This is so dumb to admit, but there was genuinely a period where I only ate at nice restaurants when I had a partner or was on a date. It didn't cross my mind to go for my own sheer enjoyment. Wild when I think back now.

And too many times, I went on a date just because I wanted to go to a specific restaurant. Madness. But true. And I don’t think I’m the only one.

This is why I’m so passionate about encouraging you to go alone. Take your favourite dragon-faerie smutty romantasy book. Take an hour of scrolling time up your sleeve. Just go.

The first time I really did it was my trip to Hobart. A destination I’d been putting off and ‘saving’ for a couples’ escape.

Instead? I took myself, and had the most indulgent, creatively inspiring getaway of my life. You can do it too.

Eating alone is the first real test of solo travel. It feels like everyone is looking at you. They aren’t. They’re looking at their own dinner.

Here’s how to make a table for one feel like the best seat in the house.

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Book it like it’s a date

Because it is. Make a reservation for one, wear the nice top, put it in your calendar. Treating it as an occasion is half the fun, and it stops you talking yourself out of it at 5pm.

Own the ‘just one?’

The waiter will ask. Smile and say ‘table for one, please’ like it’s the most normal thing in the world, because it is. If you want a better seat, ask for one. Nobody is going to fight you for it.

Sit at the bar

Bar seats are made for solo diners. You get the kitchen theatre, the bartender’s recommendations and nobody across from you to make small talk with. A window seat is a close second: built-in entertainment.

Go early

An early dinner means a quieter room, better service and the pick of the seats. It’s also the gentlest way to try it for the first time.

Bring a prop, then put it away

The romantasy novel, the journal, your phone. They’re a lovely security blanket for the first ten minutes.

Then try putting them down and just watching the room. People-watching is the good bit, and you get to do it without anyone interrupting.

Order the thing you want

No sharing plates, no compromise, no one stealing your chips. Order the dessert.

Order the second glass. This is the most underrated perk of eating alone.

Travelling? A few smart habits

  • Ask your hotel for their favourite local spot. They know where solo diners feel welcome.
  • Choose somewhere you can get home from easily, and know how you’ll get back before you sit down.
  • Let someone at home know where you are.
  • Trust your gut. If a place doesn’t feel right, leave. You never owe anyone a full meal.

Make it a ritual

Same restaurant on the first night of every trip, or one new place a month at home. Rituals turn nerves into something you look forward to.

Start small: a coffee. Then lunch. Then the restaurant you’ve been saving for someone else. You were always allowed to go.

For more solo travel, watch You Deserve To Go (Even If You Go Alone), and see what I pack in The Solo Travel Kit.

xox Meghan