Ask her out after she mentions a solo trip next month

When someone mentions a trip they're planning a month out, they're giving you a time frame. They're not canceling dates or pulling back. They're telling you their schedule. The fact that she's sharing this with you at all suggests she's comfortable talking about her life and plans with you.

Solo travel also signals independence and confidence. This is not someone who needs constant reassurance or depends on a relationship to feel complete. This matters because it means she's more likely to respect directness. She can handle a straightforward ask. She's planning her own trip alone, so she can definitely handle saying yes or no to a date.

Your reply needs to do two things. First, show you actually heard her and think the trip sounds good. Don't make it weird or try to one-up it with your own travel stories. Just acknowledge it's cool and move on.

Second, create a reason to see each other in the window before she leaves. You're not saying 'I'll wait for you to get back.' You're saying 'Let's hang out before you go.' This is different because it shows you want her company now, not just when she's convenient. The ask should be specific enough that she knows you're serious but casual enough that it doesn't feel like a wedding proposal. One date in the next few weeks. Real time on the calendar. An actual plan.

Reply while the trip conversation is still fresh. Don't wait three days thinking you're being cool. Send it within 24 hours of her message. She's already in the headspace of talking to you, so ride that.

If she doesn't respond in two days, send one follow-up text. Keep it short. After that, stop. She either saw your message and is deciding, or she's busy with other things. A third message looks like you don't trust her to respond. If nothing comes back after a week, she's not interested in a date before the trip. You can revisit after she gets back if you want, but the window has closed.