I've traveled long distances alone by train, plane, and ship. Here are 11 of the most important things I've learned about solo travel.

My college years living in Austin, Texas, were filled with group road trips, where I'd pile in a car with my friends to spend a week or two camping in the desert, sleeping in Walmart parking lots near national parks, and staying in the occasional cheap Airbnb for a winter trip up north.

Growing up, I also often flew with my mom to visit family members in far-away places like Guam, which is more than 7,000 miles from Austin.

At the time, travel felt like something that was meant to be done only with my friends and family. I never considered traveling on my own as a way to learn about myself, until three years ago when I graduated from college and moved to New York City alone.

This meant more solo flights to visit family members from Texas, to California, to Guam. But on top of that, my job as a reporter gave me the opportunities to take 30-hour train rides up and down the east coast, spend seven nights on the world's largest cruise ship sailing the Caribbean Sea, and explore new cities and unique accommodations — all by myself.

In these last few years, I've gotten used to traveling solo, which often includes getting out of my comfort zone and learning new things about myself and how I can make the most of these special times alone.

Read more: I learned that traveling is a skill on a 60-hour train journey to and from Miami — here's how I honed it

I started taking mini solo adventures in New York before I ever traveled alone. I hunted down the skinniest homes in the five boroughs and summited observation decks on top of some of the world's tallest buildings.

This helped prepare me for my first reporting trip, which took me to Miami, Florida by train. I spent five days exploring the city, which I had never been to before.

My mini solo adventures in NYC helped me gain confidence on the ground in Miami thanks to my experience planning out and executing a day with several specific locations using public transportation.

If you're considering solo travel for the first time, I recommend spending a few weekends touring your own city to build your navigation and planning skills, as well as your confidence in exploring alone.

When I have a lot of ground to cover during a solo vacation, preplanning helps me relieve anxieties about getting it all done.

When I was in Miami, I spent an hour planning out the next day each night. I prepared my clothes and gear, mapped out where I needed to go, and wrote out potential itineraries while leaving room for error.

This preparation relieved my anxieties around transportation and timing and helped me feel ready to conquer the next day.

But when I'm not traveling for work, I remind myself that it's OK to cancel my plans if I'm not feeling it. This relieves me from unnecessary stress. It's only my vacation, after all.

Being alone wasn't so hard when I was exploring the streets of Miami, but when I was stuck on a train for 30 hours on the way home, the isolation set in.

I feel this way when I travel by plane and ship, too. So when I take long-haul trips, I prepare myself to feel lonely by bringing plenty of distractions, like books and video games.

Podcasts can be great company when traveling solo because it almost feels like you're with someone else. Whatever your preferred form of entertainment is, download a surplus of it for long-haul trips. You'll thank yourself to have so much to choose from.

I find I like to spend more time reading when I travel alone, but I have a short attention span. So I always download short stories from the New Yorker to help me pass the time.

And don't feel bad about entertaining yourself with technology while traveling. It can be comforting and remind you of home, plus it's your trip so you should enjoy it in the ways you want.

Solo travel can cause me to get stuck in my own head since I have no one to talk to, which is no fun when I'm feeling lonely. But remembering why I am on the trip and what the perks of being alone — like total freedom to do what I want — help me feel better.

In lonely moments, I think to myself, I'm grateful for a job that allows me to travel and take pictures, and being alone helps me grow and learn more about myself.

Traveling alone is the perfect time to try new things because typically when in new places, you have access to things you wouldn't normally have access to back home, and you have to make all your own choices about how to spend your time since there's no one else but you.

I specifically remember making the choice to sleep on the top bunk of my roomette on the Amtrak train to Miami because I had never slept on a train before and I wanted to know how it felt from up above.

Apart from waking up to glorious views in the morning from the upper window, I did not enjoy the top-bunk experience. I barely got any sleep because the bed, which was pulled down from the ceiling and suspended in the air, shook with the train all night, and I was worried I might fall off.

But I'm still glad I did it because when I had to make the same choice on the way back, I was able to confidently select the bottom bunk without wondering if I made the right choice.

When I'm traveling home from Guam on 7-hour flights with multiple layovers, it's nice to have some background jams to keep my spirits up.

I recommend creating a long playlist packed to the brim with favorite songs for all your typical moods to make the trip go by faster.

Being in a new place can be uncomfortable and sometimes even nerve-wracking for me. So every time I travel alone, I'm sure to wear and pack the most comfortable outfits I own. Feeling comfy on the outside definitely helps me relax in a new area.

I often get homesick when I travel alone, especially at night when I'm getting ready for bed. This was especially present on my recent cruise to the Caribbean, where I spent seven nights in a cruise ship cabin for the first time.

To feel more at home, I put my clothes and accessories in closets and drawers and I even decorated my cabin by putting up pictures from my planner on the vanity.

I found that the more I unpacked my belongings in the cabin, the better I felt about being away from home.

For safety reasons, I shared my cruise itinerary with my mom and my partner to make sure they always knew where I was. I also checked in with them via text and FaceTime every day as time allowed. This not only made me feel safer — it made me feel less alone on my trip, too.

Across transportation modes, I've made a few mistakes on my trips that could have derailed my plans, like missing buses, getting lost, and forgetting key items.

I used to worry that these mistakes would waste precious time, but solo trips taught me that I need to stay calm in these moments. To do this effectively, I realized I need to practice mindfulness and remain present in the moment.

When I mess up during my solo travels, I stop what I am doing, observe what is happening, and reminded myself that everything is alright and I am capable of figuring things out.

It's not easy to stay mindful in stressful situations, but the more you practice it, the less difficult it feels. If you practice it in challenging moments while traveling alone, you might develop a sense of ease over time, as I did.

Although I've gotten better at it, solo travel is still challenging for me. But I welcome and look forward to more opportunities to grow as an individual through these trips.

Read more: 10 things I wish I'd done differently on my first cruise, from choosing a better room to reserving shows in advance