot. The crowd is continuously moving.
• Take a break when you are ready: Towards the end of the day I sat on a bench with a map for about 30 minutes resting and figuring out my next move. Plus the weather was so perfect it was easy to take in the fresh air and just chill.
• The cost of one person is a LOT easier to handle than the cost of 4.

Have you ever been to the San Diego Zoo? How do you feel about solo travel?