“I always say if bougainvillea grows there, I will have fun there and thus far, I’ve always been correct.” – Irma C.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Irma C. 
• Age: 61
• Location: New Jersey 
• Marital Status: Long-Term Partner
• Favorite Solo Trips: Vietnam, Portugal, Central & South America

Irma retired early at age 46. All of her friends and family were still working full-time, so she knew that if she wanted to travel, it would be solo. She admits she’s a natural introvert so it wasn’t a stretch for her to easily adapt once she gained confidence and realized she could navigate independently.

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Irma: Nicaragua was my first solo trip. It was inspired by my love of HGTV’s House Hunters International. The country had been featured several times and I was drawn to the natural beauty of what had been featured. There were jungles that opened to beautiful deserted beaches — which I love — exotic flowers, and landscapes. It was a place that I knew nothing about, so I decided to visit for about 5 days. I felt this would be the perfect amount of time to decide whether I would like the place and be able to get around by myself. I immediately met people and never felt alone during the entire trip. That experience gave me so much confidence that as soon as I returned home, I immediately started planning my next trip.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Irma: The best part of solo travel is designing an itinerary that captures all the things you enjoy, then having the ability to change everything at the last minute, if you so choose. It also is a great confidence builder, especially when the things you planned end up much better than imagined. I also like meeting new people, whether fellow travelers, or locals, that become unexpected participants in your daily adventures.

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far?

Irma: I have traveled to over 90 countries — at least 60 of them solo. Hence, it is difficult for me to identify one favorite trip. However, one trip that will always stand out is my first trip to Vietnam. I decided to leave Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to spend a few days in a village along the Mekong River Delta. I was riding a bike and ended up along the river where there was a wooden ferry that took locals over to a small island where they lived. That’s the type of unexpected adventure that I’m always hoping for.

As I awaited the ferry, a local woman made eye contact and we tried to communicate even though there was a language barrier. We were pointing and laughing and I could tell she was just curious about me and my bike and why I was in that part of the village. The ferry eventually came and she was transporting her motorbike on the ferry and let me know that I could bring my bicycle.

When we arrived on the island a few minutes later, she pointed to her motorbike and convinced me to just leave my bike and hop on the back and ride with her. She drove me all over the small island and showed me around. She even introduced me to her family, gave me some of the largest mangoes I’ve ever seen, and then took me back to the ferry to collect my bike and head back to my guesthouse.

Through Google Translate, we made arrangements to meet up the next day and she showed me so many places in the area. After I returned home to the U.S., we continued our friendship over Facebook. Our friendship has lasted several years now and I will visit her again in Vietnam when I return to the area.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Irma: My biggest concern was feeling that I would not be able to navigate through a country, especially without knowing the language and with no one to help me. What I found out was that local people are so willing to assist, especially when you are solo, because you are much more approachable. In most places, they can spot a tourist, so I’m sure the look of concern or bewilderment is much more obvious on your face than you can imagine.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Irma: I am not a group traveler for all of the reasons stated above. Even when I sometimes travel with family, I will still venture off on my own at times.

Recommended Tour Company

TravelAwaits: Do you have a favorite group tour company for solo travelers?

Irma: The name is “Discover Why I Love Egypt” by Roz Obayemi Barbour for those who really want a great travel experience while also learning about the history of Egypt.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Irma: My cell phone. I use it for everything you would use a computer for: It’s my navigation system, my camera, my translator, my itinerary planner, my television and home entertainment center, and everything else you can imagine.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Irma: Even though I love the beach, this is the only place where I would prefer to travel with others. I find myself being hesitant to go in the water because I’m concerned about leaving valuables alone on the beach, and while I’m just laying around, it would be nice to be able to talk to someone I know.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Irma: Start off slow by spending a long weekend solo in a familiar place and determine whether you actually like being alone. For many people, they realize that they don’t like being solo. It is also important to know who you are and what you love because these things are key to having a great time. So many people have never spent much time alone, and if there aren’t activities on your itinerary that you love, a solo trip can be lonely.

A smile in any language is universal. It will connect you to others no matter where you are in the world and is a prerequisite for having a wonderful solo experience.

For more Solo Traveler Journals, check out these stories:

• Why I’m Never Lonely When I Travel Solo
• How A Surprising Breakup Led Me To Living All Over The World
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo

“Go Now. There's never going to be a better time. Just go.” – Deborah D.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Deborah D.
• Age: 63
• Location: Oakland, California
• Marital Status: Single
• Favorite Solo Trip: Airstreaming Across America

Deborah’s passion for traveling solo started in her younger years and has taken her to some of the most incredible places on earth. She now travels with her two best friends across America in her Airstream trailer.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Deborah: I’ve been solo traveling most of my life, starting with hiking and camping in the wilds of Upstate New York where I grew up. After college, my more extensive trips were usually centered around my travel photography which took me on solo adventures to remote wilderness areas in Yosemite, Peru, New Zealand, Alaska, Costa Rica, and Africa.

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Deborah: My first big international solo trip was to southern Africa in 1995. I had a 6-week paid sabbatical from Apple Computer and wanted to do something grand. I couldn’t find a friend to go with me, so I planned 3 weeks solo backpacking and 2 weeks on a group Earthwatch expedition tracking black rhinos.

I had never been to Africa. 

Back then, I was brave, packed my bags, and got on the plane. It was pre-Internet days, of course. I remember getting off the plane after 24 hours of traveling, and I was tired and desperately needed a shower. I was standing in the airport terminal in Harare, Zimbabwe, and looking around. I thought, what am I going to do now? I knew no one. I had no hotel reservations and needed to figure out how to get downtown. I had just thrown myself full-force way outside my comfort zone, which is when I became a savvy solo world traveler.

My experience tracking black rhinos in Zimbabwe had a profound effect on me. That trip changed my life in so many ways:

• When I returned from Africa, I started my own travel photography business called Black Rhino Photography.
• A few months later, I started my own freelance web design business called Black Rhino Design.
• I had my first travel photography exhibit and sold 10 prints.
• I had two travel stories with my photographs published in my local newspaper and went on to sell many more.
• Several years later, I led a small group of women back to Africa. We rented a 4-by-4 and drove through Namibia and Botswana.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Deborah: My favorite part of solo traveling is meeting local people and hearing their stories. 

For instance, when I was in Zimbabwe, I rode the train, and one day I was in a sitting compartment with local native Zimbabwe women and a man who happened to be from the African National Congress.

He was fascinating to listen to. I had no idea of the politics there at the time or how the U.S. sent aid, such as tractors which eventually broke and could not be used because they had no parts to fix them. He gave me a different perspective than anything you’d ever read in the news. I loved hearing the stories.

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Deborah: My favorite solo trip was my 2021 6-month, cross-country tour of the U.S. in my Airstream with my two small dogs. I started in May in an Airstream I had just bought in February. I had never towed anything before, and I had never been RVing.

I started my trip in northern California and zig-zagged my way through Yellowstone to the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, Iowa, and Illinois, where I stopped to see friends. Then I drove and camped through Wisconsin, Michigan, and over to the East Coast ending in Maine. Then I turned around and took a different route back home. I started my blog at travelswithwally.com to record my adventures and photography.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Deborah: When I was in Africa, one of my biggest concerns was logistics with my stuff. Where do I leave my backpack and expensive camera gear when I go to the loo or buy a train ticket or river raft down the Zambezi? 

It turned out, though, that I was feeling loneliness, which I hadn’t expected to feel. When I saw my first herd of wild giraffes bounding across the savannah, I was just in awe. And then, at the same time, I wished I had someone there to share that experience with!

Overcoming the loneliness was figuring out how to tell my own stories about my trips, and when I got home, sharing my photography became a big part of that mission.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Deborah: I love to travel mostly independently because I am just wired to be the wayfinder and a trip leader myself. When I joined groups, it was things like the Earthwatch expedition where I got access to hiking through the wilds of Africa with armed national park guards that no one else could do then. I’ve also joined group photography tours to get expert instruction and camaraderie with fellow photographers. I love to learn so that I could join a cooking class in Italy or Spain, or a group tour in remote places like Patagonia or the Galapagos.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Deborah: My camera, even if it’s just my iPhone, which takes excellent photos.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Deborah: If I were returning to Africa again, I would undoubtedly take a group trip to see the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda. And in the Okavango Delta, I might also make a group trip back there. Some remote places or access to endangered animals are best done with a group.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Deborah: ​​It’s not as scary as it seems when you finally do it. And for sure, stop listening to everyone else’s fears because they probably have never even gone anywhere! I tell everyone the same thing who asks me about my travels, especially my Airstream trip. I tell them, “Go now. There’s never going to be a better time. Just go.”

You can follow more of Deborah’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and her website.

For more solo traveler journals like this, check out:

• Why This Camping Adventure Was My Favorite Solo Trip
• 7 Amazing Solo Traveler Stories From 2022 To Inspire Your Future Travels
• What I Love About Solo Travel — Most Of The Time

I absolutely adore solo camping and have been doing it for 4 years. I started out camping in my tiny vintage camper, then moved on to a new 21-foot travel trailer. This year I am going back to vintage after the renovation of my 1978 Airstream Argosy Minuet is completed. 

Even though I enjoy camping in a camper, I want to share a little secret: I love solo camping in my 2008 Toyota 4Runner!

Car camping came from my need to travel as comfortably as possible while staying within my budget, on a cross-country trip in 2021. I had signed up for a writing workshop in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and to save money, I decided to road trip it from my home in Wisconsin, camping along the way. 

I wanted to save money by not staying in hotels, but I was nervous about pulling my camper so far by myself. So I turned my Toyota 4Runner into my camper. Since this was new territory for me, I devoured all the information about car camping I could. Videos, blog posts, forums, you name it; I checked them all out. I made window covers and lists of the necessities I would need. It helped that I had most of what I needed already. 

Once I was set and had outfitted my car for my road trip, I couldn’t wait to see how it would all go. 

During that trip, it took several shots at rearranging things till I had a comfortable, accessible, and (somewhat) uncluttered space. I became an obsessive fan ‌of car camping. There was just something about fitting everything I needed into my vehicle and the ease of movement that I fell in love with. 

I have made my car a temporary home on wheels on more long-distance trips since that first experience and want to share the reasons I love car camping as a solo traveler. Hopefully, I will inspire you to try it.

1. I Feel Safe

Feeling safe while solo traveling is the most important thing. I love how safe I feel sleeping in my car at night. I put the covers I made for my windows up, lock the doors, and have created a safe cocoon for myself. While I’ve never encountered a problem, knowing that all I need to do if I feel uncomfortable at a place I am parked is jump in the front seat and leave.

If I am out in the wilderness, there’s more protection between myself and a curious bear that may wander into my campsite. 

Pro Tip: I always make sure to have a personal alarm handy when I travel solo. I carry it when I hike and anywhere I am by myself. I have it by my side at night when I am in my car. 

2. It’s A Great Way To Try Solo Travel

I tell women all the time that if they would like to travel solo but are too fearful of it, they should just go slow. Car camping is actually one of those “dip your toe in” ways to try solo travel. Rocking an overnighter at a local campground is a perfect gateway to build your confidence. You’re close to home yet practicing your independence. You get to feel comfortable being alone. Plus, you don’t have to invest a lot of money in the experience. 

3. I Save Money

Car camping is perfect for the budget-conscious solo traveler. If I can save money not paying for hotels (and do more free things), I have more left over to go other places, even with my limited travel budget.

Initially, there is a cost to getting the gear you need. A good sleeping pad or mattress is your biggest cost. I use a 4-inch queen mattress topper that I cut in half. I cover that with a set of twin sheets that were left over from when my daughter graduated from college. If you already camp, you probably have everything you need. 

Once you’re set up, it’s just the cost of a campground. I usually pay a max of $40 a night at a campground. You can even go cheaper. There are many options for free camping on public-use land, or in overnight parking lots and truck stops. All it takes is a little advanced planning. 

Then there’s gas milage. Unfortunately, my 4Runner isn’t the greatest on gas, and when I am pulling my travel trailer, it is even more dismal. 

Pro Tip: Making your own window coverings is fairly easy. I make templates from sheets of paper taped together first, then I use cardboard to cut out the actual window coverings. I make them ‌bigger so they will sit in the window. I take cloth and tape (or glue) tabs to each one for removal. Once I finish cutting and make sure they fit, I spray paint them black. You can find many videos on YouTube for more ways to make your own.

4. Protection From The Elements

We all know how miserable it can be tent camping in the rain. The probability of your gear getting wet is high. It’s uncomfortable. Depending on the season, it can be cold. I’d much rather have that hard barrier between myself and the weather. If it’s chilly, I bring along a small ceramic heater and I stay toasty warm. Sure, I may feel a little confined in that small space when the weather is less than ideal, but it sure is cozy.

5. A Sense Of Freedom

This is huge for me. I love my freedom. Car camping offers so much ease. I take about 5 minutes to pack up and leave. I can fit into any campsite. Camping state and county parks are my favorite, and just having my vehicle, I can take advantage of tent and non-electric sites. As long as you can drive into your site, your fine.

Freedom means you can park and camp overnight just about anywhere. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) spots, parking lots, casinos, Cracker Barrel restaurants, and truck stops. With a little planning, or with an app like Campendium, you can find places to camp for free.

6. It’s Simple

While car camping requires some advanced planning initially — think bedding, cooking tools, and clothing storage — once you have your gear and a system down, there is nothing simpler than jumping in your car and hitting the road. It’s amazing how little you actually need to be comfortable. Honestly, I am not a “no maintenance” gal. I like my creature comforts, my makeup, and my hair care products, but I manage well.

The same goes for food. I don’t cook elaborate meals when I’m car camping. I carried a one-burner propane stove and one kettle. My go-to meal is soup along with a small cooler filled with fresh veggies, some snacks, and water. Think minimalistic, and you’ll be fine.

Pro Tip: Less is more when you are car camping. For cooking, I carry one medium saucepan, a one-burner propane stove, a collapsible dish pan, a large spoon, a metal spatula, tongs, tin foil, a French press for coffee, a can opener, one plate, a bowl, and a utensil set. It all fits neatly in a tote. 

7. It’s Cozy

When I’m car camping on my solo adventures, I love crawling in the back of my 4Runner, curling up with a great book and my journal, and gazing at the stars through my back window. I have a string of battery-operated fairy lights I hang up above me. Toss in some cute decorative pillows, and my favorite soft comforter just for car camping, and I have a tiny oasis, a space of cozy solitude. There’s not much that makes me happier.

I found I enjoyed car camping so much that I just purchased an SUV tent that attaches to the back of my 4Runner. I’m excited to use it when I want to camp more than a couple nights in my car. It will give me more room and is standalone, so when I leave for a day of exploring, there’s evidence that my campsite is occupied. 

Car camping may not be for everyone, but it’s a way of travel that I love, and it suits solo travelers perfectly. The simplicity, ease of travel, and budget-friendliness appeal to me most of all. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the world of solo travel, car camping may be the perfect entry point for you. Even if you’ve been solo traveling for a while, it’s worth a try. Who knows? You may find you love it as much as I do.

Fascinated by the possibilities of car camping? You’ll want to read up on boondocking, too.

Recently, I had the incredible chance to travel to Croatia when I was invited for a 5-day cruise aboard a lovely private charter. As I started making plans — buying plane tickets, snagging accommodations, and the like — it dawned on me.

This would be my first international trip by myself.

In the past, I’ve traveled plenty, and all over the world. But it’s always been with my spouse and son, or in a work group, when my agenda is definitely not left up to me. 

I realized this would be a new experience, and while I looked forward to it, I was also just a teensy bit apprehensive. I’d have 2 days in Split before joining the group on the yacht, as well as an additional overnight layover in Rome. Would I be nervous? Lonely? Freaked out? All of it?

Spoiler: all of it.

Here are seven things I learned along the way.

1. It’s Important (For Me, At Least) To Have A Plan

I am a definite type A. I like things buttoned up, and rarely leave them to chance. This isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy free time; I certainly did on this trip. But the biggies — what I wanted to see in Split and Rome, where I’d stay in each city, even down to the list of foods I wanted to try — all of that was planned well in advance.

I think there’s a certain comfort in having an itinerary that helped set me at ease. There were likely going to be enough unknowns on this trip; I wanted to make sure I had the big items nailed down well before I was wheels up. I know some people love to make their plans as they travel; I am not one of them, and that’s just fine.

2. Me-Time Isn’t Selfish; It’s Essential!

As a wife and mom, so much of what I do each day revolves around keeping my little family’s planet on its axis and spinning along smoothly. Running the house, double-checking that my son is eating something other than potato chips each day, making sure the pets are healthy, fed, and exercised…

You get the picture.

Knowing that so many things can and do hinge on my presence or proximity, I can feel guilty or even a bit selfish taking time out for myself. In this case, I took me-time halfway around the world, and it was wonderful. When I did return home, I felt fully present and thrilled to see my boys again. This trip helped me realize just how important setting time aside for yourself actually is. Giving myself permission to go have fun, on my own, was a gift of the highest order.

3. It’s Okay To Be Emotional

By nature, I’m not an overly emotional person. I rarely cry, and consider myself a pretty tough cookie. That’s why I was so surprised when a couple of times during my trip, I burst into tears.

Then, I realized solo travel by its very nature is overwhelming. You are seeing new things, experiencing a different culture, and immersing yourself in a place that might be a bit outside your comfort zone. Add a pinch of jetlag and a dash of loneliness and you’ve got the makings of an emotional overload.

When I calmed down, I realized this reaction is completely normal. It in no way marred my travel experience. Rather, it made it all the richer. It’s okay to have big feelings traveling the world on your own! I gave them the space they needed, breathed through it and let them pass, then got back out there to see the next incredible thing on my list.

4. It’s Also Okay To Miss Your Loved Ones

For the first days on my journey, I reveled in my newfound freedom. Time for a pastry after that museum stop? Absolutely! Pop into this darling boutique? That would be a yes. I didn’t have to ask permission to do anything, nor did I have to take anyone else’s schedule into account.

But then there were times when something I saw was so stunning, so beautiful, that I just really wanted my husband there to share it with me. A meal that was so delicious I wanted to pass him a bite. Our junior deckhand was about the same age as my son, which gave me pangs. Heck, I even started seeing stray cats that looked like my two back home.

It’s natural to miss your loved ones when you’re out adventuring. But the great news is you’ll get to go home and share it all with them! Traveling solo made me realize just how much I adore and appreciate my loved ones. All the more if I leave them behind for just a little while from time to time.

5. I Can Make Friends Anywhere

I always suspected this next lesson would be true, and I was relieved to find that indeed, I can make friends anywhere. Even on my own and far from home! 

During my time in Split, I immediately connected with my wonderful tour guide. I struck up conversations with the young barista who prepared my double expresso and almond croissant at the café each morning. I said hello to the people I passed while running in Marjan, Split’s gorgeous park. And once I got on the yacht, I quickly settled in with the other guests, some of whom have already become fast friends with whom I’ve stayed in touch — thank you, social media!

While it was lovely and rejuvenating to have a few days of alone time, I know I love being around others as well. It was a great reminder: A quiet recharge is terrific, but I also get a charge from making new friends, which I can do anywhere! It’s the balance between the two that’s important to recognize and honor.

6. Solo Travel Is An Enormous Confidence Boost

This next lesson cannot be understated. Traveling on my own was such a confidence boost! I made all my own decisions, made all my own arrangements, and didn’t consult with anyone else to do so. I also had to solve little issues that came up on the fly, figure out language barriers, and navigate a new city, all on my own. I thought I could do it, but it’s always great to prove to yourself that you can.

Here’s what I also realized: Many people skip solo travel altogether because they’re not sure they can do it, or at least have a good time. I’m here you tell you: you can, and you will!

7. Some People Might Think You’re Crazy; Ignore Them!

As mentioned previously, I’m married. I’m not a single solo traveler. For some family and friends, that raised questions. Some wanted to know why I’d even entertain going anywhere without my husband. Others wondered how I could leave my son behind. My mother really freaked out, and even called my husband to check in on me when connectivity issues prevented me from texting her daily.

Here’s the thing: Traveling solo doesn’t mean something’s amiss. For me, it was proof-positive of inner confidence, a wonderful, trusting, and healthy relationship with my spouse, and a supportive family. I know I came back having learned a bit more about myself, which is a good thing for me and everyone I’m closest to.

So what if not everyone understands? You do you. You won’t regret it.

Final thoughts: If you’re considering an international solo trip, my advice is to go for it! Take into account your preferences, and plan for them. Take into account your challenges, and plan for them. Last but not least, you know yourself better than anyone else. Have the time of your life just being with you.

Since 2011, when I dipped my toe into the world of solo travel with my first trip to Paris, I have had an insatiable appetite for exploring the world on my own. The freedom and the growing confidence with each solo trip is empowering and overflows into all aspects of my life.

The older I get, the more I gravitate toward the sea (and all water). There’s something about the water, sand, and a clear blue sky that has a meditative effect on me. I appreciate nature more now than I did in my 20s and 30s. This was why Hawaii gently twisted my arm to come and visit. 

Oahu is a perfect destination for us solo travelers to immerse ourselves in nature. The sea, the mountains, the lush rainforests; there’s not only the beach and laid-back lifestyle, but the locals are friendly, too. The weather is amazing, and Oahu is a safe destination for solo travelers. 

There is so much to do and see on Oahu, and here I share some highlights that I enjoy when I’m exploring the island solo. 

1. Haleiwa

I love the North Shore, and Haleiwa is the center of this part of Oahu. The North Shore is the “real Oahu,” celebrating the surfing lifestyle. 

Shopping

You can easily spend a good part of the day in Haleiwa wandering in all the cool shops which sell everything from clothing to t-shirts, surfing gear, and home goods. Most of the shops are located right on Kamehameha Highway along a one-mile stretch. Much of that stretch has sidewalk, but part of the way does not. 

Food

Haleiwa has some of the best food in Oahu. I love to grab a breakfast burrito at Kono’s in the North Shore Marketplace, find a nearby picnic table, and watch the island chickens scurry about. There are a few sit-down restaurants.

Pro Tip: I like to skip the restaurants in favor of a plate lunch at a food truck. Oahu has a very food truck-orientated lifestyle perfectly suited to solo travelers. That is clear in Haleiwa, where there are food trucks everywhere. My favorite is North Shore Crepes. Just look for the cute VW van.

2. Shave Ice At Matsumoto’s

You may run into a long line of tourists and locals in Haleiwa waiting for a shave ice sweet treat at Matsumoto’s. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Along with serving shave ice, the attached store sells all kinds of merchandise. T-shirts, pancake mixes, and other gift items are available.

Pro Tip: Ask for the add-on vanilla ice cream! Trust me.

Fun Fact: The Matsumoto’s opened their grocery store in 1951, eventually converting it to sell merchandise and souvenirs, then expanded and began selling shave ice topped with their own syrup recipes. Matsumoto’s is still a family-run business with only one location in the world. 

3. World-Class Surfing On The Banzai Pipeline

A real treat if you are visiting Oahu’s North Shore in the winter months is watching the pro surfers. You need a car to get to the pipeline. Drive past Waimea about 2 miles on Kamehameha Highway to “the pipeline.”

This is the most famous spot to watch the surfers in Hawaii. When the surf is right, swells from the northwest form those perfect barrels. 

The best viewing is about 100 yards left of Ehukai Beach Park. If you are lucky and score a parking spot in the park, it’s just a short walk onto the beach. The alternative is street parking. 

Pro Tip: Ask a shopkeeper at one of the surf shops in Haleiwa if the surfers are at the pipeline today. They will know if the conditions are right to go watch on that day. If they are, brace yourself for the traffic jam, and know it’s worth it! It’s a marvel to see the power of nature create those waves.

4. Kō Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum Distillery

Visiting Kō Hana Distillery and sampling their rum is a uniquely Hawaiian experience. While molasses is the base for most rum, they make Kō Hana rum from the fresh juice of 36 varieties of heirloom sugar cane. These varieties are native to Hawaii and, like the grape to the wine producer, each cane variety produces a distinct flavor.

Kō Hana offers two different tours. Each tour also ends with a sampling of the rum. If you don’t have time for a tour, you can still enjoy a tasting.

5. Lanikai Beach

This half-mile-long stretch of beach is postcard perfect. The spectacular blues of the water and the powder-soft sand make Lanikai Beach one of the best beaches in the world. On the windward side of Oahu, the water is calm and a glorious spot for snorkeling over the reefs, swimming, and kayaking. 

Parking here can be difficult. There’s free street parking on one side of Mokulua Drive. This area is residential and access to the beach is by public walkways in between the properties, which helps to keep crowds down. 

Pro Tip: Go early in the day for a better chance of nearby parking, or you may need to park at Kailua Beach and walk (less than a mile) to Lanikai Beach. Kailua Beach has a sizeable parking lot and restrooms. Lanikai and Kailua Beach do not connect.

6. Mokule’ia Beach

When I travel solo, I prefer to avoid crowds. So if you’re looking for a beach that gives you a feeling that it’s all yours, this stretch of sandy shoreline is perfect. Although the surf is rough and you can’t swim here in winter, it’s the seemingly endless miles of beach that call to those looking for an escape from the crowded beaches in many other parts of Oahu. Here you can just pull your car over and step onto the beach. Take highway 930 (Farrington Highway) and pick your piece of beach heaven.

7. Wahiawā Botanical Garden

Wahiawā Botanical Garden is in central Oahu in the town of Wahiawā. This 27-acre botanical garden has two levels. The upper level and a ravine which is dense rainforest. Maps are available at the entrance and there is a self-guided tour included in the brochure as well. Accessing the ravine is by a steep trail, which can be hard to navigate for some, but those with mobility issues can still enjoy the upper part of the garden. Admission is free.

8. Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden backs up against the Ko’olau Mountains. While you can walk the garden, it’s best to drive through and stop at the parking lots to inspect. At the top, there is a parking area and a lookout you can walk up to. The view from the platform is astounding. The mountains, with their blanket of green, surround you and you feel you can almost reach out and touch them. You can drive through in 20 minutes, but why not allow at least a couple of hours? Admission is free.

9. Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a must when visiting Oahu. Taking that short, somber ride out to the USS Arizona Memorial was surreal. Walking around the grounds and walking through the museum was captivating. Being there on the actual site is an experience that is unforgettable. You can spend a half day here. 

Pro Tip: If you cannot score tickets for the tour of the USS Arizona Memorial, arrive early on the day you want to go. You wait in a line, and they add a few walk-ins on every departure to the memorial. I arrived first thing and had no trouble getting on the boat. 

10. Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

Instead of battling the crowds in Waikiki looking for fun souvenirs, this is the place to go. When I travel solo, I like one-stop shopping so I have more time for experiences, plus this is a fun place for people watching.

The swap meet is open three times each week: Wednesday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Up to 400 vendors sell everything from ukuleles to fresh fruit. Admission is $2 for ages 12 and up. Find additional details here.

11. Bailey’s Antiques And Aloha Shirts

Ask anyone on Oahu where to get a vintage Hawaiian shirt and they will name Bailey’s Antiques in Honolulu. Even if you’re not in the market for a shirt, stop anyway just to see pictures of the famous folks who have bought shirts here. 

If you’ve considered taking a solo trip to Oahu, you should. With an airport that is small and easily navigated, a main highway system that makes it easy to drive from one side of the island to another, quiet stretches of beach, and a food truck scene perfect for those of us who dine solo, you can’t beat it for that once-in-a-lifetime solo travel experience.

Pro Tip: Rent a car. We solo travelers are an independent bunch, and seeing the island by car is the best way to go. My suggestion is to check out Turo.

As a female solo traveler, safety is an ongoing priority. For me, feeling safe is about being able to walk along streets without having to constantly check my surroundings, or carrying my camera on my shoulder without concern.

There are several places I’ve felt extremely safe as a female solo traveler. I would add, however, that no matter where you go in the world, you should make an effort to be knowledgeable about your surroundings and have safety protocols. (To this end, I’ve written more about how to safely travel solo.)

Here are the places I’ve felt safest as a solo traveler.

1. Kerikeri, New Zealand

New Zealand is generally considered a safe country. I was marooned there for 2 years during the pandemic so got to explore the north and south islands fairly extensively. I felt especially safe in Kerikeri, a growing town in the north of the North Island, and I chose to live most of my time there. I found that whenever I had the slightest problem, someone was willing to help, and it was as if their life’s mission was to make sure I got what I needed. 

This is the only country I’ve been to where I frequently left my bag, full of valuables, on a cafe table while I went up to the counter to order, and always found everything intact when I sat back down.

Pro Tip: While the South Island is stunning, try to see the more remote parts of the North Island, which are often overlooked by tourists. Less visited places like Whanganui, Whangārei, and the west coast near Ōmāpere offer wonderful views and spectacular natural formations.

2. Hanoi And Hoi An, Vietnam

Though I speak six languages, Vietnamese isn’t one of them. So I worried about how I would figure things out alone in the cities of Hanoi and Hội An. I didn’t need to worry, since there’s a lot of English spoken (though I tried to learn a few words of Vietnamese as I traveled). Vietnam is both a stunningly beautiful country and also one where you can feel safe traveling alone.

The scariest part of Vietnam, at least in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is crossing the street with all the motorbikes. On my first day in Vietnam, a member of my hotel staff came outside with me and guided me through the traffic! I ultimately learned that there’s a rhythm to things and found my moment to step off the curb and into traffic, and nobody hit me. Ho Chi Minh, however, was a different story. I found myself at the corner of a street with 10 lanes of traffic and felt paralyzed. Miraculously, a motorbike pulled next to me and signaled that I should cross the street, using him as my traffic shield! No words were needed, and I felt blessed to have their help.

I rode the night buses and trains from Sa Pa down to Ho Chi Minh City, making stops along the way, and never felt unsafe or worried about my bags. Sa Pa, Hạ Long Bay, Hoi An, and Ba Na Hills were some of my favorite places. 

3. Bangkok And Chiang Mai, Thailand

I wasn’t sure what to expect in Bangkok when I visited in October 2019, but I loved it and felt very safe on foot, on public transport, and even walking in the most touristy areas. In other places I’ve been, crowds have made me worry about pickpockets. One of my tour guides in Chiang Mai explained that part of the reason it’s so safe is that Buddhist values, such as good behavior, are important to people in Thailand. If you go, take a boat ride on the Chao Phraya River and visit all the amazing temples along the way. Floating markets are another must-do activity! 

In Chiang Mai, you’ll want to see the elephants — just make sure you choose a reputable company. This is also an excellent place for a cooking class. Finally, don’t miss the White Temple in Chiang Rai. 

Pro Tip: There’s a train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai that makes this trip very easy.

4. Edinburgh And The Highlands, Scotland

Scotland is another country where people go out of their way to be helpful. I spent 6 weeks traveling around Scotland in 2018 and just returned in October for several weeks this year. On the trains, the staff is exceptionally helpful, even assisting with placing bags onto the overhead luggage rack! 

What made me feel safe is that strangers were approachable, even chatty. Right from the immigration agents to chivalrous men and friendly passersby. Edinburgh also has evening ghost tours, so people are out in the city center later in the evening. 

I traveled around the Highlands, hiked the Cairngorms, sampled Scotch in Pitlochry, Aberfeldy, and Dalwhinnie, and even took boats to islands such as Muck, Skye, and the Isle of Arran. I highly recommend hiking the Cairngorms, driving to Glencoe for its stunning views, and visiting the Orkney islands.

5. Reykjavík, Iceland

The first time I went to Reykjavík, in 2015, I learned it’s difficult to find police anywhere because there’s virtually no crime. Since then, I’ve returned three more times, the most recent in September. People are kind, and due to the northern lights, there are people out at all hours during winter, making it feel even safer to walk around later in the evening.

Iceland is a fascinating country and requires multiple visits to see everything. This last trip, I went to Diamond Beach and the Glacier Lagoon, which, though tragic because their beauty comes from icebergs melting, are stunning. Must-do activities are the municipal hot pools in Reykjavík (less crowded and more authentic than the Blue Lagoon), the black sand beach at Vik, and chasing the northern lights. 

Pro Tip: The northern lights can actually be seen any time it’s dark, not just in winter. In Iceland, this is generally from the end of August until early April. Iceland’s location provides excellent overhead viewing of the lights, but its unpredictable weather can get in the way.

6. El Calafate And Villa La Angostura, Argentina

While I’m aware that there are places in Argentina considered dangerous, especially in Buenos Aires, I found a different side of the country. During my travel, I met pairs of Argentinian women traveling together who looked after me. One pair of friends I made near Bariloche ended up being in the town of Villa La Angostura at the same time as me and walked me back to the place I was staying. 

I met another pair of women in El Calafate. They were from Buenos Aires, and we met again when I went there. Even when I took a public bus to a beach, others on the bus saw I was alone and invited me to sit with them on the beach! 

El Calafate is the place from where you can hike the Perito Moreno Glacier and take some of the glacier cruises. It’s also an adorable town geared toward tourists, and I felt very safe walking around and dining alone. I recommend trying yerba mate at Elba’r. The staff is lovely and will teach you how to prepare and drink it.

Pro Tip: Of all the places I was in Argentina, the dogs in El Calafate were the friendliest I’ve ever encountered. Be warned, if you pet one, it will follow you around for hours hoping for love and affection.

7. Easter Island, Chile

I had the pleasure of spending a week on Easter Island in 2019. This is the only place in the world I’ve been where, if you rent a car, you’re kind of expected to pick up hitchhikers, and those hitchhikers are other tourists! 

The scariest parts of the island were the giant cockroaches, and some dark streets at night, which were scary because wild horses roam the island. Make sure to carry a flashlight! 

One of the most fascinating sites I’ve ever seen is the Rano Raraku quarry, where the iconic stone Moai were made. I learned all the theories, which included aliens, of how they were transported from that quarry to their current resting places. It’s not cheap to visit, but you’ll never forget it.

Pro Tip: Take at least one tour with a guide. There’s fascinating history to be learned about the island and its people, which you won’t hear about if you resort to self-touring.

8. Zagreb, Croatia

I stayed in Zagreb for a week this summer. I arrived at my hotel after 10 p.m. and felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing was open, the street was quiet, and the concierge had stayed late to admit me to my room. The next day, I discovered I had lucked into a residential neighborhood, away from tourists, and that it was completely safe to walk around at night. In fact, it felt so safe that I enjoyed having an evening meal in the city center and taking the tram back to my hotel.

If you’re looking for fun things to do in Zagreb, you might want to read more about my experience in Zagreb. Highlights for me were the free walking tour, the Museum Of Illusions, and The Broken Relationships Museum.

Pro Tip: Because Dubrovnik and Split are where most tourists go, you’ll find Zagreb less touristy and less expensive.

For more on the destinations mentioned in this article, read:

• A Visit To The Quaint Town Of Kerikeri, New Zealand
• 10 Best Things To See And Do In Hanoi, Vietnam
• How To Spend Two Perfect Days In Hoi An, Vietnam
• 11 Amazing Hidden Gems In Edinburgh, Scotland
• 7 Reasons I Love Exploring The Scottish Highlands By Water
• 7 Incredible Ways To Spend 72 Hours In Reykjavík, Iceland

“The beauty of solo travel is that it is all up to you, you can change your mind anytime you want.” – Teresa W.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Teresa W.
• Age: 51
• Location: St. Louis
• Marital Status: Single
• Favorite Solo Trip: Motorcycle Camping at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park

Teresa has done most things on her own. When she had kids, they became her adventure partners. Now that her kids are grown, she travels solo again but also loves to travel with friends too. 

She is the chapter director for Wanderful, an international community of women who love to travel. She loves to help women travel solo through her companies Sparkle Adventures and Sparkle RV Services. 

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Teresa: I have always been adventurous. After I divorced and my kids were big and had their own lives, I had more time to travel and if I wanted to go, I often had to go solo.

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Teresa: My first solo trip was to New York City. I was starting up a not-for-profit, Missouri Women In Trades, and was invited to a conference there. I was really lucky and was offered lodging with one of the conference organizer’s staff members — an apartment right across from Central Park. I hung out with other conference attendees a little bit, but otherwise, I spent my personal time exploring the city on my own. I felt so free and so happy to be someplace new and different on my own. I returned for my 50th birthday! It was even better than I remembered. 

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Teresa: I loved being in New York City alone and not being confined by other people’s preferences. When I got off the airplane, I asked the information desk how to get to my lodging on public transit. I loved the subway and by the time I left, I was giving other tourists directions. Since this trip, it is my favorite thing to use public transportation wherever I go. I love figuring out where I am going and I love the people watching.

My last trip was to Mexico City; that was a whole new level of using public transportation. Not only is English not the primary language, Mexico City is the most populous city in North America, so the buses and subway were packed with people. I had to let several buses go by because they were too crowded to get on. Fortunately, they have a women’s area on the trains that are much less crowded. 

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Teresa: My favorite solo trip was camping at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park on my motorcycle. I have been camping since my kids were little but it was my first solo camping trip and my first solo motorcycle camping trip.

Motorcycle camping is a little like backpacking because you have to pack light. My first motorcycle trip was to Nashville but I stayed in a hotel for one night, so I didn’t need as much gear. This trip was my first time camping completely alone. I really enjoyed the time alone to daydream and explore and I loved the challenge of going on a motorcycle by myself.

You can read more about this trip on Teresa’s blog.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Teresa: I don’t recall having any concerns before New York City but I had lots of concerns before my first motorcycle camping trip. Securing my gear and being safe on my motorcycle with all that gear were my greatest concerns. I was definitely keeping an eye on things as I drove. I learned a lot about securing gear on a motorcycle on those first trips.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Teresa: I have traveled both ways. Sometimes being solo is divine and then other times you feel lonely and wish you had company. Sometimes I love being completely alone, and other times, I enjoy having friends around.

Recommended Tour Company

TravelAwaits: Do you have a favorite group tour company for solo travelers?

Teresa: It is not a tour company but there are tour companies that are members and lots of resources for solo travel; I love the Wanderful travel community. I have made tons of friends being part of Wanderful. Mexico City was a global meet-up hosted by our Wanderful Mexico City chapter.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Teresa: I have quite a few “one products” I cannot live without on trips. If I have my phone and lipstick — LA Colors Matte Charmed — I can probably manage most anything.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Teresa: I can’t think of any place in particular that would be better in a group, but I can think about times. Sometimes being solo is divine and then other times you feel lonely and wish you had company. I think it has more to do with expectations and moods than a place I have been. 

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Teresa: If you feel anxious about going solo, start with smaller steps. Go out to dinner locally alone. Do other things you enjoy alone. Be curious about the place and people. Make plans but be spontaneous. The beauty of solo travel is that it is all up to you, you can change your mind anytime you want. Everything we are good at takes practice.

For more solo travel inspiration, check out these articles:

• Why I’m Never Lonely When I Travel Solo
• Why I Didn’t Let Fear Stop Me From The Adventure Of A Lifetime
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo

Does traveling solo intimidate or invigorate you? It can do both. Some of the women we’ve featured in our Solo Traveler Journals didn’t intend on traveling by themselves. Others have enjoyed traveling solo and making friends along the way. No matter their reasons, their adventures, tips, and “must packs” give us all a bird’s eye view of traveling alone.

1. Trip Of A Lifetime

Deborah I. began her solo traveling adventures after a divorce left her with a pre-planned trip to Borneo. She wasn’t about to give it up just because she was by herself. 

“The fantastic and rewarding experiences gave me the confidence to continue my solo travels and to really embrace the freedom and enjoyment that it brings.” 

From there, she traveled all over the world with her favorite solo trip to Sri Lanka. 

“Sri Lanka is stunningly beautiful, has the most amazing culture and food, the friendliest people, incredible beaches, wonderful wildlife, and is very safe.”

Deborah never leaves home without Angel Balm. It’s several skin care products in one and is perfect for travel. You can learn more about Deborah’s solo travels here.

2. Pouting Was Not An Option

Carol S. loved to travel and chose a familiar place for her first trip, Rome. She had been there with friends but wanted to try it out on her own. She stayed there for three months.

“I was so excited about the opportunity to live in a place I love and have so much time to explore the city and other places in Italy that are easily reached by train. That first solo trip to Rome will always be my favorite because it validated that I could make it work and love it.”

Carol is incredibly practical when it comes to her favorite travel items list. She always brings her tablet, plug-in adapters, and the address of the U.S. Embassy. To learn more about getting started as a solo traveler, check out Carol’s Solo Traveler Journal.

3. Me Time

Bridget H. is a big proponent of some TLC for yourself. As a mom and wife, her trips away help rejuvenate her. 

“Traveling alone sounds lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. You can do what you want, when you want, and go wherever you want without having to compromise, make decisions, or wait on anyone. If you want to just sit and read a book, take a nap, or watch your favorite movie; you can without interruption!”

Her favorite solo trip was to St. Augustine, Florida.

“The city is steeped with history, beautiful buildings, and delicious restaurants. Bonus: the beach is just across the bridge!”

The one thing Bridget always packs is her pillow. You can read more about Bridget’s travels and advice in her Solo Traveler Journal.

4. Perpetual Solo Travel

Nora’s solo travel started with disappointment, a breakup. However, she turned it into an adventure of a lifetime. Nora used this opportunity to begin her nomadic lifestyle. So when you ask her about her favorite trip, Nora will tell you she’s currently on it. However, there is one South American country that rises to the top.

“Peru stands out because it was a sharp left turn from life as I knew it when I took up an apprenticeship with a shaman for a few years, working with plant medicine. It was a big leap forward in my self-development and personal growth, and a road that I needed to walk alone (solo).”

In addition to your standard travel gear, Nora always travels with her travel extension/surge protector. 

“It helps me keep all my devices charged, protected, and handy, regardless of how awkwardly placed or scarce the outlets are.“

Nora also has some thoughts on group travel and advice for getting started in her journal.

5. Favorite Solo Trip

Usah’s first solo trip was as a physician to Norway. This was quite a contrast from her home country, India.

“I remember it was so discombobulating since I had to get used to everything, from buying a new wardrobe for a cold country to changing planes twice on the way and mastering unknown cuisine terms. However, I survived; mostly thanks to being a comfortable English speaker. With each trip, my confidence grew until it just became a routine.”

When asked about her favorite solo travel trip, she didn’t hesitate. Usah loved Vietnam and her reason may surprise you.

“It seemed that southeast Asian cultures respect and care for their older people. It is part of their cultural makeup. As a solo older woman traveler, I could sense warmth and care from everyone I met. In my hotel in Hanoi, the young woman at the reception volunteered to take me around the night market after her work was done.”

Usah highly recommends solo travel, at least once. You can read more about her travels here. 

6. Learning To Travel Solo

Lori’s solo travel started when her travel buddy lost interest in traveling. She didn’t want to stop her adventures so she bravely went on them alone.

“I let fear hold me back for a long time until the longing grew bigger than the fear. I decided if I wanted to fulfill my dream of traveling, I would probably need to do it on my own.”

Lori’s favorite trip was her first solo trip to Paris. She went with a group but didn’t know anyone before she left. Lori said the trip changed her life.

“Being a shy introvert, I have always been afraid to put myself out there. The person I was became different. I gained a confidence I had never had before. I felt more myself walking the streets of Paris by myself than I had ever felt before.”

Lori said the one thing she never leaves home without is a little obvious, her phone. But she relies on it for more than texting and taking pictures. She uses it as her GPS and reading companion. She always purchases an international data sim card through Cellhire if she is traveling internationally.

You can learn more about Lori’s adventures here.

7. Life Is Short

Sometimes life’s hardest moments can change your life in ways you’ve never dreamed of. Tracey suffered many losses from those closest to her. But she used the heartache to propel her into a solo adventure.

“Material things don’t hold much value for me. I’ve realized that I would rather spend my time and money on experiences instead of things.”

Tracey bought a van, renovated it, and hit the open road. You might be surprised by her favorite trip. She was!

“I would probably say visiting a clothes-optional resort in Georgia! I never thought I would go to one but it was something I wanted to try. I thought I would just be sitting inside my van for two nights. It wasn’t at all what I expected and the property was beautiful; 84 acres of trails and beauty.”

Tracey’s favorite travel product is her phone. She especially likes the iOverlander app, which has helped her find a place to sleep overnight. Most of her travel is boondocking and not paying for parking somewhere. You can learn more about her adventures here.

I’m in my own little sanctuary on Norwegian Prima, and I’m loving it. Or am I? 

Norwegian Cruise Line leads the way for solo cruisers with its innovative Studio cabins. These are the first staterooms specifically designed and priced for solo travelers, and I chose one of these cabins during my cruise with NCL, a hosted trip that I enjoyed on the line’s brand-new ship as it sailed from Galveston, Texas. 

Norwegian Prima is the first ship in the new Prima Class for NCL, and it offers 73 Studios, which are small inside cabins (no balconies or windows) that measure a compact 94 square feet and provide a great option for solo cruisers who ordinarily would have to book a regular cabin and foot the bill for the full double-occupancy price. (Most cruise lines charge a single supplement, which amounts to a surcharge on the solo cruiser who is in a room meant for two.) 

The Studio concept is not new for Norwegian Cruise Line, though. The line has been the industry leader with these cabins on several of its ships. Other cruise ships feature solo cabins, but NCL has made the largest allotment on its ships, with dozens of Studios, and also creates a kind of ship-within-a-ship complex with its exclusive Studio Lounges. 

I had heard a lot about these staterooms and wanted to try the Studios on Prima so that I could share my experience. There is a large interest in solo cruising, but the cost can be prohibitive for many people who effectively pay an extra full fare to get on board. 

I spent four days and nights onboard Norwegian Prima living the Studio life, and here’s what I learned. 

Things I Loved Cruising Solo 

1. Smart, Simple Design 

These little staterooms measure less than 100 square feet, but they put every inch to smart use. On Norwegian Prima, the décor offers a modern look, with blue, gray, and black as the primary colors.

There is plenty of storage, with two closet spaces and a tall open rack that allows for easy organization and access to items like computers, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, chargers, and cameras. A little cutout in the wall next to the bed serves as a sort of nightstand, with light switches, a little shelf, and a USB outlet. You can stick your luggage under the bed, and the TV is attached to the wall with an arm that lets you telescope the TV away from the wall and spin it into a variety of positions for viewing. 

There is no mini-fridge, however, which is something you get in all other cabin categories. 

The bathroom is an open concept, with see-through glass to keep the room from feeling small. After all, you don’t need bathroom privacy in a cabin for one. Half of the space in the bathroom is dedicated to providing a large walk-in shower, which is a big plus. 

2. A Bigger Bed 

The room is small, indeed. But your bed is bigger than you would get in a standard cabin. The Studio staterooms on Norwegian Prima feature full beds. On a cruise ship, I am used to the typical twin-size bed, which is about 15 inches narrower. You can really feel the difference, and it offered a welcome upgrade in comfort. 

3. The Studio Lounge 

This is the shared exclusive space on Norwegian Prima for passengers staying in the Studio cabins. The area is a fantastic retreat where you can hang out and meet fellow solo cruisers. I enjoyed coming down to do a little work on my computer and watch the World Series game between the Phillies and Astros showing on the large TV. 

4. Peace And Quiet 

The lounge features two comfy living room–style rooms, and these spaces offer couches, chairs, art on the wall, a large-screen TV, and bookshelves filled with homey décor, like photo books, vases, and board games. You can even order room service to the Studio Lounge. It’s a wonderfully serene space to come to read or play a game or chat with new friends. 

5. Snacks And Drinks 

The Studio Lounge is just steps away from the cabins. In addition to the living rooms, it features a large cafeteria-style snack room with tables and a large communal counter seating area that offers goodies throughout the day. The small buffet features fruits, yogurts, and pastries at breakfast, and little sandwiches, apples, bananas, and cookies the rest of the day. 

There are plenty of drink options, as well. It features complimentary coffee, espresso, and juices. Separate machines require you to swipe your room card to pay for self-service beer, wine, margaritas, and sodas. 

It was a fantastic convenience to pop down for a drink, and I’ll admit to having far too many chocolate chip cookies during my short cruise. 

Things I Didn’t Like Cruising Solo

1. The Darkness 

With no window or balcony, the Studio cabins offer no natural light. This can make it a little disorienting because it’s always dark inside the cabin. This makes for a great night’s sleep, but for people, like me, who like to wake naturally to the sunrise creeping into the room, this might be a little frustrating. 

Pro Tip: Tune Into The Sunrise

A fellow cruiser gave me a great tip for helping with this issue. Almost every cruise ship offers a TV channel dedicated to showing the “bridge camera view.” When cruising in these Studio staterooms — or an inside cabin in general — you can turn your TV to this channel at night and allow the sunrise to gradually wake you up via the TV screen. Norwegian Cruise Line has considered this, it seems, because these cabins offer a “virtual porthole” channel on the TV that gives a live view of the outside. 

2. The Tiny Space 

While I mentioned that it is well designed and I had no problems organizing and storing my items, the space in the room is a bit cramped. It offers a desk area with a little stool. However, it’s not a spot that I would use (or envision any cruiser really sitting there). Instead, you will spend most of your time in your bed while in the cabin. This is nice and relaxing for the most part, but the floor space is also tight around the bed, especially for a person my size (6′ 4″ and 190 pounds). 

The shower is a nice size, but the bathroom space for the toilet and in front of the sink can be tight, too. 

Pro Tip: Move slowly and deliberately while in your studio (especially large people) so you don’t end up banging your knees or elbows. 

The Verdict

All in all, I had a wonderful and relaxing time staying in my — albeit tiny and windowless — Studio cabin on Norwegian Prima. While there wasn’t as much interaction with other cruisers in the lounge as I might have hoped, this probably was more a function of the number of solo cruisers staying in these staterooms on my particular sailing. This ship was not full, and I only saw a few others who were booked in the Studio rooms with me.

However, it was definitely nice to be able to escape to my exclusive retreat space whenever I wanted to get away from the hubbub of the main public areas. 

“Don’t wait on others to show up for your dreams.” – Mia RP

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Mia RP
• Age: 58
• Location: Birmingham, AL
• Marital Status: Single
• Favorite Solo Trip: Ireland

As a little girl, Mia dreamed of Paris and exploring the world. After surviving breast cancer, she decided to pack her bags and travel. She loves the freedom and solace that comes from solo travel.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Mia: I’m a breast cancer survivor and decided to travel after I lived long enough to witness my kids get into college.

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Mia: Hearing Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong sing “April in Paris” as a child made me fall in love with the city. The longing in their voices made me want something I had never seen. I didn’t know anyone black who had ever traveled to Paris and it seemed to be an impossible dream. The moment I stood in front of the Mona Lisa as an adult and realized I was actually in Paris was the moment I realized I could go anywhere I wanted to go. I wanted to see as much of the world as possible before I died.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Mia: Being alone!

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Mia: Visiting Ireland for my 20th breast cancer-versary. I was inspired and encouraged to do so by my good friend, Bisa Myles. Other than 2020 and 2021, I travel somewhere new each October to celebrate my breast cancer-versary.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Mia: I was concerned about developing lymphedema because of my mastectomy from the long flight. I made sure to bring my compression sleeve and glove to prevent it.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Mia: I prefer to travel independently. I’m my best self when I travel. That way, I’m no one’s mother, daughter, employee, employer, or partner. I’m just Mia.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Mia: My unlocked iPhone.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Mia: No. But it would have been nice to have had a friend with me as a herd of buffalo crossed in front of me when I visited Colorado. We would have looked at each other and said, “Did you see that?” It was incredible! 

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Mia: Don’t wait on others to show up for your dreams. Go! Build in an “unscheduled day” into your itinerary. I have at least 1 day where I explore, get lost, meet the people the universe sends to me, and it’s always the best part of my trip. That’s the day something miraculous happens.

You can follow along with Mia’s adventures on Instagram @MiaAdventura.

For other solo traveler journals like this one:

• How Personal Tragedies Launched Me Into Solo Travel
• Why I’m Never Lonely When I Travel Solo
• Why I Didn’t Let Fear Stop Me From The Adventure Of A Lifetime

“It’s in you. If you are feeling prompted, do it!” – Tracey T.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Tracey T.
• Age: 58 
• Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
• Marital Status: Divorced 
• Favorite Solo Trip: Sedona, Arizona

Simple, encouraging words from a co-worker and life circumstances spurred Tracey to take her first step into solo travel, and she hasn’t looked back. She spends time traveling to her favorite places in a van she rehabbed herself. She’s learned a few tricks along the way and discovered what’s really important in life.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Tracey: When I was 28, my sister, Chris, died of cervical cancer and she was only 42 (she left a husband and two kids, 12 and 9). When she was in hospice and I was the only one in her room at the time, I wondered what she wished she would have done while she was alive. Ten years later, her husband, Frank, passed away at 52 of a brain tumor. The day we buried Frank, we found out that my dad had a massive stroke and was in the hospital. He wasn’t expected to live but he did for another 3 years and eventually died in hospice of congenital heart failure at 72. 

My sister, Pam, had many small strokes in succession when she was 62. She’s 68 now and in an assisted living home. I take her out when I can to go to dinner and I also help take care of my mom who is going to be 93. My brother, Al, found out he had colon cancer when he was 56 and he passed away 3 years ago — 2 days after his 63rd birthday. These traumatic losses affected the course of what I would do next.

I am divorced and I have been a single mom to my daughter, Jessie, since she was 1. After high school, she moved to Seattle to go to college. In 2019, I decided to finally take some “me” time and fulfill a dream of buying a van and traveling cross-country. I bought a 2001 Roadtrek Versatile 190 and renovated it all myself. In September and October of 2021, I sold everything I couldn’t fit in the van and gave up my townhouse. On November 7, 2021, I took off from the driveway and started traveling cross-country for the winter. I came back in April of 2022 and I’m planning on leaving this week again for the winter.

Material things don’t hold much value for me. I’ve realized that I would rather spend my time and money on experiences instead of “things.”

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Tracey: My first place to travel was to Phoenix to do NASCAR! I didn’t know anything when I left the driveway. I didn’t even know much about my van or where I was specifically going to stay. But, I had a map and I knew I could figure it out, and I did! I wasn’t scared. I think I felt more focused on the process: getting from point A to point B, driving by myself, and where I was going to sleep that night. That’s one thing I love about van life: It truly keeps you in the moment of what you need to do or how you are going to get to where you want to be.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Tracey: I love meeting new people all the time and just traveling alone on my timeframe. Plus, I’m very social but I love being by myself, too.

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Tracey: I would probably say visiting a clothes-optional resort in Georgia! I never thought I would go to one but it was something I wanted to try. I thought I would just be sitting inside my van for two nights. It wasn’t at all what I expected and the property was beautiful; 84 acres of trails and beauty. There weren’t many people there and I made really good friends with two of the guys there who are retired and stayed for the winter. I am actually meeting up with them at the beginning of next year and staying there for a couple months. I’m looking forward to our adventures!

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Tracey: I think my biggest concern was trying to figure out the time it would take to get to Phoenix for my adventure. I had a week to get there and I needed to make sure I stayed on track to get there in time. I went a longer route because I didn’t want to go over mountains or run into snow. It all turned out fine and I made it in time. Another big concern is other drivers. Even if I am going the speed limit in the “slow” lane, there are people and big rigs that want to go over the speed limit and aren’t very kind to regular drivers.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Tracey: My phone. I use apps like iOverlander, which has helped me so much in a pinch to find a place to sleep overnight. Most of my travel is boondocking and not paying for parking somewhere.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Tracey: It’s in you. If you are feeling prompted, do it! It takes planning and it’s not just something you jump into. I researched for 5 years and then found exactly what I wanted which was a Roadtrek. Also, I have no debt and I saved for my first winter traveling and it ended up costing twice as much a month than I thought it would. You can do it but just make sure you have a plan!

I know I had thought and researched it for years. I never told anyone because I thought they would think I was crazy. I finally told a friend on a walk during our break at the law firm I worked at and, to my surprise, he was so supportive. He said, “Tracey, I can see you doing that and I’m jealous!” Then, I told another co-worker and she started sending me buses for sale! Just that encouragement made a whole lot of difference in me believing that I could do it. Even if you don’t have anyone to support you, know you are strong and capable enough to figure it out and do it if you really want to. Don’t ever give up on your dreams!

Feel free to follow Tracey’s van adventures at Ad-van-tures Over 50 on YouTube! Also be sure to check out her website, and follow her on TikTok and Instagram @advanturesover50.

And for more Solo Traveler Journals, check out these stories:

• Why I’m Never Lonely When I Travel Solo
• How A Surprising Breakup Led Me To Living All Over The World
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo

When I first started traveling, nearly 30 years ago, I went alone. Simply because I couldn’t find anyone to come with me. I was 21 years old when I took that first adventure overseas alone. However, over the years I’ve become fond of solo travel, and despite now having people I could travel with, I often still prefer to go it alone.

Exploring the world by yourself can be an empowering experience. You have the freedom to go where you want, eat when you choose, see and do what interests you and skip what doesn’t — no consultation, consensus, or compromise required! You’ll meet amazing people, experience new things, and learn so much about yourself along the way.

The world is your oyster, but the question is, where do you start? Choosing the right destination is key, so I’ve rounded up a handful of suggestions for great destinations for women who want to travel solo.

1. Iceland

Iceland has a reputation as the world’s safest country to visit for solo female travelers. Iceland is the only Nordic country that has gotten more peaceful over the past 10 years!

With its sweeping landscapes, over 20 active volcanoes, towering glaciers, waterfalls, geysers, and black sand beaches, Iceland is a geology textbook come to life. Between exploring the charming streets of Reykjavík, chasing the northern lights, heading out into the wilderness on well-traveled hiking trails, and driving the famous Ring Road, a woman on her own can have a bucket list kind of trip in Iceland and feel safe doing so.

Reykjavík

Reykjavík, the country’s capital city, has lots of museums and great street tours. This is a sane and manageable city — in the space of an hour, you can walk from the soaring Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral, past the Old Port, to the vibey Grandagardur quarter. However, Iceland’s real magic is in its rural landscape and there are ample opportunities to see the beauty of the country with a guided tour — ideal for a woman traveling alone. The majority of these tours are by bus or car, and most will happily collect you from your hotel.

If hiring a car, consider taking Iceland’s Ring Road. The scenery and views on this epic 800-mile road trip will have you feeling you’re on another planet. The Golden Circle is another option if your time is limited. It’s a short drive from Reykjavík and can be done in a day. It hits some of the most popular natural attractions in Iceland.

The Fimmvörðuháls hike is Iceland’s most popular and offers some amazing glacial and waterfall views. The Laugavegur Trail is another breathtaking look at Icelandic wilderness. Both hikes take multiple days and I’d recommend reserving accommodation in the sleeping huts.

From the capital, Reykjavík, you can go whale watching for minke and pilot whales. This is another popular year-round activity. Many tourists come to Iceland to catch a glimpse of the northern lights and the best time for this natural phenomenon is between September and April. If perhaps you’ve envisioned your visit as an opportunity to relax, then Blue Lagoon makes for a tranquil solo getaway.

It’s easy to love this country and the people are some of the friendliest in the world.

Fun Fact: Even though Icelandic is the official language of the country, around 70 percent of Icelanders understand and speak English well.

2. Finland

Next up, we’re heading to Finland. Ranked the safest country in the world by the World Economic Forum in its “Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report,” Finland is a country that fuses natural beauty with post-modernist architecture and cozy cities. Don’t judge the country by its size. It may be diminutive but Finland is a place that will take your breath away.

Helsinki

Home to only a handful of sizable cities, Helsinki, the capital, is a great place to visit in the summer if traveling solo. If visiting in the winter, head north to experience the land of the midnight sun and the northern lights.

Finland is a great destination for nature lovers. No matter where you go in the country, even in urban centers, nature is never far away. Wild forests thrive in the Finnish capital and the Finnish have designed their cities around and in harmony with, nature. This makes them more liveable and sustainable. 

Outside of the cities, there’s Lemmenjoki National Park, the largest wooded reserve in Europe with plenty of wild places to explore for both day trippers and more experienced hikers. With 187,888 lakes, Finland is known as the “Land of a Thousand Lakes” — with a population of only 5.5 million, there’s a lake for every 26 Finns! Where there are lakes, there are forests. Two-thirds of Finland’s surface area is forest, making it one of the most densely forested in the world.

Pro Tip: A visitor’s experience of Finland is not complete without two initiations — immersion in a Finnish lake and a visit to a traditional wood-burning sauna (heated to a melting 200 degrees and supplied with fragrant birch branches for “self-flagellation,” inducing even more sweating). Better still and even more authentic is to alternate the sauna with dips in a lake. Saunas are a Finnish institution and can be found in almost every home, hotel, holiday village, and campground in the country. By the way, most public saunas are segregated by sex.

3. Denmark

Copenhagen

Sticking with the Nordic countries, let’s head to Denmark. Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, is quirky and perfectly suited to parties of one. You’ll find plenty of centrally located hotels offering lovely single rooms, like the Coco Hotel in the hip Vesterbro neighborhood. The hotel has a daily happy hour where guests are given free wine in the courtyard bar and encouraged to mingle — a perfect opportunity to meet other travelers, especially if you are traveling alone. 

Must-visit spots in Copenhagen include Nyhavn, the iconic canal lined with multi-colored houses, the Tivoli Gardens, and perhaps a quick bite at the TorvehallerneKBH food hall. A 2-hour small-group walking tour is the perfect introduction to Copenhagen.

Anyone who has traveled solo knows that some of the most awkward moments in your trip are meal times. Food is meant to be shared and savored. When you are eating alone, it’s easy to feel self-conscious. You may be tempted to hide behind your book or phone then eat fast and leave. Fortunately, the Danes have a solution for this very scenario, one with an unpronounceable name: Faelles-spisning, meaning “communal eating.” Folkehuset Absalon is a fun-packed community house where you can expect everything from social dining to bingo, themed parties, life drawing, and where you’ll never have to eat alone! Meals here start from around $8.

Denmark is a small country, which means it’s easy to visit most sites, no matter your starting point or interests. Nature lovers should spend a day at Møns Klint, Hans Christian Andersen fans should check out the famous author’s museum in Odense, and culture buffs shouldn’t miss the ARoS museum in Aarhus.

No matter which city you visit in Denmark, you’ll likely see more bicycles and cycle routes than cars. For Danes, biking is a way of life — don’t miss the opportunity to ride in this “bicycle nation.” It’s relaxing and a great way to blend in!

Cities all over Denmark offer boat tours and cruises. Water surrounds the country and the Danes as a nation are strongly connected to it. Whether you want to discover the best sights from the water or just want to have some fun sailing, numerous boat-tour agencies can assist.

4. Austria

Austrians enjoy some of the best quality of life in Europe and the country is ranked fourth in the International Women’s Travel Centre’s list of best countries for women traveling alone. What’s more, Austria has some truly extraordinary landscapes; vibrant green mountains, snow-capped mountain peaks, and crystal-clear lakes. This is a great destination to get off the beaten path and experience some natural beauty or visit the country’s charming towns and cities, awash with baroque architecture and hearty cuisine.

Vienna

Vienna, Austria’s capital city, is a place rich in arts, music, and culture. From its grand concert halls to food markets, there’s much to get excited about here. Top Vienna activities include the Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces, The Hofburg, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna State Opera, and Naschmarkt, Vienna’s best-known market with around 120 market stands and restaurants.

Overlooked by the Hohensalzburg Fortress and with the Salzach River running through it, Mozart’s hometown, Salzburg is another great city for solo travel. If “The Sound of Music” is your thing, then visit the Mirabell Gardens and Nonnberg Abbey. If you fancy a coffee, try the terrace of The Café Tomaselli, situated in the heart of Salzburg’s Old Town. For something stronger, visit the 1,400-seat outdoor area of Augustiner Bräu, Austria’s biggest Biergarten.

I’d also recommend venturing into rural Austria and spending some time at the Bohemian Forest and Traunsee Lake in the north.

5. Spain

Spain is one of the best countries for solo female travel. It’s easy to get around, has great tourism infrastructure, and for years has been ranked the second most visited country in the world. Spain has something for everyone — history, food, architecture, culture, and nature. From the beaches of Barcelona to the museums of Madrid, from the culture of the south to the landscapes of the north, and with numerous UNESCO sites in between — no matter what type of traveler you are, you can plan your perfect trip to Spain. This is also one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe.

Santiago De Compostela

If you are looking for something a little different to do as a solo woman traveling in Spain, why not consider hiking the Camino de Santiago? Pilgrims have been walking to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, since the Middle Ages. This is a unique experience, attracting thousands of people from all over the world. With no singular starting point, there are numerous different routes, and the route you choose will depend on your preferences, interests, and what you want to get out of the experience. Perhaps consider joining a tour group, like the ones offered by Adventures in Good Company, who have a 10-day itinerary for women only. 

If the idea of traveling all on your own is a little too intimidating, just remember solo travel doesn’t have to mean “going it alone.” Another great way to travel as a solo female is on a small group tour. Sarah Hoyland, director at Journeys for Women, has been handcrafting bespoke journeys for over 28 years, and whether you want to immerse yourself in ancient cultures, explore the wilderness in search of wildlife, or shop until you drop in some of the world’s most exciting cities, she has an itinerary for you. 

From the northern lights in Norway to the medinas and mountains of Morocco, from the wilds of Antarctica to the beauty of Bhutan, these are escorted group journeys, designed by women, for women. Joining a trip like this provides the opportunity for like-minded individuals to venture to some of the most special destinations on the planet with the companionship and security of a small group and the knowledge and expertise of a specialist guide. American women rank first in frequent solo travel, with 72 percent of American women taking solo journeys, three or more trips in a given year. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get packing and join them!

“It was just natural that I would travel solo.” – Janice W.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Janice W.
• Age: 65
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Marital Status: Married
• Favorite Solo Trip: Too many to select just one

Janice W. has been solo traveling for almost 15 years. Personal loss and grown children changed the way she traveled, but not her love for traveling. She now takes this passion and shares it with other female solo travelers.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Janice: After my husband passed away and my children were grown beyond wanting to travel with me, I realized that I would be traveling solo. I have always traveled more than my friends and in ways that don’t interest them. I like hostels. I like hiking. I enjoy time to myself. It was just natural that I would travel solo. 

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Janice: My first solo trip was to Havana, Cuba. I had limited time but I really felt the need to get away to a different culture. Being in the same time zone and only a few hours away by plane, Havana met my needs for an interesting trip uncomplicated by lengthy travel and jet lag. It was fabulous!

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Janice: I love meeting new people and when I travel solo, I meet more people than when I’m with others. I may spend just a few minutes or a few hours with someone. But, on occasion, it’s been a couple of weeks. It all depends on whether I’m interested in them and what they are doing. These people enrich my travels in so many ways.

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Janice: This is such a difficult question to answer. Best hiking trip was Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Best European trip was Emilia Romagna, Italy. Best road trip was circumnavigating the Adriatic. Best train trip was through the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. Best cultural trip was India. Travel is wonderful in so many ways that it’s impossible to identify one favorite trip.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Janice: Being a widow and sensitive to my sons’ need to keep me, it was definitely safety. My number one rule traveling solo is to stay in a public place with new people I meet. This post has just the fundamentals of what people need to be safe.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Janice: I do both. If a destination is going to be a challenge, I like to at least start in a group. That way I’m introduced to the country. If it’s not challenging, I’m happy to take off and explore by myself.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Janice: A powerbank for my technology. Other than that and a converter, there is nothing that I buy exclusively for travel.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Janice: This will depend on the individual’s sense of adventure. However, when you don’t speak the language and the culture is quite different, it’s really a good idea to go in a group rather than independently — at least for the first week or so. You’ll learn how things work and then be in a better position to travel independently if that’s what you want.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Janice: Definitely go but do your research on the destination first. Study a map so that you have the lay of the land. Plan to arrive early, well before dusk. Have one or perhaps two things planned for your first days, but take it easy. Sit and watch how the destination functions. Do people line up for things or not? How do they dress? This will not only keep you safe but is an interesting cultural experience as well.

If you want to learn more about Janice’s solo travels, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and her personal website, Solo Traveler World.

For more Solo Traveler Journals like this one, check out these articles:

• Why I Decided To Stop Pouting And Start Traveling Solo
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo
• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip

“I let fear hold me back for a long time until the longing grew bigger than the fear.” – Lori H.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Lori H.
• Age: 59
• Location: Wisconsin
• Marital Status: Married
• Favorite Solo Trip: Paris

Lori H. went all in on solo travel once her husband decided to put away his suitcase. For her, solo traveling is as much about learning about herself as the destinations she is visiting. She encourages everyone to try it whether you travel to the far reaches of the earth or the next town over.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Lori: I realized once I hit my 40s that I developed an intense need to experience and see the world outside my rural town. I wanted to see museums, eat amazing food, feel the excitement of a big city like Chicago. My husband did not feel the same way. The older he got, the less he wanted to travel, and now not at all. I let fear hold me back for a long time until the longing grew bigger than the fear. I decided if I wanted to fulfill my dream of traveling, I would probably need to do it on my own. 

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Lori: My dream was to visit Paris for what seemed like forever. In 2003, I started a little savings account to accomplish that goal. By 2010, I had plenty saved and decided the time was right. Unfortunately, none of my friends or family would go along, so I started researching traveling to Paris as a solo female traveler. Not long after, I found out a local TV news anchor was hosting a group tour — a week in Paris! My husband suggested I do that. I would be solo in that I knew no one on the tour, but I had the security of being in a group. I signed up for that trip a few days later. So, while this wasn’t necessarily totally solo, it felt like it since I had spent months researching like I was going on my own.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Lori: Aside from the feeling of empowerment I get from traveling solo, I love that I can do what I want when I want. If I want to spend an hour on a bench people watching while nibbling a pain au chocolat, I can. I can wander in and out of shops all day. If I want to sit at the campsite reading all day, I can. It’s a freeing feeling. 

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Lori: Really, all the trips I’ve taken solo have been my favorite in different ways, but I would say that first trip to Paris. It literally changed my life. Being a shy introvert, I have always been afraid to put myself out there. The person I was became different. I gained a confidence I had never had before. I felt more myself walking the streets of Paris by myself than I had ever felt before. Although I didn’t know any of my fellow travelers on that tour before, I found my people and formed a lifelong friendship with some, including the TV anchor that was the host. That trip would be the springboard for everything good that has happened in my life since. Anytime I take the train to Chicago for a day or weekend is a favorite, and last year, I car camped from Wisconsin to Gulf Shores Alabama solo. That was a favorite too.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Lori: I was afraid it would not live up to my expectations. Would I get lost exploring on my own? Safety was also a concern. I had heard a lot about pickpockets and scams. As far as the pickpockets, I was careful to keep my bag in front of me, always zippered, and holding it with a firm grip. I never got lost, and the trip far exceeded my expectations in every way.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Lori: Now, I travel mostly independently or with a friend. If I am camping, sometimes it’s with a group of ladies. I would consider group travel again if I were traveling internationally. Each situation is unique. I enjoy exploring places on my own, but would love to explore Italy with a small group of women. Can’t you just picture long Italian dinners, lots of wine, and laughter among a group of like-minded women?

Recommended Tour Company

TravelAwaits: Do you have a favorite group tour company for solo travelers?

Lori: There are several women-only small group tours. My first was a large group (40+ people). One advantage to that was, as an introvert, you can keep to yourself if you’d like.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Lori: The one thing I cannot live without may be automatic, but it’s my phone. It has served me well with GPS, no matter if I’m driving or walking in a city. I have a Kindle app on it, so I can read a book while I’m dining solo. I purchase an international data sim card for my phone through Cellhire if I am traveling internationally.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Lori: I would say anytime you want to travel internationally, especially for a first visit or not knowing the language, group travel is a perfect way to do it. Solo travel requires a lot of research in preparation, which can be overwhelming for some. That first trip to Paris with a group served as an introduction to a return trip 5 years later. I took notes so I would remember how to navigate the metro and the airport.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Lori: Start small. Maybe go to a movie or restaurant by yourself. Visit a nearby place you’ve always wanted to go to. Get inspiration by following blogs of other solo travelers. Join a Facebook group for solo travelers. Get a little comfortable being uncomfortable. I have a bit of fear every time I travel or camp solo. You can follow me at Lori Loves Travel.

For more Solo Traveler Journals like this one, check out these articles:

• Why I Decided To Stop Pouting And Start Traveling Solo
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo
• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip

“Traveling solo does not mean traveling alone.” – Nora D.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Nora D.
• Age: 46
• Location: Originally from Canada
• Marital Status: Single
• Favorite Solo Trip: Peru

If there’s one thing you need to know about Nora, she loves adventure and wants to help you do the same. She’s been traveling solo since 2007. One solo trip turned into a solo traveling lifestyle. She pulls back the curtain and gives us a view of her travels, plus a few tricks and tips she has learned along the way.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Nora: I would say a breakup. When I started traveling full-time (back in the prehistoric times of 2007), it was with my partner at the time. I was prepared to go on my own, but we were dating and it felt strange to simply say, “I’m selling everything to go travel, so bye.” (In retrospect, given how long we’d been dating at the time, it was even more strange for me to say “wanna come?” but that’s what I did).

It was good for me to have somebody with me. It gave me a shot of confidence to take a giant leap into the unknown at a time when full-time travel was unheard of, and words like digital nomad didn’t yet exist. But we weren’t well-matched and ultimately it didn’t work out, and frankly, breaking up on the road is kind of ugly. I wrote about this breakup — and what it taught me — here. 

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Nora: After the breakup, which happened in Australia, I was off on my own. And it was incredible. I pierced my nose in Sydney (‘cus that’s what one does when embracing solo travel freedom, no?), then volunteered in trade for free accommodation in New Zealand for a few months.

In the meantime, I’d accumulated a glut of frequent flyer miles through a special bonus deal that meant I could fly anywhere in the world in business class. I spun the globe in search of the furthest place in the world from New Zealand, and my finger landed on Spain. That turned into a 5-month adventure around Europe.

That was 2010, and it was just the beginning. I’ve been traveling the world (mostly solo, on and off with people) ever since.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Nora: The feeling of empowerment I get from not only realizing I can indeed travel solo and survive, but also that I can do what I want, where I want, and with whom I want. I also love how easy it is to meet people, which can seem counterintuitive until you experience it. Traveling solo does not mean traveling alone. 

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Nora: I mentioned Peru as my favorite solo trip. But I must clarify that it’s just one place that stood out to me in an entire lifestyle of solo — or mostly solo — travel that I’ve been living since that breakup in 2009. So you could say I’m still on my favorite solo trip. Peru stands out because it was a sharp left turn from life as I knew it, when I took up an apprenticeship with a shaman for a few years, working with plant medicine. It was a big leap forward in my self development and personal growth, and a road that I needed to walk alone (solo). 

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Nora: I think I was more excited than concerned. But I’ve always been independent and I had enough travel experience by the time I took off that I was pretty sure I could handle whatever was thrown at me. 

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Nora: Mostly independently. However, I have traveled with groups a few times along the way, and it has always been a blast. I’d like to try out one of those coliving coworking programs that have you traveling/living/working with a group of like-minded, location-independent lifestyle travelers. I think that could be a blast.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Nora: Aside from the obvious answers like laptop and phone, here’s something I can guarantee nobody in this series has mentioned: I never take a trip — long or short — without my travel extension cord/surge protector. It helps me keep all my devices charged and protected and handy, regardless of how awkwardly placed or scarce the outlets are. Check out my video about it here.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Nora: This is highly subjective, but I remember early on in my travel lifestyle, I met a couple who had just visited India. They started off their time in the country by doing a group tour, before branching out and spending time on their own. They recommended anybody visiting India to do the same. A decade later when I landed in India, I heeded their advice and I’m glad I did. India is one of those places that can be challenging regardless of your level of travel experience. Learning the ropes in a group setting can reduce the initial feeling of overwhelm. 

My own experience in India covered the gamut, from riding the most luxurious train in the world to having a breakdown with butter in my eyes, and everything in between. It resulted in one of my favorite pieces of travel writing, if you have the stomach for it.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Nora: Here’s a platitude to get us started: Breathe through the discomfort. It won’t last. Once you get out there, you’ll love it.

And now for some more practical tips: diversify your stuff. Have a spare credit card and some cash hidden separately from whatever bag holds your wallet. Back up your phone and passwords in multiple places. Back up your laptop/tablet to the cloud and on a hard drive, and never keep all your tech in the same bag. Use a password manager and share the master password with somebody back home. Carry a photocopy of your passport with you all the time, with your travel insurance company/policy number/phone number written on it.

If you can’t tell, this kind of stuff — and much, much more — is my jam. I help people design their lifestyles and arrange their affairs so they can travel long-term while working remotely. Travel security, cards, banking, mail, finding accommodation, and figuring out how to make this whole travel thing work for you… is my mission. Here’s a free checklist of 10 things to do before you travel long-term to get you started.

For more Solo Traveler Journals like this one, check out these articles:

• Why I Decided To Stop Pouting And Start Traveling Solo
• The One Thing I Don’t Leave Home Without When I Travel Solo
• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip

Retirement Snapshot

• Name: Carol S.
• Age: 78
• Location: South Carolina
• Material Status: Divorced
• Favorite Solo Trip: Rome

Carol S. likes to be prepared before she hits the road. But she enjoys the freedom that comes with traveling solo. Her first trip and favorite trip are one in the same. Carol shares some unique “must-do” tricks for traveling alone.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Carol: My choices were to travel solo or sit home and pout. I was not inspired; I simply accepted reality. 

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Carol: My first solo trip was 3 months in Rome. I’d been there with a friend several times so I knew I could get around with little stress. I knew enough about the city to know where I wanted to rent an apartment: in an area of the historical center where I would feel safe. I was so excited about the opportunity to live in a place I love and have so much time to explore the city and other places in Italy that are easily reached by train. 

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Carol: My favorite part of solo travel is not having to compromise with a companion about the agenda and schedule. 

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Carol: That first solo trip to Rome will always be my favorite because it validated that I could make it work and love it. 

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Carol: I worried about money, that is getting it out of ATMs. I carried 800 (about $789) euros with me, too much in retrospect. For my first ATM adventure, I visited a reputable bank during business hours. From my phrase book, I wrote on an index card, in Italian, “the machine ate my card.” I was afraid the transaction would fail. It was flawless, so I lost my fear of foreign ATMs. Even so, I advise using ATMs of reputable banks at the bank and not in remote locations. 

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Carol: I have taken many independent trips and many with friends and family. If I want to go somewhere and cannot find a travel companion, I just go by myself. I don’t take group tours except for media trips. 

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Carol: My tablet, plug adapters, and the address of the U.S. embassy.

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Carol: India. I took an overnight train from Trichy to Chennai. I bought a ticket for a private compartment but ended up with no sheets. I did not know sheets must be ordered with the ticket. Worse, I assumed everyone speaks English. The morning of my arrival in Chennai, I noticed all the station signs were in the squiggles of Urdu. It took a frightening amount of time to find an English speaker. She agreed to alert me when we reached Chennai then said, “Which station in Chennai?” My guess of the main station proved to be correct. 

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Carol: If you are new to doing things alone, start local. Go to the mall. Eat lunch by yourself in the food court, go to a movie, enjoy happy hour. Once you are comfortable with doing a solo day out, go for a weekend. After that, you should have the confidence to take a longer independent trip. 

I don’t have the confidence to totally “wing it.” If I’m traveling to an unfamiliar country or place, I line up airport pickup and reserve the first three nights, at least. If I don’t know the language, I write the words for “water” and “toilet” on index cards. “Toilet” is the only word to use. I asked for the “bathroom” in the Dominican Republic and was escorted to a room with a bathtub and nothing else. 

To learn about more solo traveler experiences, check out these articles:

• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip
• 9 Things I’ve Learned Road Tripping Solo
• 13 Inspiring Books Every Solo Female Traveler Should Read

“Don’t be afraid or feel guilty about taking some time for yourself.” – Bridget H.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Bridget H.
• Age: 51
• Location: Hudson, Wisconsin
• Marital Status: Married
• Favorite Solo Trip: St. Augustine, Florida

Bridget is her own travel agent when it comes to traveling solo. She enjoys exploring the U.S. and finds it refreshing. Bridget does have one item she never leaves home without no matter where she goes.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Bridget: As a mom and wife, being able to take a solo trip is a chance to rejuvenate and reset from the fast-paced and sometimes chaotic home life.

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Bridget: My first solo trip was to Texas to see a friend. It was exciting to know I didn’t have to keep track of any kids in the airport and rush anyone along.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Bridget: Besides traveling with my family, I would also travel with friends. That eventually started feeling like I was traveling with family. Traveling alone sounds lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. You can do what you want, when you want, and go wherever you want without having to compromise, make decisions, or wait on anyone. If you want to just sit and read a book, take a nap, or watch your favorite movie; you can without interruption!

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Bridget: St. Augustine, Florida, is my favorite solo trip and I have been back a few times to visit. The city is steeped with history, beautiful buildings, and delicious restaurants. Bonus: the beach is just across the bridge!

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Bridget: I think anytime you travel alone, the unknowns are a little scary. You have to be your own navigator, driver, and planner. The best way to overcome this is to be prepared before you go. Do some research on places you want to see, have hotel and car confirmations handy, and check your driving routes. Even with the best of planning, things might not go completely the way you want. But guess what… no crabby kids or spouse to deal with! It’s just you and the open road.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Bridget: My pillow! Pillows contain so many allergens. If you wake up stuffy in the morning after sleeping on a hotel or vacation home rental pillow, it could be all the dust mites living in the pillow. Yuck!

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Bridget: Being a female, I’m hesitant to travel to another country alone. There is something to be said about traveling within the U.S. and having a bit more sense of security than you do outside the country. A different language, different rules, and a different government are a little intimidating to me.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Bridget: If you are considering it, then I say just do it! Solo traveling isn’t for everyone. My husband likes to have people around and doesn’t like going places alone. It just depends on the person and what their preferences are. I enjoy solo traveling because I need that break from the demands of everyday life to treat myself. Don’t be afraid or feel guilty about taking some time for yourself. Maybe you try it just once and decide it’s not for you. Maybe you discover that you can give so much more to your family after taking a little time for yourself.

To learn about more solo traveler experiences, check out these articles:

• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip
• 9 Things I’ve Learned Road Tripping Solo
• 13 Inspiring Books Every Solo Female Traveler Should Read

“Solo travel is like meditation. It relaxes your body and soul.” – Usha S.

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Usha S.
• Age: 72
• Location: Mysore, India
• Marital Status: Married
• Favorite Solo Trip: Vietnam

Usha enjoyed a long career as a physician in India which afforded her the opportunity to travel solo. Once she retired, it was only natural for her to keep traveling. Her adventures have taught her a lot about the world and what she is capable of doing on her own.

Solo Traveler Inspiration

TravelAwaits: What inspired you to travel solo?

Usha: I took early retirement because my full-time job as a physician did not give me much time for travel and my other interests. Since I had made several solo trips earlier on when I worked, both in India and abroad, it just seemed natural to continue to plan solo travel for pleasure too. 

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Usha: I had been to college and spent all my working life in my home state of Karnataka in India. In 2000, I got an opportunity to work in Oslo, Norway, for a few months. This was my first solo trip anywhere and it straddled two entirely different worlds — India and Scandinavia! It was the early days of the internet yet in India, so I had a travel agent make the arrangements. I remember it was so discombobulating since I had to get used to everything, from buying a new wardrobe for a cold country to changing planes twice on the way and mastering unknown cuisine terms. But I survived; mostly thanks to being a comfortable English speaker. And with each trip, my confidence grew until it just became a routine. 

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Usha: I am a solo travel fan. I advise everyone to try traveling alone if they really want to get a feel for a place. I love the sense of freedom and the undisturbed attention I can give to everything around me, soaking in the sights and sounds. I can plan my day to suit my interests. I can change plans midway. I can stop when I want. I can eat where I feel like. I often book Airbnb accommodation with families when I travel outside my country. It has given me unique cultural insights into each country that I have been in. And I have all these wonderful hosts to converse with in the evenings and point me to non-touristy places during the day. Several of them have shared home-cooked meals. In Dublin, my host took me to a play with her friends. I do not think I could have had these varied and wonderful cultural experiences if I was staying with my own group in a hotel.

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite solo trip so far and why?

Usha: Hands down — Vietnam. I was with a small group of family and friends in Cambodia for a few days. Everyone had to go back to work. I thought, having come to the border, I am not going back without visiting Vietnam. It met all my expectations and more. 

It seemed that southeast Asian cultures respect and care for their older people. It is part of their cultural makeup. As a solo older woman traveler, I could sense warmth and care from everyone I met. In my hotel in Hanoi, the young woman at the reception volunteered to take me around the night market after her work was done. At Hue, the young people working in the hotel invited me to join them at a dinner they had made themselves. Older people on their morning exercise dance routine at the lakeside in central Hanoi pulled me into their circle. A young woman sent by a nonprofit that trains college students to be local guides took me to her family temple and left a gift of coffee for me at the hotel. I was her first tourist and I made her feel comfortable. 

Vietnam ticked all my boxes: the nicest people, history, cuisine, coffee, culture (dance, music, water puppet shows), diverse natural beauty, unique crafts, silk, and a sense of comfort and safety. The list is long, with a little bit of adventure too. I went kayaking and enjoyed boat rides. There is much more like caving, mountaineering, cycling tours, and other activities for the more adventurous.

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Usha: I think it was how to get to my accommodation once I landed. The signage was all in Norwegian but people spoke English so I could just ask. Remember, it was before the days of the ubiquitous internet. Now, I usually ask the hotel to send a car if I arrive in the middle of the night. If I am not staying in a hotel, I plan to arrive during the day. My favorite line is if you speak English, you can survive most situations in most places in the world — at least in the places I have been to.

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Usha: I prefer independent travel for all the reasons I stated above, but as I grow older, I do travel in groups to some places. I have only been on an organized group tour once. I find that the interests of people in a group tour vary, and we have to do things in a structured way to suit the interests of the majority. I did serendipitously find great fun groups a couple of times; once when I traveled to Tanzania and another time to Sikkim. 

I have only been on a cruise ship once — to Alaska. That worked quite well, too, since we unpacked on day 1, repacked on the last day, and found ourselves in a new place every day where each of us could choose what we wanted to do that day.

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Usha: Mobile phone and internet connectivity. With these around, I don’t need much other help.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Usha: Read a lot about the place you are going to. Pay particular attention to safety including travel and commute safety, food safety, insect-borne diseases, etc. Read recommendations given by your government and the local governments regarding these things. The U.S. government travel advisories are useful. 

If you like a deeper understanding of the place, read well-known novels and stories set in that geography before you travel. Leave valuables in the hotel safe. Carry just a minimum amount of currency and a credit card in a cross-body bag. Be friendly, confident, observant, and respectful of other cultures in a new country. Be aware that unexpected cancellations might happen and have alternatives in mind. Personally, I get home by 7 p.m. or latest 8 p.m. I also message my day’s plans to my family just in case. Relax and have fun. It sounds incredible but it is true that I have never had a single unpleasant incident so far in my solo travels as I am just a little extra careful.

To learn about more solo traveler experiences, check out these articles:

• How A Trip Of A Lifetime Turned Into My First Solo Trip
• 9 Things I’ve Learned Road Tripping Solo
• 13 Inspiring Books Every Solo Female Traveler Should Read

“It took a while for me to really relax, but my first solo trip to Borneo was incredible and probably changed my life.” — Deborah

Solo Traveler Snapshot

• Name: Deborah I.
• Age: 62
• Location: London
• Marital Status: Divorced
• Favorite Solo Trip: Sri Lanka

Deborah has always loved to travel. An unexpected divorce forced her to view travel differently. Now she’s helping other women solo travelers. She started a Facebook group aimed at women over 50. To date, more than 150,000 members check in and share stories. Deborah explains some of her favorite trips and tips for getting out and traveling!

First Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your first solo trip?

Deborah: I remember my first solo trip as if it was yesterday! Coming out of an unexpected divorce, there was no way I was prepared to lose the deposit already paid on a trip of a lifetime to Borneo for two, so I decided to go alone. There were some moments of sheer panic — instances of sadness at being in such a fabulous place on my own. But the fantastic and rewarding experiences gave me the confidence to continue my solo travels and to really embrace the freedom and enjoyment that it brings.

Favorite Aspect Of Solo Travel

TravelAwaits: What is your favorite part of traveling solo?

Deborah: I enjoy traveling with friends and family but, for me, one of the joys of being solo later in life is that I can be utterly selfish when it comes to my holiday. It’s all about choosing the trip that I really want to go on and making my own travel memories, one experience at a time.

My style of travel is to go independently, booking most of it in advance. I like the security and peace of mind this gives me and I absolutely need to know that someone will be waiting for me at the end of a very long journey!

Favorite Solo Trip

TravelAwaits: What was your favorite solo trip and why?

Deborah: With so many wonderful solo trips, it’s hard to choose my favorite. I think I would say Sri Lanka. I have been there on a couple of occasions. My last trip was my favorite because I combined it with a week on a local island in the Maldives.

Sri Lanka is stunningly beautiful, has the most amazing culture and food, the friendliest people, incredible beaches, wonderful wildlife, and is very safe. It checked all of my boxes. I am a keen scuba diver and added a week to go diving with whale sharks on the island of Dhigurah. Being a local island, I stayed in a small hotel, no frills and right on the beach. But everything was on the beach because it was such a small island. I had the time of my life. I saw whale sharks, which is still one of the most stand-out moments of my life, and had such a relaxing stay, without the trappings of the larger resorts. In fact, I have also stayed solo in one of those but prefer the local island any day of the week. 

Biggest Solo Travel Concern 

TravelAwaits: What was your biggest concern before your first solo trip and how did you overcome it?

Deborah: I had so many concerns when I first set off. I suppose safety was the biggest one. I told all my friends where I was going, kept in touch along the way, had my itinerary all planned and re-confirmed. In the end, I just went for it! It took a while for me to really relax, but my first solo trip to Borneo was incredible and probably changed my life. 

Group Or Independent Travel

TravelAwaits: Do you travel with a group or independently and why?

Deborah: I do both depending on where I’m going and for how long. Mostly, I go independently, but I always have everything booked and I know exactly where I’m going.

A huge help for me is to always have pick-ups at the airports when I arrive in a new place.

I always meet people along the way and one of the biggest things I hear about solo travel is that people always end up making new friends. I have recently booked a group tour to Jordan because it is an area where I would appreciate some expert guidance along the way. I also join diving group holidays, which end up being amazing. 

Recommended Tour Company

TravelAwaits: Do you have a favorite group tour company for solo travelers?

Deborah: I don’t use that many, but I always look for companies that travel in an eco-friendly way and support local communities, companies, and individuals. 

Favorite Travel Product

TravelAwaits: What is one product you cannot live without on your trips?

Deborah: A lovely friend of mine has her own brand of organic, natural skincare, Alexandra Soveral. Her first-ever product was Angel Balm. To this day, I cannot leave without it. It is a perfect product to take on a trip as it is multifunctional, serving as a cleanser, moisturizer, balm for burns or dry skin, and regenerative facial treatment. Plus it smells heavenly!

I Wish I Would Have Joined A Group For This Trip…

TravelAwaits: Is there a solo location/destination that would have been better in a group and why?

Name of traveler: My second solo trip was to Argentina and it wasn’t a huge success. I started in Buenos Aires and chose a hotel a little out of the city that was small and had no bar or restaurant. I didn’t speak a word of Spanish and I felt uncomfortable walking alone. I really didn’t see that much as I hung around one area where I felt safe. I recently saw a documentary about the city and it looked fabulous. I thought, Oh my goodness, I didn’t see any of that! I would love to go back and really explore with a guide in the safety of a group.

Best Advice For Solo Travelers

TravelAwaits: What advice would you give someone who is considering solo travel?

Name of traveler: Do it. Plan well, be brave but sensible, be open to every experience, and enjoy! 

Many of the things that make road trips so great — the feeling of freedom, the focus on the countryside, the solitude — are magnified when you set out on a solo trip. For a brief interlude, it’s just you, your car, and the road. It’s wonderful, but it can be daunting too.

Looking back, I realize I’ve always had a soft spot for road trips, starting with a magical trip to the Oregon Coast in the family station wagon when I was 7 years old. I remember gazing up at giant redwoods, splashing in the ocean for the first time, and climbing massive sand dunes.

Since then, I’ve taken road trips to virtually every western-U.S. state, and to the Canadian Rockies and Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

Up until recently, though, my road trips were somewhat sporadic and often taken with family or friends when flying wasn’t practical. That changed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic severely limited travel options for me and everyone else. All of a sudden, the only reasonable way to travel seemed to be by car. For me, that meant solo road trips.

I’ve since taken road trips to every corner of my home state of Arizona, the California coast, Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, southern Utah’s many state parks and national monuments, New Mexico’s White Sands National Park, Texas’s Big Bend, and the Guadalupe Mountains national parks.

My trips have all been great adventures, but there have been a few lessons as well. Here are 9 things I’ve learned road tripping solo.

1. Pre-Planning Is A Must

Without navigational input from a fellow traveler, I’ve found that it’s imperative to identify my routes and study the details (the main highways, major turns, and interesting points) before I head out.

I usually start by searching point A to point B on my laptop computer, check out the two or three alternative routes, and then program my preferred route into my phone’s mapping app. I use the Apple Maps app, but many people prefer the Google Maps app.

Another obvious reason for having a set itinerary is safety. By letting someone know your route before you go, you have some backup in case you run into trouble along the way. It’s also wise to check in with those people when you arrive at your destination.

2. Booking Hotel Stays In Advance Is Advisable

Central to a solo traveler’s pre-planning should be hotel, campsite, or short-term rental reservations along the way.

These days, especially in the summer, you’re likely to find yourself with no place to stay without proper planning. Road trips are more popular than ever, and many hotels along major highways become booked weeks in advance, while camping at national parks sometimes requires booking months in advance. The stress of looking for accommodations en route is compounded when you’re alone because you don’t have another person to research vacancies while you drive.

Pro Tip: I’m a big fan of my Marriott Bonvoy rewards card and I usually try to find a Marriott brand hotel for my nights on the road. There are plenty of other loyalty and rewards programs to check out as well, along with VRBO for short-term rentals, and Hipcamp for camping sites.

3. Frequent Gas Ups Provide Peace Of Mind

My car gets about 40 miles to the gallon, so I could conceivably drive more than 500 miles before I need to gas up. For my peace of mind, I never wait anywhere that long and usually stop to fill gas every 250 miles or so.

Part of the reason is that gas station stops give me a chance to stretch my legs, get a cold beverage, and take a restroom break. Another part is the uncertainty of when I’ll be able to fill up again. Especially when I’m driving on remote roads in Texas, Arizona, or Nevada. I never take a chance on waiting for the next gas station.

Pro Tip: Cellphone apps like Gas Guru can help you determine where the next gas stop will be, and the lowest prices.

4. Having Complete Control Over Your Trip Is A Blessing And A Curse

Yes, solo road tripping offers a feeling of freedom by giving you complete control over your route, your stops, and the length of your stays. Remember that the tradeoff is that it also means you have total responsibility for all of the driving and little decisions along the way.

There are definitely times when I’d like a second opinion on a route or become bored with the drive. That’s when pre-planning comes in handy.

5. In-Car Entertainment Is Crucial

Whether it’s music, audiobooks, or podcasts, having something to keep my mind occupied as I drive makes all the difference in the world on my solo drives.

For me, nothing beats an audiobook to help pass the hours. Not only do I become immersed in a fascinating story, but I’m able to transport myself to faraway places. Some recent audiobooks I’ve loved for road-tripping are Amor Towles’ The Lincoln Highway, Elin Hilderbrand’s 28 Summers, and Lucy Foley’s The Paris Apartment.

I also like to check out the channels on my SiriusXM subscription. On one memorable summer trip through Arizona and Nevada in 2020, I listened to the entire countdown of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Top 100 hits on the Tom Petty Channel. I’ve also been known to tune in to Comedy Central Radio’s hilarious sets and The Pulse’s recent hits.

Listening to podcasts is another entertaining option that many travelers swear by. Two fascinating choices to check out are Serial and This American Life.

Pro Tip: Free loans of audiobooks are available with a library card at many public libraries, via the Overdrive or Libby apps. I always keep my Overdrive account stocked with books so that I have plenty of choices on my long drives.

6. A Well-Serviced Car Is A Life Saver

As a road trip approaches, I make a point of getting my car in for service — if possible, by timing my regular oil changes with my trips. Then, I always mention to the service technicians that I have a big road trip coming up and ask them to check out crucial elements like the tires, brakes, windshield wipers, air conditioning, and fluids.

If and when unforeseen emergencies do come up, having a roadside assistance policy is crucial. To cover all my bases, I have towing coverage through my car insurance and also have a membership with AAA (American Automobile Association).

7. It’s Important To Pack Strategically

Although I typically subscribe to the mantra that it’s best to pack light, I believe a solo road trip is an opportunity to overpack a bit in the interest of being well-prepared. After all, you have the whole car to yourself!

I usually pack a jacket or two, along with an assortment of jeans, capris, blouses, sweatpants, a hat, and swimming suits. As a hiker, I like to have plenty of shoe choices, including hiking sandals, hiking boots, sneakers, flip-flops, and a couple of hiking packs.

I don’t like to carry everything into my hotel room each night, so I keep the shoes, jackets, and packs in separate large-size packing cubes that I leave in my car where they’re easy to grab, as needed.

Pro Tip: To deal with issues that come up on the road, I keep a supply of handy gadgets and products in my car, including jumper cables, a solar flashlight, disinfectant wipes, bandages, and duct tape. I also pack camping gear, including a tent, a sleeping bag, a pillow, and an air mattress — just in case.

8. Don’t Forget The Snacks And Drinks

To ensure that I have a supply of cold drinks, fresh fruit, and veggies for snacking, I keep a large 5-day ice retention Igloo Max cooler in the cargo area of my car, and a small cooler in the front seat where I can easily access it while I’m driving. I regularly replenish things from the larger cooler into my small cooler and add ice to both.

I like to stock my coolers with bottled water, sparkling water, soft drinks, and snack-size baggies full of grapes, orange slices, and mini carrots.

9. Finding Your Comfort Zone Enhances Safety

I’ve found that I can comfortably drive 8 to 10 hours in a day, but anything beyond that becomes taxing. As I map my route, I keep that in mind and make my hotel reservations accordingly.

It’s important to find your road-tripping rhythm, personal comfort zone, and never continue driving when you’re tired. Sometimes a quick nap in your car at a rest area can do wonders, but always remember to choose your spots with safety in mind. I carry small window shades that attach using suction cups to the glass to provide some privacy.

Pro Tip: The adage of “it’s more about the journey than the destination” is never truer than on a road trip. For that reason, I remind myself to be present, take it all in, and stop often to smell the roses (or the daisies or sunflowers or lupine). I recommend programming at least two hours of leeway into each day’s schedule to allow time to explore unexpected scenic byways and charming downtowns you encounter along the way.

Traveling solo as a woman may be one of the most enlightening and even life-affirming things you’ll ever do. A brief online search for “best travel books” will probably suggest books by Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, Jack Kerouac, or an array of other male authors. But if you are a woman planning on traveling alone, then what you really need is to read books by women who have gone before you and lived to tell the tale. Their stories are heartfelt, often hilarious, and frequently heartbreaking, but all these women have returned home better and wiser for their travels.

Here are 13 books every solo female traveler needs to read, and all of them will give you wanderlust in the best possible way!

Wild: A Journey From Lost To Found By Cheryl Strayed

$18.61Buy Now

Aged 26, Cheryl Strayed thought she’d lost everything. Her mother had died from cancer, her family had disbanded, and her marriage had crumbled. With nothing to lose, she made the impulsive decision to walk 1,100 miles of the west coast of America, and to do it alone. She had no experience of long-distance hiking and the journey was nothing more than an idea and a line on a map. Carrying the weight, both physical and mental, of both her massive backpack and her emotional burden of loss, she hikes from California’s Mojave Desert to the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon/Washington border, and heals along the way.

There is a film adaptation of the book starring Reese Witherspoon.

A Woman Alone: Travel Tales From Around The Globe, Edited By Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, And Christina Henry De Tessan

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This is a collection of stories written by women who have ventured solo across the world. It’s a relatable and inspiring anthology and great for a dose of armchair escapism. Marybeth Bond discovers the “pleasures” of camel-riding in the desert when she decides to follow an ancient Indian trading route. Faith Adiele, a black Buddhist nun, enters a deserted train station at three in the morning in a Thai village controlled by armed bandits. Ena Singh negotiates with the Russian police to visit the blue-domed city of Samarkand.

The book is filled with stories of women who have traveled, on their own, to just about anywhere you can think of. The stories are funny, thrilling, and occasionally terrifying, and will definitely empower you to embark on your own journey.

What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding By Kristin Newman

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This is one of the ultimate single-girl travel manifestos. Having spent much of her 20s and 30s attending baby showers and weddings, Kristin Newman is not ready to settle down. Instead, she decides to travel, and falls in love with the world around her. In her day job as a sitcom writer, Newman pens a lot of comedy, so this refreshing and poignant tale of solo travel will have you laughing out loud at times.

Ultimately, Kristin’s adventures led to a better understanding of what she is actually running from and why all life’s challenges seem to put her on a transatlantic flight to the unknown.

A combination of humorous storytelling, thoughtful, candid reflection, and travel inspiring tales, this is a compelling and hilarious book that will have you rushing to renew your passport.

Elsewhere: One Woman, One Rucksack, One Lifetime Of Travel By Rosita Boland

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From her first young and solo outing to Australia, Rosita Boland has spent the last 3 decades seeking out new experiences and exciting adventures in every corner of the world, carrying little more than a battered rucksack and a diary. From a death-defying bus journey through Pakistan to witnessing the majestic icescapes of Antarctica, Boland writes about moments of joy and deep personal loss. This is a book that celebrates a life well-traveled, in all its messy and wondrous glory.

A Handful Of Honey By Annie Hawes

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Annie Hawes is on a mission to track down a small oasis town deep in the Sahara Desert. Leaving her home in the olive groves of Italy, she sets off along the south coast of the Mediterranean and travels through Morocco and Algeria, where she eats pigeon pie with the family of a cannabis farmer, learns the habits of djinns (spirits able to appear in human or animal form), encounters protesters in Morocco affixing colanders to their television aerials, comes across a still used stone age method of making olive oil, and many more such adventures. Spoiler alert: she ultimately discovers her Saharan oasis, but learns that life in a date-farming oasis is not as simple and uncomplicated as she’d imagined. This is a light-hearted and often hilarious read.

The Nomad: Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt

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Born in 1877 and dying at the tender age of 27, Isabelle Eberhardt had a short, but adventurous life. Moving from her home in Switzerland to Algeria, she spent almost her brief, adult life traveling across North Africa and through the Sahara Desert, alone and dressed as a man. While she may not be the original solo female traveler, her book is one of the earliest written by a woman traveling alone.

The Valleys Of The Assassins: And Other Persian Travels By Freya Stark

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In our age of ever-increasing feminism, it’s easy to forget that women have been traveling alone for generations, long before the trend of gap years and joining the Peace Corps. One of her generation’s most intrepid explorers, Freya Stark was a great example of this fact. In the 1930s, she explored places where few single women would dare to venture alone: Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Yemen. She was a trained geographer and cartographer, and her writing is especially vivid and descriptive. The Valleys of the Assassins chronicles her travels into Luristan, the mountainous terrain between Iraq and Iran, often with only a single guide and on a shoestring budget, documenting everything she sees, from the people to the land around her.

Full Tilt: Ireland To India With A Bicycle By Dervla Murphy

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It’s pretty hard to imagine now, but in the 1960s and 70s, the Middle East was the “place to be.” The “hippie trail” ran through Europe, parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia before ending in India or Nepal, and people from all over the western world were traveling the route. In 1963, Dervala Murphy got on her bicycle and headed off on “the trail.” Starting in Ireland she rode across icy Europe, through Afghanistan, over the Himalayas and through Pakistan into India. Luckily for us, she kept a diary, and this is the tale of her travels.

My Journey To Lhasa By Alexandra David-Néel

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Originally published in 1927, My Journey to Lhasa is a powerful, entertaining story of danger and achievement, and one that is a remarkable and inspirational tale. Alexandra David-Neel was a French explorer, spiritualist, and anarchist who, disguised as a beggar, became the first western woman to enter the forbidden city of Lhasa and be received by the Dalai Lama. She tackles some of the toughest terrain and climate, suffers primitive travel conditions and frequent outbreaks of disease – lots of treks through chest-deep snow, lots of butter tea, and at one point, a hunger so strong that she ate her own leather boots! This is a story of a truly intrepid female explorer.

Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles Of Australian Outback By Robyn Davidson

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Robyn Davidson traveled across Australia’s Red Centre to the Indian Ocean with four camels and a dog in the late 1970s. She endured sweltering heat, fended off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chased her camels when they get skittish and nursed them when they get injured, and she emerges at the end as an extraordinarily courageous woman driven by a love of Australia’s landscapes, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to discard the trappings of her former life.

No Hurry To Get Home By Emily Hahn

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Emily Hahn was way ahead of her time. Born in 1905, she studied mining engineering, walked across Africa, lived alone in the Belgian Congo (aged 25), became the concubine of a Chinese poet in the 1930s (where she became an opium addict for 2 years), and bore a child with the head of the British Secret Service. The 23 essays in this collection are about the people and places she encountered, and were first published in The New Yorker between 1937 and 1970.

A House In The Sky: A Memoir Of A Kidnapping That Changed Everything By Amanda Lindhout

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Amanda Lindhout mentally escaped a violent household as a child by paging through copies of National Geographic and imagining herself in exotic locations. Working as a cocktail waitress, aged 19, she started saving her tips so she could travel the world. She backpacked through Latin America, Laos, Bangladesh, and India, getting braver with each adventure. She went on to travel through Sudan, Syria, and Pakistan – all before starting to work as a reporter in war-torn Afghanistan and Iraq.

On the fourth day of a trip to war-torn Somalia in 2008, she was abducted by a group of masked men and held captive for 15 months. Her gripping memoir documents her conversion to Islam as a survival tactic, learning how to be a “wife,” her dramatic escape, and how through it all, what kept her spirit from breaking was her memories of the places she’d traveled before. This is a story of courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. A House in the Sky recounts one of the worst things that could happen to a female traveler and depicts the strength that exists deep within all women.

There’s nothing like a good travel book to keep you occupied while waiting for your next big trip! Not only that, but a good travel book can both inspire your future travel destinations and help you understand destinations you’ve already visited. I hope you’ll agree with my suggestions!

For even more books to inspire travel, check out:

• Check Out These TravelAwaits Authors And The Books They’ve Written
• 11 Audiobooks Perfect For Your 2021 Road Trips
• Find Inspiration: 7 Must-Read Books That Incite Travel

One morning in early August, I woke at 3 a.m., bounding out of bed in the small, strange room where I’d slept alone. My laptop was calling me! I was on a solo retreat — designed, created, and curated all by me.

Less than a week earlier, I hadn’t even thought of a retreat. My husband Barry and I were wrapping things up before flying from California to England, the first major trip we’d planned since the start of COVID. As I took care of one detail after another, my mind kept wandering back to the “Jay Project,” an essay I had been working on for years about my younger brother, who died at 16 in a head-on car crash. I had always longed to find a way to describe our short-lived but tender relationship. The trouble was, with no deadline, I kept postponing it. Writing about Jay felt deeply important, but other assignments always seemed to take precedence. 

Not now, I told myself, once again. This isn’t the time; I’m too busy.

Or was I? No matter how much I tried to shrug it off, the urge to devote uninterrupted time to the “Jay Project” would not leave me alone. Finally, I shut up and listened. Three days later, I found myself at a secluded Airbnb. 

Once I got past all my excuses, organizing the retreat was simple. Looking back, I see eight keys to my success. If you’re also reluctant to give yourself the gift of dedicated time alone, away from home, I hope these will encourage you to curate your own retreat. 

1. I Made It A Priority

Compared to most people I know, I already have a life free of demands: I’m not raising kids or taking care of an aging parent, nor do I have a job where I have to be available at a certain time. I don’t even own plants. And, Barry not only respects my need for solitude, he seeks it himself. In other words, no one was stopping me but me. I had to stop ignoring my intuition and take myself seriously! 

2. I Didn’t Delay

Three days after I booked my Airbnb, I was in. Some retreats are long in planning, but in my case, either I was going to do it that week or wait months — maybe never. Acting on intuition works best for me when I commit quickly. It’s all too easy to overthink it, doubt myself, and change my mind.

3. I Stayed Close To Home

Although I love visiting new environments, I had neither the time nor desire to spend hours driving, so I settled on an Airbnb barely 15 minutes from our home, in a semi-rural part of Arcata, California, a nearby university town.

4. I Made Sure The Place Wasn’t Lavish (AKA Expensive)

Since “I can’t afford it” is one of my classic excuses, I didn’t want to shell out mega-bucks. The rental I found was simple and rustic, but sufficient for my needs: a small bedroom, just big enough for a bed and an easy chair; a mini-kitchen with a table for writing, a stove, fridge, and coffeemaker; and a bathroom with a shower. It cost all of $49, about $100 less than other Airbnbs in the area.

5. I Gave Myself Just A Day

“I don’t have time!” is another of my excuses, but as it turned out, a small pocket of time was all I needed. Check-in was 3 p.m., check-out was noon, and after less than a day, I came away deeply satisfied with the work I did.

I had learned the power of mini-retreats from my friend Sue Ann, a mother of five, who, back in the ’90s, would occasionally go to her husband around 4 p.m. on a Saturday, amid the bedlam of the kids, and say, “Honey, I’m leaving. I’ll see you at church tomorrow.” She’d drive off, pick up some take-out, and check into a nearby Comfort Inn for a night of reading, watching movies, eating (no cooking!), and resting. The next morning, revived, she’d go back to being Mom.

6. I Made My Own Rules

“Retreat” has many connotations. For women, it often implies a pampered stay at a costly health spa. Friends of mine, for example, love to visit Orr Hot Springs in California’s Mendocino County, which they say is beautiful and deeply restorative. I’m sure it is, and maybe I’ll get there one day. But it’s a 3-hour drive from where Barry and I live in Eureka and costs $250 a night — too many obstacles for me. 

Other friends define “retreat” as 2 or 3 days of 45-minute back-to-back silent meditation sessions. My retreat was somewhere in the middle — neither pampered nor monastic. I used WiFi, drank wine with my black bean chili, and watched Netflix before falling asleep. I even scheduled a 6 a.m. Spanish session on Zoom with my beloved Mexican tutor, Camila. I wouldn’t deprive myself of that! I got to fill her in about my retreat, a juicy bonus.

7. I Created A Loose Structure

After arriving and settling in, I made a cup of tea and embarked on what would be my routine: read, write, walk, edit, journal. Repeat. 

I had brought scribbled notes, typed drafts from pre-computer days, faded handwritten letters Jay had written me in the ’70s, and journal pages. I started by reading and underlining excerpts, then began to write. As I shuffled the words around, adding here, deleting there, every click of a key seemed to honor the brother I love. 

After a period of writing, I’d look up, realize there was a world out there, and that it was still daylight. I’d stand up, stretch, put on my walking shoes, and head out into the hilly tree-lined streets, thinking and not thinking. I carried a pen and paper in case something came to me while outside, and something always did. My walks were just as important to the creative process as the writing. 

8. I Trusted My Thoughts

At one point during the retreat, I despaired. “I’ve been trying to write about Jay for half my life,” I told myself. “I’ve never been successful. Besides, he’s been gone so long, who cares? Yes, I’d love people to have a sense of how special he was, but I don’t know how to say it.” I lay down in a heap on the bed and cried. 

“Why is it so important to me?” I asked myself later in my journal. “He died 45 years ago. Isn’t it time to let him go?”

And then, early the next morning, as I was back at the kitchen table writing, a piece about him mysteriously fell into place. It wasn’t new information; it was the same information but in a different light.

9. The End Result

Just before leaving, I emailed my high school friend Miriam and asked her if she would give me feedback on the essay. “It’s a complicated story,” I wrote her, “and I don’t know if I need to give more background and details, or not.” A writer and facilitator of writing workshops, she turned out to be an even stronger editor and ally than I had hoped for.

A couple of weeks later, I sent the essay to a highly regarded market, one that is difficult for even nationally respected authors to ace. I decided to aim for the top, no matter how slim my chances. Because the volume of submissions is so massive, I’ve read that the editors take months to respond. 

My time away offered me many insights, but the biggest one came about gradually, in the weeks since then. Of course, I hope the essay will be accepted. But even if it isn’t, I’ve already accomplished what I set out to do. I gave the project — I gave Jay — my all. In those 21 hours, alone and unguarded, I left no stone unturned. The writing, the walking, the weeping — they were all my way of honoring him. I can rest now.

When looking at Instagram or Facebook these days, you won’t be scrolling long before you’re inundated with stunning holiday “snaps,” self-conscious selfies, and image after image of people on the “perfect” holiday, in the perfect place, having the perfect vacation. Gosh, how times have changed!

When I first set out traveling, the internet didn’t really exist, at least not in the way we use it today. Planning and managing your travels then was unrecognizable from the current way of doing things. I poured over piles of printed travel brochures, paged through my old school Atlas, devoured well-thumbed guide books borrowed from friends, relatives, and neighbors, phoned foreign embassies to get visa information, spent hours in travel agents’ offices discussing flights, routes, and dates, all before finally settling on a destination and rough itinerary.

Overseas travel was a rite of passage for Australians in my generation; I was 21 and off to Africa on my own. My parents took me to the airport, waved me off at the departure gate, and informed me they’d be back to pick me up in a couple of months. What was supposed to be just a few months turned into a lifelong adventure. When I next saw my parents a year later, it was only for a few weeks, before they were dropping me back at the airport to head off again.  

The internet and the modern technology it has spawned, have rendered travel unrecognizable from my youth. Travel used to mean leaving the familiar behind and traveling into the unknown. Nowadays, we no longer need to leave the familiar and, with a few quick Google searches, the unknown has become familiar, before you’ve even left home.

Saving Memories

Many travelers over the age of 40 will remember lugging around cameras on their travels that actually used film! In far-flung places, you’d ration your photos, in case you ran out and couldn’t find more. You didn’t take hundreds of photos of everything and everyone, this was the pre-digital era after all, and you knew you’d have to pay to get all those photos developed when you got home. This was the days before cell phone selfies when you had to ask a friendly-looking passerby to take a photo of you in front of some particularly fetching monument or site, and whatever picture they took you were stuck with, there was no filter to add that extra touch of glamor!

Adventure

Before the internet, we traveled in our own way. Perhaps we missed out on visiting or seeing some of those places now deemed Instagram worthy, but there’s a good chance our experiences were more authentic. Travel was a daily adventure. It was impulsive and spontaneous. You carried maps you opened, studied, and refolded again, often folding and unfolding them so many times they were in pieces by the end of your trip.

I hitchhiked my way around southern Africa in my early 20s, I often had no idea where I’d sleep or what I’d eat; life was an unplanned adventure. I changed my plans almost on a daily basis, depending on information picked up from fellow travelers I’d met along the way, making temporary alliances and traveling together with new acquaintances for days or weeks at a time, if they were headed where I wanted to go. I once met a New Zealander in a campsite in Zimbabwe and decided to hitch with him to Victoria Falls. We stood for what seemed like hours by the side of the road before someone finally pulled over and offered us a ride. Our Good Samaritan turned out to be both very drunk and a very bad driver! Unfortunately, we’d told him where we were headed, but after he’d reached into the back seat for yet another beer as he swerved dangerously around a few hairpin bends on the wrong side of the road, my travel buddy and I started making panicked semaphore signals to one another with our eyes and miming to one another that we needed to get out of the car ASAP. We convinced the driver to stop at a nearby town. 

Unfortunately, the town was located on the top of a mountain, a mile off the main road and our drunken chauffeur kindly decided to drop us at the top of the mountain. After waiting for the coast to clear, we had to trudge all the way back down to the main road and stand waiting in the hot African sun for another ride to appear. I would be lying if I said there weren’t times like that when I felt a little unsafe, but I do miss the adventure and great unknown of traveling back then.

Communication With Home

Something else I miss about those internet-free travels is that in those days, there was no pressure to be in constant contact with people. Nowadays, as soon as most travelers arrive at their hotel, the first words out of their mouths are “what’s the Wi-Fi password.” When I was traveling, choosing and writing postcards to send home was an important communication ritual. I made regular trips to local post offices to send them and relied on poste restante for much of my communications from home. When I could find a working telephone booth, I made the occasional collect call to my parents, just to let them know where I was, and that I was still alive.

Don’t get me wrong, with my own children living far from home now, on different continents, I’m delighted to be able to talk to them, almost daily, by phone or WhatsApp. But I do sometimes miss being incommunicado, especially if I am on holiday and some work-related phone call or email intrudes!

Meeting People

In this day and age, it’s easy when traveling to escape onto your phone, to avoid the possible awkwardness of being on your own. Traveling in the days when you didn’t have technology at your fingertips, however, meant you had to work on your social skills and make the effort to create connections. There was no hiding behind your phone. You had to talk to and make friends with strangers.

The friendships I made were an important part of my travels. For years afterward, I kept in touch with people from all over the world. I had a string of pen pals I kept in touch with: a station hand on vast cattle property in outback Australia, a German au pair I met in a Sydney swimming pool, a retired Indian physicist I met on a Himalayan mountain who told me I reminded him of his deceased daughter, and an American girl on a college exchange program who I’m still in touch with 30 years later. There was something about travel in a pre-internet era that taught you to better connect with strangers.

Places To Stay

Backpacking around Africa in the ‘90s was a different life. With no Tripadvisor or Airbnb, finding accommodations was by word of mouth, guesswork, or by thumbing through travel guides and hoping the places mentioned were still operational by the time you got there. I slept in hostels, campsites, and even occasionally in the homes of people who gave me lifts. I once spent two weeks living with a family I met on a sleeper train in Zimbabwe and another time stayed with a family I met on a long distance bus journey in India. Most of my experiences were fantastic, and even the dumps and hovels made for a good story afterward. I dined out for years on the story of the time I’d turned out the lights in my hotel room in Nepal only to find that within minutes, the floor and bed were a sea of cockroaches!  

When I first started traveling, almost 30 years ago, I went alone. Not because it was trendy or to “find myself,” but simply because I just didn’t have anyone to come with me. Travel without the security blanket of mobile phones, Tripadvisor, Google maps, Airbnb, and the like, made me a more independent and adventurous traveler and person, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, I met my husband when I was standing beside a dusty African road hitching a lift, and he stopped to pick me up!

After years of working in a busy hospital setting, working long hours on my feet, it was time for me to get away. I chose Belize for the warm weather and because it’s an English-speaking country, uses U.S. dollars, and has the same electrical current. I left the U.S. armed with a one-way plane ticket and a five-night reservation in San Pedro.

Getting Ready For The Trip

Traveling alone is new to me. My daughter usually accompanies me, but she’s graduated and out on her own. This was my first time going out in the world as just me… not “Dr. Clifford,” not “Jackie’s mom.” 

It was “me time” for the first time in 30 years. 

My plans were to travel to both San Pedro and Placencia and choose one as my home base for the bulk of the two-month stay. Research showed me that getting between the two cities was best done by plane. While in each town, a taxi, boat, or shoe leather would be my mode of transportation.

Getting Into The Swing Of Things

San Pedro

San Pedro was all about “play” as you can see here in my article on Ambergris Caye. 

A third-story walk up to my room meant I had an awesome view of the Caribbean Sea. My first walk on the beach was as much about getting my bearings as it was exercise. 

My plan for my sabbatical? Walk. Walk. Walk. I intended to walk all the pandemic stress and weight away. And dive! 

Looking for my San Pedro dive site home, I reached Ramon’s Dive Village. They had people, happy, smiling, chattering, coming off dive boats. I approached the service desk and Rick, the manager, agreed a ‘test” dive would be an excellent idea for starters and signed me up for a dive the next morning.

I set up the luggage on the patio table overlooking the Caribbean and dug through my suitcase. Over the course of that week, I read four books and completed 12 pounds of paperwork.

But as I completed my work tasks, online coursework, pitching articles, reading business proposals, and reading books, I slowly shed some of the weight that had been burdening me mentally as well as physically.

This, even alone in a friendly foreign land, was what I sought. The ability to clear things from my to-do list and have something to look forward to.

Maybe that’s what I continue to seek daily.

Going out on that first dive, becoming friendly with the people on my dive boat, reminded me why scuba is such a wonderful activity. I’ve been doing yoga since the 1980s and am the worst breather I know. But, during scuba, you must control your breathing and never ever hold your breath. There’s something about that Darth Vader-esque inhalation that forces you to focus on the task at hand.

But the weather came up and we didn’t go out to the famed Blue Hole the next morning. I was a little nervous about missing the opportunity to go, but realized I had 2 months here — I had no reason to worry. Also, I could extend my trip as long as I wished.

So, I worked away at my to-do list and didn’t fret. That was new for me. I usually not only have every minute planned but am in trouble if one thing drops.

This was part of the slowdown, the “take it easy” part of my sabbatical. I had no need to worry. So I didn’t. That was a feeling I’d like to continue.

As much as I’ve read about the Blue Hole and Belize, I have never been told what an absolutely horrible ride it is out to the site. Out of the 3-hour trip, 2 hours are brutal — choppy doesn’t begin to describe it. One girl sobbed inconsolably after the first 30 minutes on the boat.

Once there, it turned out to be a good dive; deep, and cold, and something to experience once. But the remaining two dives that day were glorious. The 60 feet depth offered better light to see fish, and the warmer water and fewer worries about decompression sickness gave us all perspective — especially me.

Getting perspective on the choices we make is a good thing. Especially when it helps you maintain balance in your life. Dedicating too much time to others and emptying your own “tank” of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and fiscal wellbeing is just wrong. No wonder so many of us burn out.

After five fun days of diving, reading, lunching, and sleeping, it was time to move on.

Placencia

I took a sunrise walk every day. It was hot. The sunrise and sunset were less than 5 minutes duration. But I could walk 15,000 steps around the crescent bay on the east side of Placencia where I’d stop at Ruth’s for a chicken-stuffed jack as my second breakfast and read or write in the porch hammock with the constant breeze for several hours.

After becoming familiar with the rhythm of the village and continuing to make progress creating a routine meant to help physicians find better balance in their lives, too, I started searching for a new home. 

Being Me

Surprisingly, I hadn’t been identified as a physician until I was nearly done with my time there. Even after my profession became known, most people didn’t mention it with a couple of exceptions — when there was food poisoning and a heart condition at issue. 

This was a good test drive for me in retirement and for my own identity crisis. It is possible to still be “me” without the outer title trappings I’ve carried for 30 years.

The time in Placencia flew by — I read and pitched ideas and created my online course content and felt like I worked every day.

But I also took time out for fun things — kayaking in the lagoon several times a week, a Monkey River tour with a new friend, a sunset cruise with our little island population, and shared in the bounty of their sportfishing success with my contribution of a light pineapple-poblano salsa.

It was a time of healing, learning, growth, and relaxation. I hope everyone takes the time, especially during a busy career, to take this kind of sabbatical, and experience the feeling of near balance that I did during my solo two months in Belize.

Pro Tip

When you go to Belize, have a general plan of what you want to do and add space in your schedule for flexibility. Most importantly, identify your goals for any time you’re taking away. Research your options and leave room to be nimble.

In my opinion, South America is one of the most extraordinary places on earth. One of the best parts about it is that many countries offer easy border-hopping opportunities. I grew up visiting Europe a lot and was always intrigued by how you could change countries in mere hours and within a short distance, everything from culture to money completely changed. South American countries, however, don’t offer a single visa entry to all countries. It’s important that you do some research and planning before attempting to do a multi-country trip between borders of the south.

1. Every Country Has Different Rules

This is why research is key. Even though you’re on one continent, you’re not traveling through countries with united economies. So that means paper currency will change, entry and exit rules will be different, and so will visa requirements. If you’re a U.S. citizen, Travel.State.Gov is a great resource to start your research.

2. Rules Can Change

Things work very differently in South America. Governments can change rules at will, or at least that was my experience. Also, world conditions can impact your visa requirements. For example, when I was in Argentina’s Iguazú National Park, it cost $160 USD for a visa for Brazil. But they were ending the need for a visa three days later. It can literally pay to be aware of pending changes to visa situations. I skipped out of going to Uruguay because, while I was there, the U.S. government had offended the Brazilian government, so they responded by increasing the price for U.S. citizens to get a visa to enter the country. 

3. Entry And Exit Rules Are Also Different From Country To Country

One thing I found intriguing is that in Argentina, for example, I got a 90-day visa which renewed every time I left and came back. I went to Chile for a few weeks, and when I returned to Argentina, got a new 90-day visa. The same thing happened when I entered Paraguay, but for a day trip. I haven’t encountered an official rule on how many times you can exit and return, legally, but I did have a friend that had done it more than five times, and it raised eyebrows with Argentinian immigration. So if you plan to do a lot of hopping in and out of South American countries, especially where a 90-day visa doesn’t cost anything, make sure you don’t take advantage, and do speak to fellow travelers about their experiences crossing borders.

4. Border Crossings And Fruit And Veggies

Border crossings are a big deal. I did most of mine by bus, and Chile was the harshest. They have very strict rules about not bringing fresh fruit or nuts into the country. I forgot I had a bag of nuts in my jacket pocket, which was searched. I narrowly got out of a $500 fine, only because the immigration officer attending to me had spent time in America and liked Americans, and gave me a warning. If you end up with any fruits and nuts with you, declare them immediately. They’ll be confiscated, but at least you won’t pay a fine. The form you have to fill out, at least in Chile, is a bit confusing, so just ask an officer for help (some do speak English well) and declare everything you think might be an issue to avoid fines and problems crossing. Most other countries were more concerned about paperwork and less about inspecting all your belongings. If you travel by air, it’s also much easier.

5. Don’t Overstay

Whatever amount of time your visa has, don’t overstay. I got the feeling that overstayers are not treated with kindness. Traveling by bus, especially in Argentina, we were often boarded by police as we crossed principalities, who requested to see our passport. It’s likely you’ll find yourself asked to show your passport to an official a few times while you wander in South America, so make sure you’re traveling legally. 

6. Plan Your Trip With A Paper Map

As you plan out your amazing trip, I strongly advise a paper map. We’ve all gotten so used to technology and using apps like Google Maps and Maps.me, which are great for getting around a city. When it comes to creating an itinerary for travel throughout South America, however, you really need to look at everything all together, laid out flat. You’ll see how the geography means you’re likely to have an easier time flying, instead of driving, or crossing borders and back or not. For example, when I was in El Calafate, Argentina, I planned to take a bus to Ushuaia. Then I learned that the way the roads are laid out, you have to cross through Chile, and it’s about a 19-hour bus ride. The flight was roughly one hour. 

7. It’s Always A Little Strange

From country to country, there always seems to be a little confusion on where to stand, which line to go to, and so forth. If you’re traveling with luggage by bus, you’ll have to bring the luggage into the immigration office (you’ll carry it yourself, so bear that in mind when you pack for your trip), get the luggage scanned or opened, and, separately, deal with the paperwork and getting your passport stamped. At some point, you’ll feel like you’re in the wrong place, or just waiting for someone to do something. Just be patient — it all sorts itself out.

8. Transportation

Depending on the distances you travel and the duration of your stay, you’ll probably do a lot of flying, since South America is immense. Flying is definitely fast and more direct. Bus travel, however, gives you so much more of an understanding of the land and culture. The other thing about buses in South America, especially in Argentina, is they’re a bit more luxurious than companies like Greyhound. Because of inflation, it’s more than likely that you can afford a first-class seat for bus travel. This gets you a choice of seats from plain comfortable to business luxury. Seats recline, and, most importantly, you get fed! Outside of Argentina, I found meals were more often a cardboard box with a sandwich, but hey, food on a long bus ride is appreciated. I was stunned when I traveled from Posadas to Iguazu, however, to find the coach attendant wheel through the aisle with what looked like a first-class airplane cart, and serve us a piping hot meal, with wine! The catch is often that the bus will break down at some point, but, it’s all part of the experience!

9. The Spanish Changes In Each Country

One of the difficulties I adapted to is that, even with intermediate Spanish, I had to get used to different accents and words every time I changed countries. In Chile, for example, some of their Spanish language is rooted in the Mapuche language, their first settlers. In Argentina, they speak a Catalan, but it’s entirely different from the Spanish you’d learn in Spain, which is normally what those of us taught in the U.S. learn. Be ready to re-learn Spanish at every turn. This will be important for your day-to-day interactions with locals.

10. Don’t Enter The Pisco Battle

There’s a rivalry between Peru and Chile as to who invented pisco. I recommend you don’t enter the battle, just drink the pisco. It’s delicious, and the pisco sours are some of the best I ever had. Lima, Peru, had the fancy ones down perfectly. In Chile, I loved visiting pisco distilleries the way you’d drink whisky through Scotland. So, in the end, it’s more important to taste pisco than to take sides.

11. Prepare For Altitude Sickness

This is going to affect your trip, somewhere. Depending on which countries and which cities you visit in South America, you are unlikely to escape this experience. If you’re traveling throughout South America, let me enlighten you on a few unfortunate aspects of it. 

Being in an airplane at 30,000 feet does not give you immunity to altitude sickness, because the cabin is pressurized. Once you acclimate to, say, 15,000 feet in Peru, if you come back down to travel over to Bolivia, you don’t maintain your resilience. The symptoms start all over once you climb back up. Either get the prescription medication for it or try out the many herbal remedies available in each country. They’ll take longer to work, and relief is temporary, but it is possible to treat naturally. 

12. If Flying Into Peru, It Will Be At Night

For my first time to Peru, I flew in from Buenos Aires. I was surprised that even coming from South America, and not the United States, the flights still arrive late at night. With the warnings to U.S. citizens traveling there, nighttime is not ideal, especially if you’re a solo traveler like I am. If you’re going to Peru, I’d suggest pre-booking pickup at the airport with your hotel. Safety is worth paying for as you travel. 

Pro Tips

South America is now one of my favorite continents, and I can’t wait to return. You’ll find amazing people, colors, foods, and history. The fact that you can so easily travel between countries, even by bus, is just another reason this area of the world is so desirable for travel. If you’re trying to choose your South American destinations, click the linked locations above, and also consider reading:

• 7 Absolutely Beautiful Places In Brazil
• 14 Reasons To Put Incredible Iguazu Falls On Your Bucket List
• Visiting Argentina: 6 Things To Know Before You Go
• 12 Things I Learned During My Solo Trip To Peru
• I Tangoed For The First Time In Buenos Aires, And Here’s How It Went

I took my first trip to South America in 2019. I had freed myself from the corporate grind and finally felt like I had enough time to begin exploring this vast continent. I’ll be honest, I had some fears going into the journey. 

As an American who is part of the STEP program, I’m used to ongoing warnings in that region about kidnapping, crime, etc. I started my journey in Cali, Colombia, to celebrate a friend’s birthday party. I continued onward, solo, to six more countries. My preconceived notions were challenged and shifted every day. Here are my thoughts on what you should know as a solo traveler going to South America.

1. Local Buses Are Safe And A Great Way To Travel, But You Need A Couple Of Tips

If you’re alone and on a budget, take the buses. I was surprised at how safe I felt journeying all over Argentina, around Chile, Peru, and Brazil. Chile was the only place I was warned to look out for people dressing like a bus employee in a ploy to steal your luggage. I met a lovely young English couple in Santiago that fell prey to the scam and lost all their bags, including the one with their passports. 

As long as you know a few ground rules, you’ll have an excellent experience. Luggage goes in the bus, not on top. Don’t accept offers from anyone wanting to put your bags on top, that’s how the aforementioned couple lost their belongings. Line up by the luggage hold when your bus arrives and make sure to get a ticket for your bag. Tip the luggage attendant at least a dollar, U.S. That and your ticket will guarantee your bags will be there when you arrive at your destination.

Some countries, like Peru and Bolivia, have a “Hop” bus. I highly recommend using these services when you can. You might want to check out my review of the best ways to use Peru Hop. What I loved most about this was it’s a transportation method and tour guide all in one. You’ll meet lots of fun people as you go, and perhaps most important, the drivers are safe.

2. Pay Attention To Dangerous Areas, And Use Your Intuition

Most countries in South America have a version of slums, like the favela, in Brazil. Ask whether it’s safe to be out at night, alone, when you arrive at your accommodation. Whatever they advise you, listen. Be open to the idea that places may not be as dangerous as you read. I wandered around the beaches in Rio de Janeiro in the early evening and felt perfectly safe. Intuition, especially as a solo traveler, is your best and strongest ally. Always listen to it, even if it makes no sense at all. 

3. Learn Some Spanish, But Be Ready For Dialects

There are many places in South America where you need to speak Spanish. If you want to get to some of the remoter parts of any of the countries, you’ll soon find there are parts where no English is spoken. I heard about the “gringo tax,” but I rarely encountered it. Either I didn’t notice, or it’s because I made an effort to speak Spanish. Only once, in Buenos Aires with a friend, who’s from there, did we get charged a “table fee” that we both found ridiculous. 

I do recommend basic Spanish if you’ve never studied it. However, even if you consider yourself fluent or a good Spanish speaker, the dialects change from country to country, and sometimes even within larger countries like Argentina. As a solo traveler, you’ll be more comfortable traveling with some Spanish.

4. It’s A Lot Colder Than You Might Expect

Despite the advice I got in advance, I wasn’t prepared for how cold some South American countries are. It’s easy to forget that their seasons are flipped with the U.S. Understandably, places like Ushuaia are cold mid-year. I was surprised by how cold Chile is all year round, especially at night. I didn’t expect Urugay’s winter to be so cold, nor did I know that in winter, Buenos Aires can be 2 degrees Celsius. You’ll be grateful that this area of the world makes some great sweaters!

5. Make Room In Your Suitcase

South America has stunning scenery, and you’re going to find a lot of souvenirs you want. First, those sweaters I mentioned? I don’t think it’s possible to leave this region of the world without at least two. If you go to Peru, you’re getting a poncho, even if you didn’t plan to. If you become a fan of yerba mate in Argentina or Uruguay, you’ll want the cups, the metal straws, and the yerba. It could become an addiction. I’m in the Facebook groups about it, so I know I’m not alone!

6. Respect Your Altitude Sickness Symptoms

Don’t take this lightly. I brought Western medicine with me, but I hate taking medicine, so I used in-country herbal remedies everywhere I went. From coca leaves to herbal pills and lozenges, I tried it all. The difference is, if you use the prescriptions, you’ll more likely suffer the side effects than the altitude sickness. If you use the herbal path, it will take a little longer to kick in. That’s where time comes into play. Ideally, give yourself 2 to 3 days to adjust to the altitude in places like Peru, Bolivia, etc. You may suffer bad headaches and shortness of breath. 

If you’re a solo traveler, altitude sickness could impact your wits and your ability to function at 100 percent. Make sure to respect your symptoms. I learned that, unfortunately, altitude sickness resilience doesn’t build up over time. If you’re at a high altitude for a few days or a week, then go back down and come back up a few days later, the symptoms start all over.

7. If You’re A Female Solo Traveler, Abide By Local Customs

I will simply give you the advice that you should not go to dinner or drinks with a man, alone, unless you’re physically interested in him. Unlike other countries, there’s often a base assumption that if you go out alone with a man, you want to have sex with him. I suggest, whether you like that or not, you abide by this rule. If you like a man, go out with him. If you aren’t sexually interested in a man, don’t accept his invitation.

8. Pay Attention To Dog Culture

I realize this may sound strange, but dogs are a big part of travel in South America. In much of Argentina, especially smaller towns, dogs are like people. They don’t wear collars, they wander the streets as if on their way to important meetings, and if you pet them, they’re yours. They will literally follow you around, possibly for hours, and be your literal best friend. 

Of course, they would love a treat, but even if you don’t feed them, show a dog affection in Argentina, and you’re likely to have a new best friend who won’t want to leave your side. (Yes, they usually do have owners that love them, too.) In Chile, dogs are so important that a law was passed punishing people who abuse them.

9. Take As Many Free Walking Tours As Possible

These are now all over the world. If you aren’t familiar with them; the tour and guide are free, with the hope that you’ll tip them for their great service. I loved all the guides I had throughout South America. The groups are usually small, and it’s a nice way to meet people as you travel. As a solo traveler, it’s always nice to have reliable and inexpensive ways to meet other travelers.

10. Be Ready To Overhaul All Your Prejudgments

Some South American countries have gotten a bad rap. Colombia is an example of a country still trying to overcome its guerilla warfare reputation. I’m not saying that safety in South America is the same as what you’re accustomed to. However, South America is also not rife with militants and drug dealers everywhere you go. I’m sure they do exist, but the perceptions are based on something other than meeting wonderful locals and connecting, which is what you’ll be doing when you go there. 

South America is one of the most fascinating continents I have ever been to. The colors, the people, the llamas, the views, the food — there’s so much to tantalize the senses. I miss it and can’t wait to return. As so often happens when you gain an emotional attachment to a place, it follows you on your travels. 

The other day, here in New Zealand, I met a woman from Ecuador. It’s getting cold as we roll into winter, and she was selling ponchos and jackets from her country. I don’t have winter gear with me so I tried on one of her jackets. Because of my now excellent Spanish-speaking abilities, she gave me a huge discount. The experience warmed my heart and my body, just like my time in South America.

Related Reading:

• 12 Things To Expect When Visiting South America For The First Time
• Visiting Argentina: 6 Things To Know Before You Go
• 7 Absolutely Beautiful Places In Brazil
• Planning A Girls Trip To Machu Picchu: What To Know Before You Go
• 7 Bucket-List Experiences In Colombia

My first trip to Central America started with Costa Rica in January, 2018. It was the first place I went after quitting my job, so, in many ways, it was a very adventurous journey. I had only six weeks for this first adventure and originally planned two weeks in Costa Rica, two in Peru, and two in Argentina. Thankfully, I changed my tune and spent six full weeks in Central America, leaving the other countries for another time.

Prior to Central America, all my solo travels had been mostly to Europe. Though I’m accustomed to traveling alone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard from others that Costa Rica was beautiful, and also that the roads are rough. It was a definite adventure!

Here are a few tips I learned from my time in Central America.

1. Notes About Getting There

If you’re arriving from outside Central America, you’ll definitely be flying in. The question will be which airport to choose. Costa Rica, for example, has two international airports, and you want to choose the one closer to the parts of it that you want to visit. The west and east coasts are completely different from one another. With the rough roads, it becomes more important to figure out which airport is more convenient to the locations you plan to go. Other countries may make your selection easier, with only one international airport.

2. Everything Is Casual, Including The Dress-Code

I remember being surprised at how few mirrors I found in my various accommodations. I often had no idea what I looked like when I stepped outside my door. I soon realized that people cared more about getting to know me than about what I was wearing. There’s no need to have matching or expensive clothes. Simply enjoy, relax, and be comfortable. For the most part, as I traveled through Central America, I didn’t even see designer brands or makeup anywhere. It was a complete relief.

3. The Wi-Fi Connection Is Unreliable

Most places I went had poor Wi-Fi and no 5G for sure! Smaller towns share all the bandwidth, so the more people there are in a town, the more you’ll feel like you’re on dial-up. If you’re a blogger or attempting to hold important meetings while traveling through Central America, you may have to stay in more luxurious properties or bigger cities or hunt down co-working spaces to get the access you need. I was unintentionally in Uvita, Costa Rica, right before the Envision Festival, and it was impossible to connect. I was told that was because the entire city had only 2Gig of bandwidth and, clearly, a lot of tourists were in town.

4. More On Getting Around

As a solo traveler, I don’t hitchhike, and for the most part, don’t drive alone. While in Central America, I went to Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. I preferred using shuttle companies, like Interbus and Caribe Shuttle, instead of local buses. (Apart from when I was in a city and going to another destination in the same city.) I felt there was less risk of theft, and the drivers were excellent. When I tried to reach more remote places not served by the popular shuttle companies, I found there were lesser-known ones that did. So, if you find yourself “stuck,” don’t despair. Ask a local or fellow traveler, and you’ll figure out how to get where you want to go.

5. Eat Local And Save Money

One of my favorite parts about Central America was finding great food at cheap prices. Even in Nicaragua, the town of San Juan del Sur, known to be touristy, less expensive options were available. One of the things I loved in Costa Rica was the Soda. They’re family-owned and operated restaurants. Each had its own take on popular dishes, and I enjoyed seeing how differently the same dish could taste. Breakfast is a combination of rice, beans, eggs, and bread, and lunch and dinner have so much food on the plate it’s impossible to finish. It tastes delicious, too! Cooked fresh, these meals may not help your waistline, but they’re friendly to the budget, and you won’t go hungry. I also found these were great places to meet locals and other travelers. Outside of Costa Rica, sticking to local food choices (as opposed to gourmet international) is a great way to save on eating out.

6. Jehovah’s Witnesses Are Plentiful

I’ve been to 25 countries in the past few years, and felt that Central America had the highest percentage of Jehovah’s Witnesses I’ve ever encountered. I can’t count how many times I thought I was talking to a person being friendly, and suddenly had a brochure thrust into my hand. I’m not sure if it’s because I was a solo traveler, but I got a lot of unwanted invitations to become a Jehovah’s Witness. Happily, they’re harmless. Just don’t be surprised when the seemingly nice people you’re talking to turn out to be on their 3-year mission to recruit people to the organization.

7. The Best Time Of Year To Go

There are rainy seasons to contend with, so it’s a good idea to use Google to research which months those are for whichever countries you plan to visit. That doesn’t need to deter you, but some countries can get flooding, resulting in poor or impossible driving conditions in heavy rainfall.

8. Roads Aren’t Always Good

Adding on to the prior point about having someone else do the driving, roads aren’t always paved. Rainfall can be an issue, and that will be a problem when driving. Ironically, Costa Rica is one of the wealthiest countries in this region and has the worst roads. Locals told me that’s because Costa Rica exports the road-paving materials to places like Panama and Nicaragua, where you’ll find better conditions. If you do plan to rent a car, take road conditions seriously.

9. There Are Lots Of Stray Dogs

I found it difficult to see so many street dogs throughout Central America. They’re more like scavengers than affection-seekers. I bought a bag of biscuits to hand out to every dog I saw in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Most of them turned their noses up, knowing the leftovers they eat out of the garbage are tastier. Even emaciated dogs preferred the garbage to a biscuit handout. If you’re a dog lover, you may have a tough time seeing the condition of so many dogs. Happily, in Costa Rica, there’s a volunteer program to help them.

10. Spanish Is Optional, But A Good Idea

English is widely spoken throughout Central America, and there are many American expat and retiree communities. If English is your first or only language, you’ll be okay most of the time. However, if you want to get to some of the more remote villages or use local transport, you may find a lack of Spanish is a problem. If you plan to take a local bus or eat in remote cafes, you’ll be happy you speak some Spanish when you do. If you want to really get to know the locals and make friends, then Spanish is a must.

11. If You’re A Woman, You’ll Be Hit On

Let’s just say women are treated differently as you head south. If you can accept that men think you’re beautiful and are simply expressing a compliment, it may make you feel better. When I wondered off alone in Costa Rica, especially in Guanacaste, I was frequently asked by men why I was alone and where I stayed. I always replied that I was on the way to meet friends, and forgot the name of the place I was staying, but it could be unnerving. I generally don’t stay out alone, past dark, which, for me, is a core rule of thumb that is one of the things that has kept me safe.

12. You’ll Probably Get Sucked Into Zip-Lining At Least Once

When I first landed in Costa Rica, I was horrified to learn that people are stupid enough to hang from a small cable thousands of feet in the air and float down. I had never heard of ziplining before my trip there. The problem is, ziplining is everywhere. Worse yet, you’ll hear the howl of people sliding down, and they sound so fiercely alive that you’ll feel compelled to risk your life to feel what they appear to be feeling. I wrote an article about my experience you might enjoy.

13. There Are Huge Insects

This is by no means NOT a reason to stop your trip. However, be prepared. There are giant insects. I’m not sure if they’re locusts or crickets. They easily look a foot long. The real danger is, they suck at flying. This doesn’t stop them, though. So, while they try to land on your door, they may just land on your shoulder or graze your face. Happily, you won’t suffer anything more than fright. It’s just that being solo, you may wish you had someone’s hand to grab.

14. Some People Are Bad, But Most Are Wonderful

You may read about or see government warnings about drug trafficking, kidnapping, etc. In my experience, if you keep to the places that you’re told to, you won’t have a problem. There are drug checkpoints in places, so be prepared for police to potentially stop your vehicle and ask questions, especially if you’re crossing borders by road.

All in all, I loved Central America. I found it a blend of the Caribbean and South America. Lush scenery, rolling hills, beautiful people, and wonderful food. If you’re a solo traveler, you definitely need to keep alert, but that’s true any place in the world.

Related Reading:

• Retired In Guanajuato, Mexico: My 9 Favorite Unique Experiences
• 8 Tips For Exploring Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica’s Crown Jewel
• How To Spend A Great Day In Belize
• Why I Can’t Wait To Go Back To The Thousand Polleras Parade In Las Tablas, Panama
• 8 Reasons Costa Rica Is The Best Place To Retire Internationally

I admit: I sleep around. I’m a 59-year-old single American woman who has traveled (mostly) solo full-time for the past decade as an international house sitter. I am hooked on house sitting as a safe, affordable, authentic way of traveling. I’ve lived in more than 50 homes in 19 countries throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico, the U.S., and Africa, taking care of nearly 100 dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish.

As a house sitter, I live in someone else’s home and care for their pets, plants, gardens, and houses while they vacation. I love that I can “live like a local” in a foreign city — while providing pet owners the freedom to travel knowing that their pets are pampered, and their home is occupied. Read here for tips on finding the best house sitting experience for you.

Most house sitters don’t do it as a lifestyle, as I do. They house sit for a few weeks over the holidays or during their summer breaks — or when they are visiting their adult children and don’t want to be underfoot. While anyone can house sit — families, couples, retirees — it’s particularly great for solo women travelers. Here’s why:

1. You’re In A Safer Area

Hotels are generally in touristy areas that attract scammers and pickpockets. While you’ll likely visit those touristy areas to see the sites, you won’t be walking around them at night.

2. You’ll Save A Bundle On Accommodations

I hesitate to write that house sitting provides “free” accommodations because there is a cost: It’s a huge responsibility to care for everything that’s dear to another person and, sometimes, you might need to put your own plans on hold while dealing with an emergency with the pet or home.

On the other hand, I’ve stayed in fabulous homes in desirable neighborhoods in expensive cities for ridiculously long periods that I would never have been able to financially afford. For example, I have regularly house sat in London for several weeks at a time. My first international house sit was in east London for two months during the 2012 Olympics! The torch parade ran by just three blocks from where I “lived.”

3. Your Wi-Fi Is More Secure

Staying in a home with private Wi-Fi protects you more securely when you access your online financial or personal accounts than when you log in at hotels. And you’ll probably get better bandwidth, too!

4. You’ll Have More Privacy

Since housekeeping won’t be entering your room each day, you’ll have more privacy — and security — in a private home.

5. You’ll Enjoy More Overall Security

Homeowners generally do a better job securing their homes than hotels — especially budget hotels — do when securing their rooms. At hotels, many people have access to your room. And who knows how many people have keys or know the door code to your vacation rental?

Burglaries surely can occur at homes, too, even when you are extra cautious. It’s a good thing to ask your homeowner about the neighborhood and community security before accepting a sitting assignment.

6. You’ll Get Great Local Tourist Tips

By the time you reach your destination, you’ll have communicated with your homeowners so often, you’ll already have a local connection. If you ask them, your homeowners will provide you with maps, a list of their favorite neighborhood restaurants, and information about nearby public transportation.

A woman I house sat for in Amsterdam left me her museum card pass. A couple I house sat for in London left me a loaded transportation card. A man I house sat for in London left me his membership card to Kew Gardens, an experience I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.

Couples and families would benefit from these discounts, too, but as a solo traveler, I liked that I could take full advantage of these homeowners’ generosity. And I really appreciated that some of the “tourist research” had already been done for me. As a solo traveler, I don’t have the luxury of a partner who does some or half of the travel planning. I love that I can ask my homeowners for their ideas — and they love to share their communities!

7. You’ll Be Able To Cook Your Own Meals

As a house sitter, you’ll have your own full kitchen to prepare your meals. Especially if you have dietary concerns, this is a huge safety perk. And it saves you a bundle by not having to eat out three times every day.

8. You Can Park For Free

If you are renting a car at your destination, being able to park in “your” home’s driveway is a huge benefit over parking in expensive — and scary — underground hotel structures.

9. You Won’t Lose Your Laundry

Most homes where you house sit will have their own washing machine. No more paying for laundering your clothes. No more chances of clothing getting lost or damaged — or cleaned with products you are allergic to.

10. You Don’t Have To Worry About Bedbugs

Chances are, the house where you’ll be sitting is cleaner than a hotel — and cleaner than some vacation rentals. But, this is no guarantee. But bedbugs in a private home? Highly unlikely!

11. You’ll Enjoy Free Movies

Nights can be tough when you are traveling solo. While I do get out to listen to live music or see a great play, I can’t afford that every night (and I usually go to more affordable matinees of plays and dance performances). For my nights in, I love being able to access my homeowner’s cable package or Netflix rather than being stuck with the mediocre offerings at hotels. During a recent 4-month house sit, I binged on the homeowners’ Netflix on all seasons of Better Call Saul, Orange Is the New Black, and Mad Men. I was happy sightseeing during the day and cuddling at “home” at night.

12. You’ll Be Introduced To New Friends

I specifically ask my homeowners to introduce me to their girlfriends or to add me to their neighborhood WhatsApp groups. Usually, this has meant a coffee or wine outing with an interesting woman in a place only locals know about. This has sometimes led to more exotic experiences, like the friend I was introduced to in Reunion, a French island east of Madagascar where I house sat for 2 months. Anne arranged for me to snorkel with migrating humpback whales — an experience I would not have been able to organize as a tourist on my own.

13. You’ll Have Neighbors Watching Out For You

During a house sit, you’ll live in a residential building or home where people know each other, at least by sight. Your neighbors are vested in your safety and will provide an extra layer of security — and perhaps friendship — that you wouldn’t get at a hotel or vacation rental.

14. You Might Get Great Amenities

I had a house sit every spring and fall in Mexico for a wonderful dog at a four-story home that was built on the side of a hill. Every level had a panoramic view of Lake Chapala. There was a private lap pool and inspiring terraces. No hotel that I could afford could have matched this!

15. You’ll Be Introduced To Experiences Only Locals Know About

I’ll be honest: Traveling alone can get lonely, and figuring out what to do can get overwhelming. When you house sit, your homeowner might be able to steer you toward places or events that are geared toward your interests. One homeowner in Berlin, knowing of my interest in helping and writing about refugees, steered me toward a refugee intake center at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis. I volunteered for a day and wrote about my experience. I would never have found this on my own, as all the local news was in German.

16. And If You Are House Sitting For A Dog…

…You might even enjoy an extra layer of protection from a watchdog!

Note: I don’t get paid money for house sitting. I do it as a quid pro quo where my accommodation costs are covered in exchange for pet and home care. If I were paid, I would need a work visa (rather than a tourist visa) for entering many countries. Work visas are generally tougher to secure and sometimes cost more money.

Pro Tip

To learn more about house sitting and how to get started by avoiding common pitfalls, check out my book How to Become a Housesitter: Insider Tips from the HouseSit Diva, available as a softcover, Kindle, or ebook.

There are 50 sites that you can join to find homeowners who are searching for house sitters. Sites like HouseSit Match and Nomador offer a more personalized service than some of the bigger brands. Then, there are country- or lifestyle-specific sites like HouseSit Mexico or Kindred Spirits House (for vegans and vegetarians). To help figure out which site to join, check out HouseSit Search, input your search criteria, and peruse the offerings from several of the top house sitting sites. It’s free to use!

In January 2018, I started what I thought was a career break. I booked a one-way ticket to Costa Rica. I planned to spend two weeks there, two weeks in Peru, and two weeks in Argentina. I booked all my travel and accommodations for my first two weeks in advance. Then I challenged myself to stop pre-planning since I wanted to see what “go with the flow” travel felt like.

I Stepped Outside My Comfort Zone

As luck, or fate, would have it, I ended up in Corcovado, a national park in the proverbial middle of nowhere when my pre-planning ran out. I was staying in a tent on a property with crappy Wi-Fi and a useless manager, trying to make my way to Samara (which I kept referring to as Samsara for some reason). I learned my only two options were an expensive flight or a dangerous-sounding overnight bus ride. I had a complete meltdown because I was alone and unable to make the travel plans I wanted. I contemplated giving up, returning to America, getting another job, and forgetting my idea of traveling the globe.

Once I finished feeling sorry for myself, I got inspired. Rather than try to get to Samara, I researched which cities were accessible from Drake Bay, the gateway to and from Corcovado. Opening to true flow and letting myself end up where I could, instead of attempting to control the destination, I came across the town of Uvita. What finalized my decision to go there happened when I went on Booking.com to book accommodation. The first hotel that popped up was called Samsara. I reserved it immediately. I took a boat from Corcovado to Drake Bay, then transferred to a bus that took me to Uvita.

I Started Seeing Signs

Intriguingly, I learned the definition of samsara is “the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.” This resonated completely with my circumstances and made me shiver with the feeling that someone was watching over me. Uvita was not on my list of places to go in Costa Rica, but it ended up having great purpose for me.

Uvita is small. It has a supermarket, a few shops, and some casual restaurants. The Hotel Samsara is what truly made my stay there. Besides the excellent margaritas from Raul every night, I learned they had a jungle in their backyard that leads to a beach. I didn’t expect the jungle to be so lush. I felt lost in nature walking through it and happened upon a small stream.

A movement caught my eye, so I stood still for a while. I thought I saw a creature run across the stream but didn’t believe that was possible. As I stared, a lizard dashed across the water, on its hind legs, standing up. I’m not religious, but seeing my first Jesus Christ lizard at this time felt hugely significant. I had done the seemingly impossible by quitting my job, then stepped outside my comfort zone to be standing there, at that very moment.

I continued my walk through the jungle and saw a cow. If you didn’t already know, I love cows. Finding one in a jungle was quite a sight! While I was surprised, she seemed to think it quite normal to munch on jungle vegetation. I continued walking and ended up on a beautiful, mostly empty, beach.

In the sand were various patterns left by some creature. One of them looked, to me, like an angel. Another cherished moment that made me feel coming here was no accident. I walked along the beach for what seemed like ages. I noted I was looking out at the Pacific Ocean, a rare experience for a native New Yorker.

I stopped at a spot where the beach jutted out into the ocean. I learned this part of the beach is called Punta Uvita. It’s part of Ballena National Park. Ballena, in English, means “whale.” This name is very appropriate because, from above, the Punta Uvita looks like a whale’s tail!

I Trusted My Instincts And Accepted Help

In a previous article, I wrote about how to travel safely as a female solo traveler. My first lesson in travel safety happened in Uvita when I walked to the Uvita waterfall (Cataratas). I ended up alone on the last part of the road to it. A passerby said hello. I returned the greeting but felt anxiety about his intentions. I was alarmed when, after he passed, he called for my attention. With my spidey senses tingling, I took a few more steps away from him and turned around. He asked if I’d like to come with him to see his “special place.” Comedy aside, it was a scary moment being alone and imagining what this man would do if I went with him. His eyes were on the bulge of my iPhone in my pocket. I hastily declined and continued to the waterfall. Once there, I met a European couple and watched, awe-struck, as a man climbed up the rock to the side of the waterfall and then jumped off the top. The European couple offered me a ride back to my hotel. While I pride myself on being independent, I gratefully accepted their offer, realizing it would save me from another potential run-in with my “special place” guy.

I Learned To Love Traveling With The Locals

The local bus in Uvita has official stops that aren’t always well marked and will also drop you off any place you want along the route. I was grateful to speak some Spanish — and really happy to have the Maps.me app, which gave me a general clue of where I was. Every ride I took, I’d tell the driver where I wanted to go and sit down. The ladies at the front of each bus would give me a heads up when my stop was coming, pull the stop signal for me, and tell me when to get off. This lovely gesture endeared me to local bus travel ever since.

I took the bus to Alturas Wildlife Park one day. It’s in the neighboring town of Dominical. The view and sanctuary are beautiful. I loved meeting the rescued wildlife and learning they had a chance of returning to nature. If you prefer more luxurious accommodation, you’ll find it here, as well as budget accommodation if you want to stay and volunteer.

My trip to Uvita completely changed me as a traveler. Learning to use my resourcefulness and get comfortable with last-minute travel and local bus services gave me the courage to continue my journey. It was also the beginning of tangible experiences where I felt guided and began to trust myself more than ever before. I traded the American-style corporate vacation — two weeks of running to every tourist site possible — for longer stays that encourage the appreciation of cultures. I postponed my Peru and Argentina plans and spent five wonderful weeks all over Costa Rica.

Pro Tips

The best time to visit Uvita is between December and April, unless you like rain! Be aware that the Envision Festival happens here every year in February. Billed as an entrepreneurial experience, it tends to take over everything for a week. The hotels are booked up, tent accommodation is created on the festival grounds, and many of the attendees stay up all hours drinking, smoking weed, and playing music. If you don’t enjoy crowds and partying, I suggest avoiding Uvita during that week. Any other week, you’ll love it!

The easiest way to get to Uvita is by shuttle bus or regular bus. I found the shuttle buses more reliable and air-conditioned, but regular buses are cheaper. Interbus is the primary shuttle carrier. You can get to Uvita from most major cities in Costa Rica. You could also rent a car, but the roads aren’t always paved, which is why I preferred to let someone experienced do the driving.

When it comes to solo travel, I was a late starter. When you consider that 72 percent of women in the U.S. have taken a solo vacation, and Google searches for “solo women travel” increased by 32 percent in 2017, 59 percent in 2018, and 230 percent in 2019, it is obvious that women are busy traveling solo, and have been for years.

It wasn’t until my 40s that I took a look at myself and all those other women who had traveled on their own and decided to try going somewhere alone. The reason I never had traveled solo before had nothing to do with lack of opportunity, being scared, or not knowing where to start; the main reason I had never traveled alone was simply because I had always assumed that I needed to share great experiences with someone. I thought that if I didn’t have someone to nudge and point something out to, that it wasn’t as enjoyable. But I was wrong.

After thinking about what sort of travel I would most enjoy on my own, I settled on a city break just short and exciting enough to dip my toe in. It was a success, soon followed by a lengthy road trip and countless other journeys, lasting from day trips to several week-long adventures.

I liked the sensation of going somewhere new alone, managed to enjoy myself despite not being immediately able to share experiences, and got better at it with every trip.

Here are some things I learned about traveling solo, and about myself.

1. You Are Allowed To Go It Alone

When I sat my husband down and told him that I really wanted to try traveling somewhere on my own, he looked at me in utter disbelief. Why would I want to go alone if I could go with someone, be it him or someone else? Exactly that was why. I wanted to see if I could do it — and if I could enjoy it. Traveling solo is not a snub to your partner or to your family and friends who would be happy to accompany you, but it is a challenge to yourself, and just as you should plan in some “me time” every day, it is something everybody ought to try at least once.

Leaving your partner behind does not mean you don’t love them or prefer to travel without them. It just means you wan to do something for yourself. And you are allowed to do that.

2. You Can Enjoy Experiences Alone

At first, I kept calling my husband whenever I spotted something I knew he would enjoy just as much as I was. It was difficult to let go of wanting to share every little thing. But bit by bit, I learned that it was quite okay to look at a great picture in an art gallery or appreciate a view and keep that all to myself. It felt a little like a guilty pleasure at first, like that sneaky piece of chocolate or that top that you bought and hid in the wardrobe. Soon, though, I began to enjoy seeing things that I would probably never share with anybody else. That is not saying that I haven’t traveled back to some places which I absolutely had to share, as that has happened a few times, too.

3. A Little Routine Serves Well

The last few times I went away on my own, I somehow fell into a nice little routine of finding the loveliest view in the area, preferably a cafe terrace with plenty of people-watching opportunities, ordering myself an aperitif, sitting back, and just watching the world go by. It is a time when I either catch up with writing notes or make plans, but mostly, I simply do nothing. No sightseeing, no running around, no packing or unpacking. It is quality me time, even within all the time to myself during solo travel. Strange, but I now look forward to my aperitif time when traveling.

4. Keep In Touch Through Social Media

This one I got from my now-grown daughter when she went traveling on her own or with friends. When she began traveling without us, I made her call or text me every day (preferably every hour!), but obviously that was not helpful at all. I learned to simply look out for Instagram or Facebook posts, if not hers, then her friends’ who were traveling with her. If they are posting, they are alive. Now I do the same. I might talk to my husband every day when I am away, but not my daughter. However, I usually post pictures, so my family and friends always know where I am and what I am doing, and they don’t have to worry about me.

5. Eating Out Alone Can Be Fun, But Not Always

What I still struggle with is having a nice dinner on my own. Breakfast? A doddle. Lunch? No problem, especially on a restaurant terrace with a view. A dinner inside a chic restaurant alone? Not so much. But, like with all things in life, you must take the good with the bad, and I have acknowledged that I just do not enjoy lingering over a gorgeous dinner on my own. I do it, especially if needed for work, but I prefer to have a partner in crime. This is when world-wide friend connections come into their own, or I bring a book. I am old enough not to worry about being frowned at by other diners.

Want more solo dining inspiration? Consider our 11 tips for dining solo while traveling.

6. Apartment Stays Win Over Hotels

I love staying in lovely hotels, being pampered and handed a cold towel as I step through the entrance, and with food — or a nice drink — a mere phone call away. But when it comes down to it, when I do travel alone, more often than not an apartment wins over a nice hotel stay. I suppose it really depends on the length of my stay: A brief weekend, and I love the attention a hotel can give me; a week, and I prefer the extra space an apartment allows for and the opportunity to maybe whip up a simple meal in a kitchenette. Add to that the fact that apartments are often more economical, even with that extra space, and it is a no-brainer.

7. Organize Ahead, But Not Too Much

Being a travel writer, I tend to research ahead, but only so much. While I think it is really beneficial to be thoroughly organized and to have a crammed-full itinerary when you go on your first solo trip, as I’ve gotten more used to it, I have relaxed and become more open to surprises and spontaneity. Being open to change is part of the adventure, and even if you miss the train, who is going to mind if you don’t arrive on time?

8. Email Yourself Your Documents

Just when I said not to be too organized, this one is a must. I found out nearly to my own detriment that I was missing an important document and thought that I had to abandon my plans, when I remembered that I had, by pure chance, emailed it to someone a few days before. I managed to find the attachment and it saved my trip. From then onward, I have always emailed myself a copy of all my travel documents for easy access and as proof, just in case I lost one of them.

Obviously, you have got to be careful when using public computers and make sure to always sign in and out of your email account securely to avoid making yourself vulnerable to hackers during your travels.

9. To Me Solo Means Alone, But Not Lonely

When it comes to solo travel, to me it means what is says: I travel solo — alone — not with a group of other solo travelers. Obviously to each their own, but I have come to appreciate the time alone. I don’t have to make conversation, I don’t have to adjust plans according to others, I can cancel something just because I want to and not tell anybody. I don’t have to be responsible to anybody but myself. That, to me, turned out to be the driving factor of traveling alone. And, no, I don’t get lonely. I am not saying that I wouldn’t miss social contact after a long stay away from home, but if I am traveling for a week alone, then I want to be alone and not with other people. To me, that is the whole point.

What have you learned from solo travel? Or have you not tried it yet? Try it, bit by bit, and you’ll find that it can be a marvelous antidote to stress and the routines of daily life. Bon voyage.

Editor’s Note: Statistics included in the first paragraph come from Solo Traveler’s Solo Travel Statistics and Data: 2019 to 2020 and Condor Ferries’ Female Travel Statistics 2020.

I’m an advocate for solo travel. I built up to going overseas alone by moving in ever-widening circles away from home. Prior to that, all my travels were with family members, friends, or a partner. But once I tasted the freedom and joys of solo travel, there was no turning back.

Traveling solo gives you the satisfaction of planning your own itinerary and fully engaging in your unique interests. There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment in pulling off a successful trip and opening yourself up to the world. And even when things go wrong, there’s a feeling of empowerment in conquering a difficult situation. There’s only one downside to solo travel: Dining alone can feel uncomfortable — if you let it.

I’ve met a number of solo travelers who share this sentiment. But we shouldn’t feel this way. There’s no stigma attached to solo dining except the one we conjure up in our own minds. In Japan and South Korea, solo dining is commonplace. In Canada, there’s been a 75 percent increase in solo bookings since 2017, while in the United States, solo dining has risen 35 percent in the last five years.

So let’s allay the fears. Chances are if someone gives you a second glance when you are dining solo, they are not being critical, but rather looking at you with respect and envy. You are doing what they dare not. When they notice that you are comfortable dining by yourself and see that you can look them in the eye and smile, they realize that you are the one racking up a lifetime of experiences. Conversely, they are the ones in the unenviable position, since they have to wait for somebody else before they can go out for a meal, never mind a vacation. You, on the other hand, are on the move.

The joys of dining solo while traveling struck me some 20 years ago. I was out with friends in my hometown enjoying high tea at the Hotel Windsor, a Melbourne institution for high tea in a lavishly furnished lounge.

An American woman was seated near us. She told us how she had arrived on the luxury liner Queen Mary 2 that morning. She’d stepped ashore, hailed a taxi, and here she was. She wasn’t the kind of traveler to be restricted to a regimented shore excursion. We became so engrossed in conversation that we merged tables. I still have a photo of this admirable role model. She is seated between my best friend and my daughter, who was 10 at the time. The image reminds me — and hopefully my daughter as well — that the prospect of dining solo should never deter a woman from experiencing the best of what each port of call has to offer.

Since that inspiring encounter, I have grazed my way across continents, mostly solo. I’ve learned a few lessons along the way to maximize the joys of solo dining and minimize the discomforts.

1. Avoid Becoming Ravenous

Positive solo dining experiences are about enjoying a country’s unique food and the way it differs from your normal fare. If you carry light snacks, you’ll avoid becoming so ravenous that you end up ordering Westernized room service or ducking into a convenient but lackluster nearby restaurant. These kinds of options will rarely offer memorable travel moments.

2. Eat At Hotels Other Than Your Own

Hotels are comfortable dining spaces for solo travelers, since they already cater to solo business travelers. But don’t restrict yourself to eating where you stay. Venture forth!

I’m passionate about exploring both historic and trendy hotels, and this can easily be accomplished by having meals there. In Egypt, I ate at the Old Cataract Hotel looking out over the grand sweep of the Nile and thinking about how Agatha Christie wrote chapters of Death on the Nile there in the 1930s. I don’t remember how much the meal cost, but I do remember the experience.

3. Research Solo Hot Spots

When looking for local restaurants, type solo dining near me into your search bar. This will pull up a list of nearby restaurants that cater to solo diners. More importantly, it will list restaurants where solo diners have mentioned having positive experiences.

4. Choose Your Seat

Sitting at communal tables provides a chance to chat. Bar seating might result in sitting next to another solo traveler or a convivial couple who might welcome an exchange with someone outside their bubble. Bartenders are invariably personable. My least favorite place to sit is in the middle of a noisy room if I am the lone solo diner in a sea of groups.

5. Be Assertive

There are times when you’ll wish to experience the local food, recover from a busy day of sightseeing, and do some planning for the next day. In that case, don’t let staff lead you to bar seating. Ask for a quiet table or booth on the edge of a room.

Being pleasantly assertive when you first enter sets ground rules. Solo diners don’t always get the best service. I’d never click or holler for a waiter who is slow to take my order because they’re being more attentive to larger groups, but I would get up and take my business elsewhere. And I’d write the one-star review that good companies dread but also heed. For me, it’s about paving the way for other solo travelers.

6. Banish Boredom

Most solo travelers don’t get bored with their own company, or they wouldn’t travel solo. But sometimes the wait between courses or for a check can become tedious.

Again, it’s all about seating. A Parisian sidewalk table means you can sip wine and watch well-dressed women catwalk past. Balconies or patios can offer scenery to soothe the soul. You can whisk me back to the Terrace Coffee House & Restaurant overlooking Coniston Water and the sublime scenery of the Lake District any day.

7. Reconsider Technology

When my son was backpacking in Europe, he would FaceTime us on the few occasions he was eating more than a kebab and was eating alone. It’s an option. But technology also alienates us from our surroundings and stops us from being mindful of and open to others. Take out a device, and you put up a wall that stops anyone from speaking to you. Better options might be journaling, reading a book, or browsing the local paper.

That said, I must admit that I’m one of those annoying people who Instagrams a beautifully presented meal — except I’m not keeping anyone from eating except myself. Dinner for one, indeed! I could be sharing my meal with up to 4,000 followers. And to paraphrase Anais Nin: “We photograph food to taste it twice — in the moment and in retrospect.”

8. Consider Alternatives To Restaurants

I don’t self-cater when traveling — I do enough cooking at home — but I do forage for interesting local foods in markets and supermarkets. In Paris, you can buy wonderful cheeses and a baguette and eat them on your balcony overlooking the city. Food trucks can be a great way to try out popular local dishes in relaxed settings.

In Victoria, British Columbia, the owner of my accommodation in the Janion recommended I grab takeout at least one night and eat it on the rooftop patio. “You’ll meet travelers from around the world,” he said. And I did.

9. Lunch Is The New Dinner

Lots of people eat out solo at lunchtime, and restaurants tend to be cheaper then, so make lunch your main meal. You can tie this meal to attractions you’re visiting. Lunch at a place like The Morris Room at London’s V&A or The Wright at New York City’s Guggenheim is a memorable experience, not just a meal.

10. Don’t Miss Out

Every city has an iconic establishment or a celebrity chef’s restaurant that tourists desperately want to eat at. Traveling solo should not prevent you from adding this experience to your treasure trove of memories. Sure, the place will be busy, but you can time your visit carefully to dine earlier or later than the crowds.

I have fond memories of eating at Rick Stein’s Fish in Falmouth, Cornwall. It was 3:30 p.m. I had the place to myself and a scenic view of the masts of old sailing ships encircled by a drift of snowflakes. Snow is a novelty for an Aussie!

11. Break The Dry Spells

Traveling for months on end can result in long stretches of eating alone. Someone could probably write a book on it: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Diner.

To avoid such dry spells, incorporate social dining experiences into your itinerary. Major cities usually offer food tours or cooking classes with a shared meal at the end. Chef’s tables, where chefs share their best dishes and cooking tips at communal tables, are a growing trend.

Consider Airbnb Experiences in which locals cook their national dishes for tourists. Eatwith runs events where you dine with other tourists at venues like supper clubs in London or canal houses in Amsterdam. Culinary Backstreets offers discovery tours covering local food traditions in more than 30 cities, including Mexico City and Lisbon.

So, put on your best dress and step out for a meal you will remember for the rest of your life. You can do this!

A 2019 survey by the ABTA Travel Association found that the average solo traveler is 47 years old and that 84 percent of all solo travelers are women. It also found that 65 percent of women from the United States have already taken a vacation without their partner and that 59 percent of those female solo travelers would travel alone again within the next 12 months. These statistics show that plenty of women are traveling alone and thoroughly enjoying it.

It took me until my mid-40s to finally try solo travel for leisure. Before that, I only traveled alone for work. Business travel is perfectly valid solo travel, of course, but I found that business and leisure solo travel require different mindsets and skill sets.

Having now experienced both business and leisure solo travel many times, I have found that there are certain resources out there that make solo travel easier, safer, and more enjoyable for women, plus less stressful for loved ones left behind. After all, while every trip involves inconveniences and risks, a woman traveling on her own — no matter her age — will face additional challenges.

The following resources are great for intrepid female solo travelers, whether new or experienced. You don’t need to use each one each time you travel, but it’s good to know what’s out there and to plan ahead, using some of the tools on one trip and others on the next.

Maiden Voyage

I came across this site for female (and LGBTQ+) business travelers years ago, and I still recommend it. Set up as a source of information and training for women traveling around the world on business, Maiden Voyage offers a variety of helpful resources, from lists of women-safe and women-friendly hotels to city guides and travel tips specifically for women traveling abroad.

The Maiden Voyage team checks out all the hotels it endorses and looks for potential pitfalls like dark underground parking garages as well as bonuses like women-only floors or women-only taxi availability. The city guides are written by local ambassadors familiar with the sights, local customs and etiquette, and networking opportunities in the area.

Maiden Voyage is a great site to check out during the planning stage of your trip, whether you’re traveling for business or leisure. It’s especially helpful if you’re intending to travel to a destination that may make solo female travelers uncomfortable.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a superb resource to have access to, especially if you are a bit of an adventurer and like to travel to places that are off the beaten track. I haven’t used it personally, since I am not a U.S. citizen, but I wish I had had access to something similar when I was on a road trip in Australia. There were times when I went hours without seeing another car, and I didn’t have a phone or Wi-Fi connection.

Consider participating in the STEP program if you are traveling to a politically unstable destination, will be on the road for an extended period of time, or will have limited access to the Internet or news. It will not only make you feel more secure, but it will also give your family members and friends at home peace of mind, since they’ll be able to get in touch with you more easily than they normally would under the circumstances.

To participate, you’ll need to register with the government and provide your travel plans, dates, and contact details. You will get regular safety updates for your destination, and if an emergency arises in the region you are in, the embassies will know where to look for you and will work together to help you contact family back home.

Meetup

Traveling solo is all well and good, and often we choose this path so that we can be alone with our thoughts and see and do whatever we’d like. But if you get lonely and would like to learn more about your destination or simply chat with like-minded people, the Meetup app can help.

The website lists countless groups across the world in pretty much every large city; you’re sure to find a group that shares your interests. I have used the site to practice my French while in Paris. I chose a level of language skill and met a group made up of some expats and some travelers all sitting around a table in a Paris cafe, chatting in French.

But you can also meet up with locals willing to take you for a walk around their neighborhood, go with you to the theater, or teach you to paint. The opportunities are limitless.

Tourlina

Even if you are set on traveling solo and not being accountable to anyone else, sometimes it’s nice to have a travel buddy to chat with and share experiences with.

Tourlina is a women-only app that can connect you with a like-minded woman who is traveling to the same destination at the same time as you (or a local who is willing to meet up and share her knowledge with you). There’s no need to spend your entire trip with this person, but it could be fun to connect for part of the way. The app brings together women in 160 countries and caters to all sorts of travelers, from backpackers to luxury vacationers.

Language Apps

There is absolutely no doubt that knowing a few phrases in the language spoken in your destination is a good thing. Even if you don’t go beyond “hello” and “thank you,” the locals will appreciate your efforts and treat you better. There is nothing worse than a tourist bellowing loud English at someone abroad.

There are plenty of apps that can help you learn a language. Personally, I have used Duolingo, and while I found it useful for the in-depth French I needed when I moved to the country, it might be too tedious if you just want to master some phrases. Memrise is great for basic vocabulary and is easy to use. For vacations, I like Mondly because it allows you to learn vocabulary for certain situations, such as restaurants or the weather, and while it doesn’t go into too much detail as far as grammar is concerned, it works well for the basics.

Viator

Viator is probably the largest online provider of local tours and trips. I have used it many times in order to visit certain sites that may well have been reachable by public transport, but where with an organized tour you not only get to learn and see more, but also get to chat with other people on the tour. It is not the cheapest option, but it offers trips to most major attractions around the globe, and these trips come in a variety of formats, from small-group tours to large-group tours and half-day trips to several-day-long trips. It’s easy to book online, even at short notice.

Radical Storage

One of the most annoying things about solo travel is that there’s no one to watch your bag. Radical Storage helps people find venues such as cafes or stores that are willing to look after your bags for a few hours at a low price. With this option, you can be free to roam without worrying about your items. Radical Storage has storage facilities across the world in most major cities, and it’s really easy to use.

Flush

Now, it might just be me, but wherever I am, and whatever the time of day, I am looking for restrooms. Yes, you could stop for a coffee each time and basically pay for a potty break, but the Flush app shows you all the public options near you — so much easier.

TripWhistle Global SOS

In pretty much every country, the local emergency number is different. The TripWhistle Global SOS app will tell you what emergency number to call for any emergency in your destination. It’s simple and useful, should you need it.

These are just a few of the handy resources out there for female solo travelers. They cover all your bases, from hotels to tours and from new friends to potty breaks, making for easier and happier travels.

I’ve been traveling solo full time for more than two years now, and I’ve met great people from Costa Rica to Argentina, from Europe to Africa, and from all over New Zealand. I regularly feature my new friends on my website. During my time traveling solo, I’ve learned to be more outgoing, to embrace unique opportunities, and to accept invitations, and I never feel alone.

Here are a few ways to start a conversation and make new friends on your travels, no matter what country you’re visiting.

1. Smile And Make Eye Contact

This is the easiest way to meet someone with the least amount of effort. It only requires that you stop staring at your phone and start looking at the people around you. It works everywhere in the world, and it doesn’t require special language skills. Simply look around, and when someone who looks friendly returns your gaze, smile intentionally. A lot of the time, this simple gesture will lead to a hello and a great conversation.

I suggest starting with people of the same sex or with couples because, in certain places, you might give the impression you’re trying to meet someone. (Of course, if you are, then go for it!) I’ve also found that this strategy works best when you — and the person you’re smiling at — are in an enclosed venue, such as at a restaurant, in a museum, or on a train.

2. Offer A Compliment

One of the best conversation starters is a genuine compliment. You have to mean what you say — don’t just say something to get a conversation going. Genuine curiosity and mutual interests lead to the best conversations.

I love bold styles and colors, and I’ve started conversations by complimenting anything from hairstyles to shoes to accents. If I want to know where to find what someone is wearing, I have the perfect lead-in to a conversation about that person and their interests. Be on the lookout for people whose attire, reading material, or behavior interests you, and then walk over to them and give a compliment. This can be used any place, even while walking around outside.

3. Jump In On A Conversation

I’ve made some great friends because someone was saying something I found funny or interesting and I made a joke or honest remark about it. My first night in New Zealand, I was dining alone, and the woman next to me started telling her friends a funny dating story. I leaned over and said, “Sorry, but now I have to eavesdrop on your conversation!” She turned around and when she saw that I was alone, she invited me to her table.

You need to have a genuine interest in the conversation before piping up. Also, don’t be upset if this only gets you an annoyed stare. Just smile and chalk it up to not being a good connection for you. I find that this method works best if, instead of intentionally eavesdropping, you simply let the conversation catch you by surprise.

4. Ask Where Someone’s From

This is a question that applies to everyone and can be used anywhere. It’s the perfect icebreaker question, whether you’re on a tour, on a train, or in a restaurant. If you speak several languages, it’s a great way to open up a dialogue if you hear a familiar accent. You’ll get a chance to practice the language — and possibly meet some people to spend time with during your stay.

5. Help Someone Find Their Way

If you see someone standing in the middle of a street staring at a paper map or at their phone, there’s a good chance they’re having trouble finding something. Walk over to them and ask if you can help. Even if you don’t know a place perfectly, you might have information that would be useful to another tourist, and, at the very least, you’ll have done a good deed. You might end up heading in the same direction and making some new friends.

6. Dine Alone In A Cafe Or Restaurant

If a restaurant isn’t busy, talk to the waiter. Ask them for local tips — where to go, where they eat or drink with their friends, and how they like living in the area. Waiters are often friendly and can be a great resource to help you enjoy your time in a new place.

If a restaurant is busy, make eye contact with and smile at one of the people at a table next to yours. Or, use one of my other recommended strategies to start a conversation. If you end up speaking with people with whom you have a great connection, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to join their table!

7. Frequent A Particular Venue

This is my number-one tip for getting friendly with locals. If you’re spending any amount of time in a city, I strongly recommend getting to know at least one local. I’m still in touch with coffee-shop owners, hotel managers, and tour guides from around the world because I used their services repeatedly. In many countries, when the staff of a local venue sees you more than once, they’ll take an interest in you.

Two years ago, I discovered the Vaca Purpura coffee shop in Costa Rica. It caught my eye because I love cows and coffee. I hopped on an empty stool and ended up talking to the owner, Karen. I went back every day for a week, discovered Karen’s passion for travel and coffee, met her friends and family, and even got invited to dinner with her and her husband. Today, we’re still in touch.

8. Be Willing To Accept Help

If you’re a savvy solo traveler, it might seem that you can take care of everything on your own, and it can be hard to accept help. I’ve learned, however, to immediately accept offers to join someone’s table, share a tour, get a ride someplace, and more.

My eyes were opened to the value of this kind of help while in Costa Rica. I hiked up to a waterfall in a small town. On the way, I passed a man on the otherwise empty road. My instinct told me he was trouble. He tried to get me to accompany him to his “secret place.” I refused, but was scared of what would happen when I returned on the same road. At the waterfall, I met a lovely couple, and we spoke for long enough that they offered me a ride back to my hotel. I gratefully accepted.

9. Take A Tour

Local tours are a great way to get to know people. When you spend several hours or a day with the same group, it becomes easier to converse, especially if you’re shy. The advantage of the tour is that you have the opportunity to befriend both the other tourists and the tour guides.

In November of 2018, I got friendly with Jackie from England on a day tour in Thailand. She celebrated my birthday with me, and we’ve stayed in touch. Last year we even met up in Santiago, Chile.

In February of 2018, I took a tour in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, and the tour guide took pity on me when I slipped and fell into the mud during a long hike. He held my hand and walked backward to help me down the rest of the slippery trail! Over two years later, Julio still checks in on me to see how I am.

A year ago, I took a tour in El Calafate, Argentina, led by Fran. We joked around and developed a wonderful friendship. He’s now working in Christchurch, New Zealand, and now that I’m stuck in the same country, he’s become a local source of comfort and friendship.

Solo travel offers you a fantastic opportunity to meet people from around the world. It’s a great way to step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself to be bolder than you might otherwise be. Remember that age isn’t a barrier to any of these tips. You’ve got nothing to lose, and you might just gain a new friend.

Age is no barrier to traveling solo. I was 61 when I left Australia on my first independent trip overseas. It began with a 23-hour flight from Melbourne to London. Then I spent seven weeks crisscrossing England and Scotland by train and rental car.

I’d always craved a solo adventure, but my vacations had been taken up with family holidays. And even when the kids grew up, I felt I couldn’t simply take off as I was an only child and responsible for an elderly parent.

As the years passed, my score on the Holmes and Rahe Scale of life’s most stressful events escalated. I’d had a couple of operations. My husband hadn’t died, but we were separating. Our kids had left home. My teaching job of 25 years was axed, and then my mother passed away.

When I found a new job working online it felt like a consolation prize until I realised the opportunity of being able to work from anywhere. So I walked into a travel agency thinking I would just inquire about prices — and walked out waving an airline ticket.

Since my first trip in 2016 I have taken six lengthy solo trips overseas. I’ve visited the U.S. twice, plus Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Canada. Yet, looking back, I had subconsciously been preparing for that first overseas adventure for years by setting myself challenges of doing things solo. Here are some of the best ways to prepare.

1. Going Out Alone

It began with movies. Heck, you don’t sit in a cinema to socialize, unless you want people shushing you from all sides. It was a niche film about a poet, and after the movie, I began chatting with the other solo person I was seated next to, and we ended up going off for coffee. This spontaneous experience with a like-minded person was so much better than dragging someone along who didn’t share my taste in movies.

Trying local dishes when traveling is one of life’s pleasures. So, I knew solo dining was a hurdle worth overcoming. Breakfast and lunch are easily done. But solo dinners are more challenging.

The first time I dined alone, I was plunked in the middle of a restaurant surrounded by couples. As I was leaving, I overheard a woman whisper to her companion, “Poor thing. Her husband must be dead.” Her comment steeled my resolve to continue doing things solo as her world-view seemed so narrow-minded. Would I end up like that if I never branched past only doing things with a partner?

The next time I chose bar seating and bonded with a young woman who was traveling solo for work. We had a great conversation and still stay in contact.

2. A Woman Walked Into A Bar…

Bars can be a tall order. But the world has some spectacular ones, so it is worth putting yourself out there. I don’t go to many at home, but in Bali, I really wanted to experience some of their famous beach bars. As my Grab driver pulled up outside Potato Head Beach Bar, I muttered, “I can’t do this on my own.” The driver, who had pretended not to speak a word of English, suddenly turned around and said, “Of course you can, love. You go, and have a drink and watch the sunset over the ocean.” I took his advice, chatted with a lovely young couple, and saw the sun set over the Indian Ocean through the lens of an excellent tequila sunrise.

3. Experiencing The Joys Of Train Travel

Years before heading overseas solo, I’d started doing short local trips away. Train travel can be a good option for solo travelers as it alleviates the need for driving, and you generally meet people. If you travel solo, people always talk to you. It is couples who have more trouble meeting others. On my first train journey, I settled in to read my book. A woman sat down next to me and chatted away for the next three hours. Luckily she was interesting!

4. Learning On The Road

My train journeys took me further from home until I had covered most of Australia. A woman I met on a train in Outback, Queensland, told me how she normally traveled around in her RV. “I could never drive anything that big,” I said. “Do you drive in the city?” she asked.

“Well, yes.” “I could never drive in the city,” she countered.

I understood her subtle message. Women can do anything we set our minds to; we just need to put ourselves in situations where we actually do it.

That said, long-distance driving had eluded me as my husband loved the challenge of road trips, and my relief stints behind the wheel had been minimal. When I began challenging myself to drive long distances solo, I thought it would be awful, but it opened up a whole new world. Solo road trips are totally self-immersive, listening to the podcasts you enjoy and stopping whenever you see something of interest.

I did have to master certain challenges, such as overtaking large trucks and steep mountain climbs with sheer drops. Uttering expletives really helped on those hairpin bends.

On that first UK trip, I was thankful I’d honed my driving and tech skills at home. One night I was sandwiched between trucks on the M1 Motorway. The emergency lane was blocked by roadwork. Visibility was already low when it started to pour, and just then my fuel light flashed on. “Hey, Siri! Petrol!” I screamed. She directed me to safety. It was the first time I had tried that command. Solo travel builds up your resourcefulness.

5. Surrounding Myself With Role Models

Having a positive mindset helps. I immerse myself in podcasts, films, and books about independent female travelers. A memoir I found particularly inspiring was Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World. When Rita Golden Gelman’s marriage ended, she was nearly 50. After years of looking after others, she set off to travel the world. While solo female travel might feel like the new norm, Gelman did this back in the 1980s and remained on the road for the next 30 years.

I also have a friend who takes off to Japan every year and has done so for the last 35 years. In the second half of each year, she flies to Western Europe challenging herself to stay in rural places where English is not widely spoken. Another writer friend took off for Spain. Her plan was to walk the Camino solo, and then find work teaching English. Her year abroad turned into two, and she has now been away for three years. Last time we spoke, she was in Moscow. Her partner back at home has moved on with his life, but she has forged some memorable bonds with her son who occasionally joins her for a few weeks wherever she is in the world.

I don’t have a black belt in solo travel, but with a few trips now under my belt I am working toward a yellow one. I am no Rita Golden Gelman traveling the world for 30 years. But I continue to challenge myself. My knees may never allow me to walk the Camino, but I’ve promised myself a trip to Japan, and perhaps even a solo road trip in an RV.

Each solo challenge set and overcome builds resilience and confidence. If you can travel solo, you can conquer most obstacles in your life. A solo journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step of doing something you may feel slightly uncomfortable attempting on your own. So what movie, restaurant, or road trip do you have in mind?

You know that feeling of ambivalence that can set in as your birthday approaches? On one hand, you’re happy to be celebrating another year. But on the other is a feeling of angst about turning a year older.

I can relate. While I felt unmitigated joy in my birthdays as a child, I often had mixed emotions as my adult birthdays approached. Maybe because my birthday falls in February — surely the dreariest month of the year — the big day often came with a dose of melancholy.

About a decade ago, I decided to try a new tactic. I asked myself how I could bring back that feeling of childish delight in my birthday. For me, a lifelong lover of travel, the answer was obvious. What could be better than a birthday trip?

So, as a milestone birthday approached, I asked my sister to join me on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She happily agreed. It worked like a charm. For months beforehand, I was planning and anticipating my big day rather than dreading it.

And when my actual birthday arrived, I was gazing at Cabo’s famous rock arch and eating fabulous food in a cruise-ship dining room. There were no more mixed emotions. It was pure joy.

Since then, I have made birthday travel an annual ritual. Sometimes it’s just a short road trip, and other times it’s a flight to a favorite city.

I’ve found so many things to love about birthday travel that I highly recommend it as a way to battle the getting-older blues. Here’s why.

It’s All About Celebrating

For a respite from real life, nothing can beat travel. Work responsibilities fade into the background as you focus on the pleasures of the trip.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve taken birthday trips to San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Napa Valley, Santa Monica, Vancouver, Sedona, and Phoenix. Regardless of the distance, each trip has lifted my spirits.

From the moment I board the plane for a new city, I find it easy to go into celebration mode. With an inflight Irish coffee in hand, I literally fly away from my troubles.

You Get To Do Things You Enjoy

Another perk of birthday travel is that it’s an excuse to indulge yourself. I recommend aligning your birthday-trip destination with your personal interests.

Several of my birthday excursions have focused on hiking, while others have been more about exploring beautiful city centers and attending cultural events. On one memorable weekend girls’ trip to Phoenix, my friends and I combined all of our interests and took in a scenic desert hike, an Oscar-nominated movie, a visit to a bookstore, and a trendy pizza/wine dinner.

Another year, when none of my friends or family members could make the trip, I traveled to San Francisco solo to attend an American Conservatory Theater stage production of one of my favorite books, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Afterward, I took an exhilarating nighttime ride on the city’s famed cable cars and had a hot toddy at the historic Buena Vista near Fisherman’s Wharf.

Once I decide on a destination, I search online for activities that are going on that week. Along with the San Francisco play, I have discovered a wonderful winter farmers market in Santa Monica and a fun piano bar entertainer at a hotel in Del Mar, California.

There’s Cake

I love a good chocolate cake, and at a restaurant or hotel, it seems that all you have to do is mention it’s your birthday to be showered with chocolate love.

Over the years, I’ve had decadent desserts and bottles of wine left in my hotel rooms and been treated to restaurants’ specialty sweet treats. Usually, it is the result of a prompt from my travel companions, but sometimes I get caught up in the birthday spirit and blurt it out myself.

On a 2016 birthday trip to Seattle, I casually mentioned the reason for my trip to a server at a restaurant at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Before long, he had returned with a plateful of the hotel’s sweet specialties — all decorated with a swirl of chocolate script wishing me a happy birthday.

On my solo San Francisco trip, I ended up having dinner next to a woman who was celebrating her birthday that day as well, and we enjoyed complimentary desserts together.

So, I say don’t be shy. You never know what your celebration might yield.

You Get Best Wishes From Strangers

It also doesn’t hurt that unlikely strangers sometimes notice, and offer birthday wishes — like the stern customs official I encountered upon arrival in Vancouver.

After first questioning me about whether I was traveling alone, he looked at my passport and asked what had brought me all the way from Arizona. At that point, I decided to play what I have come to think of as “the birthday card.”

“It’s my birthday, and I’m on a weekend trip to celebrate it,” I told him.

Another quick peek at my passport, and the agent smiled, winked, wished me a happy birthday, and waved me on.

You Get To Spend Time With The People You Love

While I enjoy my solo trips, I truly love traveling with my friends, sisters, and son and daughter-in-law. The beauty of planning a birthday trip is that your favorite people often agree to join you.

Over the years, my friends and I have traded off traveling on our respective birthdays. I’ve joined them to celebrate their birthdays in the fall, spring, and summer, and they have returned the favor to me in February.

I have also taken multiple birthday trips with my sister. In addition to our cruise to Mexico, we have explored Alcatraz together and taken a fun road trip to Red Rock State Park in Sedona.

It always takes me back to those days when we were kids together and couldn’t wait for our birthdays to arrive.

Continuing The Cycle

I also cherish the chance to celebrate my birthdays with my son and his wife. In recent years, they have joined me for long-weekend stays in Santa Monica and Vancouver, and I’ve visited them at their homes in Seattle and Austin.

I love that they’re always willing to indulge my long walks on the beach, and, in turn, I’m up for trying their foodie haunts for exotic seafood creations.

So, it is with gleeful anticipation that I’m looking ahead to joining them for my next birthday trip in Vancouver in February. I see some chilly seaside walks and sushi dinners in my immediate future!

Even if it’s just a day trip to a neighboring town or a long weekend getaway, getting away on your birthday offers the perfect combination of a celebration and a break from your day-to-day routine. I intend to continue my tradition indefinitely. Next year: Banff in the winter?

Peru is one of the places that fascinated and terrified me before going. Several years ago, I saw a psychic in America. She told me I’d be traveling a lot and that there was healing work for me in Peru. I assumed she meant I’d do ayahuasca. This assumption, combined with stories of kidnappings and violence, left me unsure about whether I should visit.

What drew me to Peru were all the colorful photos and other people’s accounts of how much they loved it. I realized that if Colombia is nothing like the stereotypes, I should be more open-minded about Peru. What I found was my own haven and a truly healing experience — happily without ayahuasca. Here are the most important things I learned.

1. Book Transportation From The Airport In Advance

No matter what country you’re arriving from, all the flights seem to arrive late at night. Especially if you’re traveling solo, this is not the time to save money on safety. Your hotel or hostel should be able to send a car for you. This way you can get a driver’s name and number in advance, and someone will know when to expect you and the car you’re in.

2. Uber Is Not Recommended

As I travel the world, Uber is often my first choice because it’s safer than the local taxi services. The app allows me to notify up to five people of every ride, giving me an additional feeling of safety. That’s why I was surprised to learn that in Peru, they don’t regulate their drivers. I was told by locals to use Cabify instead.

3. Lima Is Not As Dangerous As I Feared

Lima doesn’t have the best reputation for safety, but I felt overly dramatic for the fears I built up about it. Miraflores has police everywhere and is one of the safest areas in Lima. Though I didn’t do anything risky or go out alone at night, I felt very safe walking around the city during the day.

4. Free Walking Tours Required

I took free walking tours in Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco. There are many to choose from. I enjoyed using Inkan Milky Way. Because of my guides in Lima, I learned that a city which, at first glance, seemed like nothing more than Miraflores and shopping, has an artistic center and a sprawling downtown with fascinating history. In Arequipa I learned about the impact of the nearby volcano, and I got to drink a pisco sour on a hidden rooftop that you can’t access without the tour guide. In Cusco, we learned about the city layout, played with llamas, and learned some of the more trustworthy places to shop in the local market. I found these walking tours essential to having a great overview of each city.

5. The Food Is Some Of The Best In South America

When I saw the corn in Peru, I was flabbergasted. If that corn grew in America, I’d assume it was full of hormones. In Peru, the corn is huge, and it’s delicious. Indulge in it every chance you get. It’ll be available with your meals and as dried snacks everywhere you look. Llama and alpaca — if you can get over eating cute, furry animals — are delicious. Bonus: They have no cholesterol. The best alpaca I ever ate was in Arequipa at a pre-Incan restaurant called Sonccollay.

You can also read up on the best local dishes to try in Peru here.

6. Guinea Pigs Are Not Pets

This was the most disturbing thing I learned in Peru. There are farms with guinea pigs. I thought they were for petting. The awful truth is that they’re for eating. Even worse, I gave in to trying new things when a new friend ordered one for dinner. It was cooked, brought to our table and displayed like a suckling pig, then cut into pieces. I couldn’t get over the feeling I was eating a kid’s pet, and it was chewy and slimy, so I won’t eat that again. Honestly, I’m still racked with guilt about the experience.

7. Travel By Bus Is Excellent

Since I traveled through Peru alone, I wanted to use transportation with other people — without booking an official or expensive tour. That’s one of the reasons I chose Peru Hop, which ended up being a fabulous way to see the country and meet wonderful new friends.

8. If You Plan To Take Ayahuasca, Do Your Research

Like many other people, I was curious about ayahuasca, so I looked into it. I’m glad I did. I had fantasies of stewing in spirituality and gaining deep personal insights. I knew, before going to Peru, to work only with someone I trusted, and not do it alone because of the risk of being taken advantage of sexually. While in the country, I heard stories of people getting sick (and even dying) from taking incorrect doses of the plant. I also learned there’s a cleansing period required as part of the process.

For two weeks prior to the ceremony, you can’t eat meat, drink alcohol, or have sex. Then you fast two days before. Once you drink it, you have no control over your bodily functions, and you’re in a room full of strangers who also have no bodily control. Suffice to say, all romantic notions vanished, and I skipped it. If you decide to experience it for yourself, make sure you thoroughly research not just who you’re receiving it from, but all the requirements. An industry is being created around Westerners who want to fly in for a weekend ayahuasca fix, and it’s no doubt ruining what’s supposed to be a sacred experience.

9. For A Bunch Of Losers, Peruvians Behave Like Winners

I was in Lima for the final world cup game when they lost to Brazil. I don’t know how I lucked out, but I got the last seat in a restaurant in the center of town. The entire city was fixated and emotional, and the true spirit of Peru came out during the after-party. I expected them to be sad about losing. Instead, they celebrated their team making it to the world cup finals, an amazing accomplishment for them. Happiness and partying spilled into the streets, and I’ve never seen a losing country celebrate so heartily.

10. It’s Extremely Affordable

One of the best parts of travel to Peru is how affordable it is. You can eat decent meals, stay in accommodation that’s safe, take tours, and not kill your budget. In Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco, there are plenty of expensive restaurants, but I was surprised at the quality of excellent food to be found in more budget-friendly options.

11. Research Prices Before You Buy

Even if you find the prices ridiculously low, you should always negotiate. Cusco has some of the largest selections of ponchos you can find. If you visit three different vendors with the exact same merchandise, they’ll give you three different prices before you even start negotiating. Pretty much anything you’ll want is sold by numerous vendors, so take your time and get a good price.

12. Altitude Sickness Can Be Treated Without Drugs

Unfortunately, I suffered a great deal from altitude sickness when I was over 13,000 feet. I had my prescription Diamox with me, but with all the potential side effects, I decided to see if I could make it without the drugs. I learned that time is the best remedy, but when those bad headaches strike, they can be battled with herbal remedies. Of all the ones I tried, my favorites were chachacoma, muna muna (herbs found at local artisan shops), and Alti Vital, which is completely herbal and can be found in most pharmacies in Peru.

Overall, Peru is filled with colors, delightful tastes and smells, and wonderful people. I loved Arequipa for it’s beauty and excellent food. In Cusco I saw a Shaman who gave me a very accurate reading with coca leaves. In Puno, I was delighted to learn about the sacredness of these leaves in Peruvian culture and saddened to see how it was tainted by the advent of cocaine. Whether it’s the history, the colored mountains, the crisp air at high altitudes, or the surprising intelligence of the Incan communities who built structures with such fortitude and beauty, Peru is one of the most fascinating countries I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Want more on safe solo travel around the States and the world? Check out “What I Learned From Traveling Solo For The First Time” and “Traveling Solo Over 50: 7 Tips From The Experts.”

When I review the U.S. government website and hear various news stories, I wonder if I should consider myself more courageous than I do for visiting Cape Town on my own. It became one of my favorite cities in the world. Though reasonable caution is necessary, this is one of the most beautiful places you can visit. Here are 10 lessons I learned on my recent solo trip to Cape Town.

1. It Feels Like Many Cities In One

At first, I thought Greenmarket Square was the heart of the city while everything nearby was a suburb. It turns out Cape Town is huge — with such varied landscape and activities that it seems like multiple cities. Camps Bay is only 20 minutes from Greenmarket yet feels like escaping to a distant beach town with majestic mountain views. Another part of the city houses Kirstenbosch, a beautiful botanical garden. It’s easy to get lost in its nature. You can also go to the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park to see a cassowary and enjoy monkeys sitting on your head.

And then, if you visit a township like Khayelitsha, you’ll feel you’ve entered a different world.

I recommend leaving two days for the City Sightseeing bus, which gives you an excellent city overview. One day isn’t enough time if you want to hop off and spend any meaningful amount of time in more than two locations, so plan accordingly.

2. The Area Of Greatest Danger Is Also That Of Greatest Community

Greenmarket Square is reputed as one of the more dangerous areas in Cape Town. Even with security guards on every corner, I felt uncomfortable with so many people asking for money. Of all the areas in Cape Town, however, this was one of my favorites because of its community. Most impressive was Saint George’s Mall, a food and shopping street closed to all but pedestrian traffic.

Every Thursday morning, vendors come in for a small food-and-craft market. You can grab a takeaway lunch and any of the restaurants on the street will let you sit down and enjoy your meal with no obligation to purchase anything. During the rest of the week, the shop owners help one another; if one owner loses Wi-Fi and can’t take your credit card, he’ll ask another shop owner to do the transaction and take payment when it goes through. It’s a beautiful scene to witness.

3. Some Of The World’s Best Wine Is Right In Town

While everyone thinks of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for South African wine, you can visit excellent vineyards in Cape Town without an expensive day trip. My two favorites were High Constantia and Groot Constantia. The first is small and unassuming. In fact, I thought I was accidentally at someone’s garage! Once inside, I was escorted to the porch and served some of the most delicious wines of my stay. From here, I walked up the road to Groot Constantia and it was such a treat I stayed there the rest of the day.

There are two tasting rooms — the one that’s further down the road is closer to the restaurants, of which you can choose from higher end or more casual options. After wining and dining, you can walk on the property and take in the beautiful lines of grapes among the blue sky and mountain surroundings. You can reach the vineyards by Uber or take the City Sightseeing bus to Groot Constantia then walk to High Constantia.

4. Marijuana Is Legal

I don’t do drugs (apart from red wine), yet I found it fascinating to see what’s happening around weed. It was recently legalized in South Africa. You can use it, but you’re not allowed to buy it or sell it. This begs all sorts of questions like, Where and how do you get the weed if it can’t be bought or sold? If you can’t figure it out, head to Kamili Coffee on Long Street, right next to the City Sightseeing bus office, and have yourself a Cannuccino. It may just be hemp, but it left me feeling happy and energized.

5. The Coffee Is Some Of The Best In The World

Second to my love of red wine is my love of coffee. Cape Town has some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted, Cannuccinos aside. The blend of African beans is on par with the depth of Colombian coffee. If you’re a caffeine addict, you will not be disappointed in Cape Town.

6. People Are Surprisingly Open To Racial Discussions

Depending on where you’re from, you may be shocked to learn that calling people “colored” is common in South Africa. While everyone has a different perspective on the country’s past and present, I found it refreshing that we could sit at the table and talk about apartheid and racism. This is where I began to understand that life in South Africa has been tough, and yet many people are open and willing to work together for a better future.

7. You Should Trust Your Gut

If you read anything about Cape Town, you’ll hear a lot about danger. I noticed that the longer I stayed, the more comfortable I felt. I listened to warnings from locals and never went out alone after dark. I learned to pay attention to my surroundings, my belongings, and my feelings.

One weekend afternoon, I went to The Old Biscuit Mill, where there’s a wonderful handicraft market. (Note: Everything shuts down around 3 p.m., so if you want to enjoy a cup of coffee or food, get there early.) I then walked one block away and a man approached me, asking if I was from the area. I found his question strange since I obviously wasn’t, and my gut warned me instantly. The man asked me to come to his car to help him. I remained silent and he kept on talking. His story got so long and detailed that I knew he was lying. I said no and walked away.

When I told some local friends about the incident, they told me this was a typical way I could have ended up a statistic.

8. It’s Important To Understand Transportation Options

If you’re traveling solo or without a car, make sure you know which transportation options exist and which to avoid. Don’t use the white vans. They exist to bridge the gap in transportation between the townships and the town center. My Uber drivers warned me that they aren’t regulated, so drivers could, essentially, kidnap anyone who opts for a white-van ride. To travel safely, I found the two best options were using Uber and learning to navigate the MyCiTi bus.

9. The Town Is Very Fishy

Cape Town is on a port, and you’ll want to eat as much fish as possible. The locals go to Hout Bay and delight in the fish and chips at Fish on the Rocks. (If it’s freezing and raining outside, then try Snoekies, which has more insulation.)

I found sushi a strange experience, however. Though the fish itself is excellent, local preparation uses a lot of cream cheese and frying. If you’re used to Asian or American sushi, you might not like it.

10. Local Meats Are Strange But Delicious

While you may go to Cape Town because you can easily get to Kruger Park and The Garden Route, don’t miss out on eating local delicacies like ostrich, kudu, and springbok. All of them have zero cholesterol and are prepared in local dishes you won’t be able to find outside Africa. Biltong is another must-try.

My now-favorite place to eat in Cape Town is Biltong and Blade because in addition to beef, they have kudu, springbok, ostrich, and more, and it’s delicious. (If you go, please tell Fred and Glenn I say hello!) I feel that new experiences are one of the main purposes of travel, and food is no exception to the new things you can try.

Cape Town is a powerful blend of beauty and controversy. In my opinion, danger can, and does, happen in any city, so while you should be aware of your surroundings and behavior, you don’t need to be afraid of going. Some of the loveliest people I ever met are from Cape Town, and the kindness and generosity with which they treated me is why I plan to return.

Also read up on traveling to South Africa responsibly: six things to know.

Beginning when they were still in elementary school, I’ve told my four children (three daughters and a son) that they shouldn’t even think about getting married until they are 25.

Why?

Because they need time to get through college, start their careers, and enjoy at least a few years of life that are all about them. Once they marry, life instead becomes about them as one half of a couple. And if they decide to have children, life is really never about them ever again.

When she blinks and suddenly wakes up as a 50-something adult, most every woman will have spent more than 20 consecutive years putting other people (her husband and her kids) and other priorities (her career and her household) first. And if she’s one of the 8.5 million single mothers in America (like me), time alone is as rare as a winning Powerball ticket.

So it’s no wonder that the hottest craze in travel is especially appealing to midlife women. Traveling alone has been one of the hottest travel trends this year, one that’s expected to continue into 2020 and beyond.

I recently gave solo travel a try, and this is what I learned.

1. My Solo Trip Was About Me (And Only Me)

After years of putting other people and priorities first, solo travel allows you to be deliciously self-centered and focus on nothing but what you want to do, see, and eat. This isn’t a business trip where your boss, your company’s travel policy, and business objectives dictate the details. And this isn’t a couple’s trip or family vacation where compromises are often required to ensure that each traveler gets to do or see at least some of his or her “can’t miss” items.

No, a solo trip is all about you. You pick when you want to wake up and when you want to go to sleep. You choose what you want to do and where you want to eat. And you set the pace at each stop.

After spending every minute of the past 20 years focused on at least two other human beings (my firstborns are boy/girl twins), the biggest benefit solo travel gave me was time all to myself. For three wonderful days, I did what I wanted, when I wanted to do it, for as long as I wanted. Not once did I hear, “Are we there yet?” And no one complained about how many photos I took of the Great Salt Lake and a bison cow grazing in the tall prairie grass on Antelope Island.

2. Because It Was All About Me, I Could Really Focus On The Destination

It’s hard to truly enjoy an art museum, presidential library, or medieval chapel if your travel companions aren’t really into the experience. You may want to linger in front of Monet’s masterpieces, read every word about the Watergate scandal, or take a thousand pictures of one of the oldest structures in the Western Hemisphere, but it’s hard to fully enjoy it when your travel companions are antsy to move on to the next stop.

3. Less Was More When I Dined Out As A Solo Female Traveler

When I travel with my kids, we spend as much time planning where we’re going to eat as we do deciding what we’re going to see and do. We love food, and experiencing locally owned restaurants and regional cuisine is very important to us. So before we visited Portland, Maine, we knew all of the best places to eat lobster rolls. And before we visited Austin, Texas, we knew all of the best barbeque joints. But on my solo trip, the idea of sitting down to a full-service restaurant meal all by myself didn’t sound nearly as fun as dining with someone else.

So I opted to grab a few things at the grocery store and eat at fast-casual establishments instead. On the plus side, I spent a lot less on food and ate fewer calories when I traveled solo. On the downside, the food wasn’t nearly as special or delicious, and I didn’t get to try as many things as I do when I travel with others.

4. Solo Travel Allowed Me to Get Lost

Perhaps the most unexpected benefit of solo travel was lots of time to get lost in my thoughts. No one needed me to run them to the dance studio or expected me to cook dinner. There was no television in the one-bedroom apartment I’d rented, and I didn’t have anyone to chat with as I hiked the trails at Antelope Island. And there was no one sitting across the table from me at dinner.

But the peace and quiet quickly filled my head with a colorful kaleidoscope of memories from half a century on this wonderfully exciting planet. When I passed a young family on a trail, the chatter between their two preschoolers reminded me of when my twins, Bo and Juliette, were that age, constantly jockeying for position as co-firstborns.

When I bit into my gyro sandwich for dinner, I remembered the incredible food I enjoyed on a trip to Greece. And when I settled into the small, well-appointed downtown apartment I’d rented for the weekend, I remembered my first apartment after college, back when I had a few years to spend my time and money 100 percent focused on what I — and I alone — wanted to do.

Like one third of the respondents in this Booking.com study, I would definitely take another solo trip. It was refreshing to sneak away to a few delicious days all to myself. And if you’re a midlife traveler who hasn’t taken a solo trip yet, I highly encourage you to try it at least once!

I took my first solo trip when I was 51. During five years of solo travel, I have met numerous female solo travelers along the way: There was the woman sitting next to me on the train from New Orleans to Tuscaloosa, buried under blankets most of the day because she had stayed up late playing cards in the observation car, who regaled tales of traveling to Japan and Thailand by herself. Then there was the retired schoolteacher I met waiting for a train in Colorado. She told me she lived on her retirement plan and then worked part-time teaching online courses. The money from the online classes was saved for one long trip each year. To alleviate any fears of traveling to a foreign country solo, she would first join an organized group trip for 10 days, then, once acclimated to the area with the group, stay on solo for a couple more weeks after it ended.

The reasons these women share for solo traveling are numerous: divorce or the children are grown, so they have the freedom to travel, a desire to meet other travelers — which isn’t always easy when traveling with another or in a group — or a way to challenge themselves.

My story is similar. I was single and my children out of the house when I decided to travel the U.S. by train. It was frightening at first as I had never traveled solo before. My mantra, to get me through the fear, became “Take the next step.” I found that my fears were based on what might happen rather than what actually was happening. So along each step of the way, like when I heard just minutes before detraining in Winter Park that there was a blizzard, instead of worrying about What if? I took the next step and got off the train. The empowerment I’ve gained from solo travel is measurable and people frequently comment that I have a newly-acquired inner strength.

A common theme I hear from solo travelers is that they learn and are inspired by the stories of fellow travelers, so I spoke with seven expert solo travelers so I could share their tips.

1. Be Prepared (But Stay Open)

Tami Al-Hazza is a 59-year-old traveler who has traveled both solo and with her daughter. Al-Hazza says the first time she traveled solo, it was a shock. “I was lonely, I felt awkward in restaurants, and I missed having someone to share my experiences with. While eating in restaurants, I learned to take a book or magazine with me, but I don’t bury myself in it, I only use it as a backup. Sometimes I ask to eat at the bar so I can talk to others. I also book local group tours so that I can meet other travelers, and I search for experiences with locals. With time, traveling alone became less awkward, and I began to enjoy getting to know myself in new ways. With every trip, I felt more empowered to depend entirely on myself. Solo travel strengthened me.”

Her tip for solo travel: “I advise women to be prepared but always to be open to spontaneity. I suggest that they research the destination so that they know all the cultural activities that are available at that location and the unique foods and drink that they might like to try. Plan for too many activities each day and then be willing to completely depart from their plans if a new opportunity presents itself. Always be willing to try experiences with locals.”

2. Carry A Paper Map

Lynn Smargis is a travel podcast producer, editorial writer, and avid traveler, traveling 12 weeks of the year for vacation and conferences, who has traveled on long-term trips solo, too.

On a trip from Santa Fe to Chimayo, New Mexico, I decided to take the less-traveled path, depending on GPS for directions. I lost cell service and wound up lost for an hour or so before finally coming upon a postal worker who gave me directions. Because of this experience, I can personally relate to Smargis’s tip:

“The best tip I would give for traveling solo is to always carry a paper map of the area you are traveling. I travel solo for the freedom to create my own adventure, meet interesting local people, and to reinforce my ability to be a female independent do-it-yourself traveler. My favorite solo trip was an 18-day road trip from So Cal to Olympia National Park in Washington state. My love of travel and food has converged into the creation of my podcast, Travel Gluten Free.”

3. Choose Your Accommodations Wisely

Diane Lee is a 50-something Australian writer, editor, and blogger who prefers slow and solo travel. She’s currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam, with her Australian cat.

Lee said, “Choose your accommodation wisely. Even though I want to travel alone because of the freedom it gives me, I am sociable and like to chat with other travelers, so I tend to book smaller boutique hotels that have a swimming pool and restaurant or cafe. The pool takes care of the social aspect, and because I rarely go out to dinner on my own, the hotel restaurant takes care of the dining aspect. I rarely stay in Airbnbs because they generally don’t provide me with the facilities I need.”

Traveling solo means freedom to Lee. “You can go where you want, do what you want — when you want. No having to compromise. You can set your own schedule. I tend to mix things up when I travel. I often book myself into full- or half-day tours and cooking classes, but I’m also completely comfortable wandering around on my own with my camera, visiting museums and main attractions, and checking out local neighborhoods. I love local supermarkets — they are so interesting!”

4. Find A Way To Get Outside Of Your Comfort Zone

Lisa Dorenfest is 57 years old and has been traveling full-time since 2013. “While the predominance of my travel is circumnavigating the world under sail with my partner, there have been numerous times I’ve traveled solo when we’ve been in port. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Sydney, Madagascar, and Colombia come immediately to mind. The tip I would give is ‘Push yourself out of your comfort zone one baby-step at a time.’”

Dorenfest’s favorite solo trip was 30 days she spent in North Vietnam in 2017. “At the beginning of the trip, circumstances found me being transported between hotels on the back of a motorcycle: a frightening yet exhilarating experience for me. I survived the ride, and through a series of follow-on baby steps and many local motorcycle rides later, I found myself touring Lao Cai and Lai Chau, Vietnam on the back of a motorcycle.”

She wrote an article telling about that trip.

5. Print Out All Important Papers

Dr. Cacinda Maloney worked as a chiropractic physician for 22 years prior to starting a travel website in 2012. She says, “Although I am married — 28 years — I think I have now officially traveled more solo than I have married: 47 countries in 2016!”

Her tip for a solo traveler is to have all your data printed out versus just looking it up on your smartphone. “I don’t know how many times I have not been able to find what I needed on my iPhone. I keep a file folder on every trip I take that has flight information, hotel information, and any other pertinent information I might need for that trip.”

6. Work With A Travel Doctor Before Departing

Melody Wren considers her age (over 60) a gift in her travels. She brings wisdom and experience and a major If not now, when? attitude with a heavy helping of humor, which she says is required in any kind of travel.

Wren’s number one tip for solo travelers comes from personal experience. She contracted Schistosoma while wading or swimming in freshwater in an island in the Caribbean. Wren suggests: “When you travel anywhere, get advice from a travel doctor before you go about the specific destination you are going to in order to prevent picking up parasites.”

She suggests taking particular caution in the Caribbean islands, India, Africa, and Thailand and shared that “30 percent of all travelers return with at least one parasite. Strongyloides and Schistosoma can be severe if not treated.” For more tips on how to avoid getting parasites, read Wren’s article in Fodor’s.

7. Be Indulgent

The month before Adrienne Hew, a certified nutritionist, turned 50, she traveled solo to Japan. She’s making plans to return again — solo — in the spring.

Hew’s tip is to be indulgent and do something just for you. She says to pick at least one activity that you would have trouble convincing others to do with you.

Hew’s reason for traveling solo? “I travel solo because I’m usually the one at home holding down the fort while my husband travels frequently for work. I need alone time to process where I am in life, what I want from the last half of my life, and to connect with others outside of my norm.” You can read more about her travels at Nourishing Journeys Japan.

Looking for a perfect place for solo trip number one? A day in Lake Como, Italy, will whet your appetite for elegant adventure.

The sky was dark. A brisk wind and some waves. We paddled in our kayaks past Port Lockroy, the former British military base and now museum. Gentoo penguins waddled about. We launched our kayaks onto the fast ice. I was cold and tired. And very grateful. I had really done it: kayaked in Antarctica. Seen penguins feeding chicks, swimming, and arguing. Watched minke and humpback whales breach from 50 feet away. Stepped foot on the seventh continent.

Antarctica: My Dream Trip For Turning 50

Antarctica was my dream trip. Since I was 30, I had planned to go to Antarctica. I read every book on Antarctica. Saw every movie. Went to see penguins in the Galapagos and South Africa. Attended travel shows and grilled the tour company representatives. I was intent on going for my 50th.

Age 50 Comes And Goes

For my 50th birthday, Regina (my spouse) and I found ourselves on Easter Island and in the Atacama Desert instead. A spectacular trip — but not Antarctica. The next year it was Oaxaca, Mexico, followed by South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Budapest, Portugal, Spain, London, Greece, Italy, Denmark, Paris, and even Norway and the northern lights. And still we had not booked the Antarctica trip.

When I was 56, I finally asked, “Are we ever going to go to Antarctica?

Regina said, “I don’t want to go.”

I was heartbroken.

Then she said, “Why don’t you go without me?”

Over the past two decades, Regina and I had been to 45 countries together. She was the planner and paid attention to details. I was the dreamer and the finder of offbeat things to do.

I couldn’t imagine doing such a big trip on my own. But I couldn’t imagine giving up my dream.

Deciding To Go Solo To Antarctica

It was 11 p.m. in mid-November. Another Antarctic travel season had already started. There was the possibility of a last-minute deal. I did an online search and found a cruise with one single cabin and one kayaking space available. There was a huge discount since I was booking so late — and no single supplement. It seemed like the stars were aligned. I’d have to give up the idea of camping since that was already sold out, but I could kayak. I grabbed it immediately.

Packing And Worrying

I worried about packing. How was I going to bring everything and stay within the weight limits? What was I going to do alone in Buenos Aires? Would I be safe at night? Would I have anyone to talk to? Eat dinner with? Would I actually make it to Antarctica?

Packing for Antarctica is a challenge. There is so much gear to bring — cameras (DSL, underwater, and GoPro), extra batteries, a tripod, base layers (several), gloves, hats, waterproof pants, and more. The baggage limits were 44 pounds for checked bags and 11 pounds for my carry on. My camera equipment alone weighed almost 11 pounds.

I carefully planned my packing. Weighed my bags about 40 times to make sure that I was under the weight limit.

I also worried about my flight and the possibility of bad weather. I elected to have a two-day cushion in Buenos Aires in case of a flight cancellation.

Two Days In Buenos Aires

In order to make sure that there was one organized outing in my first days in Buenos Aires, I booked a street art group tour. Street art is a passion of mine. And I thought that I would have someone to talk to at least for a few hours. It was a good plan.

The tour guide told me about the Asociacion Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) demonstration the next day. The mothers have been protesting the disappearance of their children for more than 40 years. I set off for the plaza the next day. It was an honor to join their protest.

Meeting My First New Friends

The next morning it was time to take the bus from the hotel to the charter flight for Ushuaia, where we would embark on the cruise. The bus to the airport was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was talking to everyone. And we were all so excited. On the airplane, I immediately made friends with the people sitting in my row. A nurse from the Midwest traveling solo. A 70-year-old man traveling solo. A 30-something young woman also solo. It turned out that the boat had a lot of single cabins, so there was a whole contingent of us solo travelers.

There were 16 people on the kayaking excursions and we bonded as well. My worries about being lonely were gone.

Kayaking In The Southern Ocean

Kayaking in the Southern Ocean was beyond my dreams. Minke and humpback whales surfaced nearby. Penguins were everywhere — in front, behind, underneath, and on the side. We saw enormous penguin colonies with thousands of birds. On land, we watched penguins feeding chicks. And diving into the water. We heard and saw an iceberg calving (from a safe distance, of course).

It was everything that I dreamed of and more. My next aspirational trips are to Greenland and the North Pole. Perhaps I’ll do those solo, too.

Tips For Going Solo To Antarctica

Antarctica is a great trip for solo travel. Make sure the boat that you are going on has doubles, triples and/or single cabins. This is an indication that there will be many other solo travelers.

Going to Antarctica is very expensive. You can save money by booking very early or very late. If you want to camp or kayak, booking early is better. I was very lucky to get a kayaking spot when I booked.

You can also save money by sharing a cabin — and that’s a good way to make a new friend if you are traveling solo.

Talk to everyone. I made friends with other solo travelers, married couples, and families. On my boat, everyone talked to everyone. This might not be the case on every cruise, but it is a possibility!

Go to the lectures about Antarctica, penguins, whales, photography, and other topics. You may find like-minded people there.

Get to know the cruise and expedition teams. On my trip, they were very friendly and happy to spend time talking about almost anything.

If you are concerned about global warming, you will learn a lot about it on the trip. Share all that you learned when you come back.

The last and most important tip: Go to Antarctica. It is an unforgettable experience and a privilege to be able to go.

Building your bucket list? Here are 12 things to expect when visiting South America for the first time, plus how visiting Rwanda changed one writer’s life.

Recently, I’ve found that while my metabolism is crawling, my mind has been racing. I’m constantly checking my phone — feeling busy all the time and yet like I never accomplish anything. It’s been exhausting.

I needed, I decided, a way to reset both mind and body that could reboot my metabolism and refocus my energy. So I booked a stay at a yoga retreat.

The Yoga Solution

I had heard about Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires from friends. A nonprofit, it’s the oldest, and largest, yoga retreat in the country. I liked that they focused on overall wellness and “mindfulness,” which seemed like the right way to try to reset my busy mind and slow body. So I decided to try a three-day stay (note that this was a sponsored trip, although all opinions are my own).

Of course, as soon as I committed, I started to get nervous. It wasn’t just the multiple yoga classes I’d have to navigate while not being in optimal shape. I also started to worry about smaller details: First, there’s no alcohol at Kripalu (I know this sounds petty, but when was the last time you went on vacay without a glass of wine?). I had also heard rumors from friends that there would be no coffee (!) and no dessert, and also, no-talking rules, which for me, seemed impossible.

I’m not going to lie, I packed some emergency wine and chocolate along with my yoga pants before I headed out the door.

Getting There

Kripalu occupies an old Jesuit monastery, an incredibly peaceful and scenic spot in the heart of the Massachusetts Berkshire Mountains. The gorgeous setting was helpful in quelling my initial fears, and so was check-in, which felt a bit like a college advisor’s office, with a wall of classes and lectures posted for the day and the week.

Yes, there were rules: 1) No cell phone use in public areas, including and especially the dining hall, and 2) No talking, but just at breakfast. But there is coffee at breakfast as well as a cafe, with both caffeine and cookies for sale, which made me breathe a little easier.

The easy breathing continued during my first experience: a guided hike led by a teacher who has been studying yoga for 40 years. We started our walk by … sitting down. Actually sitting on a bench with our eyes closed as our guide, Vandita, led us through a meditation. Close your eyes, breathe deep, feel the earth under your feet, breathe in, smell the crisp fall air, breathe out, feel the breeze on your face. I instantly felt relaxed. And then came the first challenge: continuing silently for the next part of our walk. Honestly, it was refreshing to not have to make small talk, and I found myself focusing on, and enjoying, nature, which was especially easy with the crimson, gold, and pumpkin-colored leaves decorating the trees all around.

Next up: gentle yoga in the afternoon (there were also intermediate and vinyasa options, but I wanted to start slow). Vandita was actually the teacher for this class, too, and her gentle voice and “yum, yoga” breathing refrain helped me sink into my mat. The reminder that “This is your practice, not mine; do what feels best” was also my first hint of how non-judgmental it was here.

Food For Thought

Every meal at Kripalu is served buffet-style and defined by healthy alternatives to my usual fat-laden comfort foods, which gave me ample opportunity to try dishes that I wouldn’t normally be exposed to. The most surprising of the bunch was cream of millet (right, who knew?). I also picked up a recipe for vegan butternut squash soup at a cooking demo that was a highlight of my trip (the lesson — not the soup — although that was delicious, too).

An Ayurveda lecture was also a revelation: Instead of dieting, it’s realistic advice based on 5,000 years of history. For example, when the weather gets cold, eat warm foods such as stew and soup; stay hydrated with warm liquids, including lots of water in the morning; add healthy oils to your foods to keep your body lubricated; and eat seasonally.

Ohm Time

Even though I’m definitely not a morning person, I was inspired enough by my first class to wake up at 6 a.m. for early yoga (plus, it’s early to bed, early to rise in a place without any nightlife). It felt good to get up and stretch, and I was able to watch the sun rise over the Berkshires ,which was a reward in itself.

During the day, I worked more on slowing down and paying attention to my surroundings, taking silent trips around both the meditation garden and the labyrinth before hiking to the nearby lake, then taking another afternoon yoga session (and, honestly, a sweet stop for a cookie and coffee in the afternoon — a treat that I didn’t have to feel guilty about after so much exercise).

Waking early again on my last day for a more advanced class, I realized I had left my phone in my room for the last day, and honestly didn’t miss it. At breakfast, I looked out the window and enjoyed the view while slowly eating.

Finding My Inner Yogi

Just 48 hour afters I checked in, I felt noticeably more settled. I’m wasn’t craving constant stimulation, or missing an evening glass of wine with dinner. Since checking out, I’ve walked away from my phone, while also walking more mindfully, eating more healthfully without counting calories, and in general slowing down my once-constant feeling stream of self-doubt.

Back at home, I’m trying to apply some of what I’ve learned (which anyone can follow), taking quiet walks, meditating for a few minutes each day, roasting winter veggies, even whipping up a batch of Kripalu granola from their super-easy cookbook. I can easily say that although this was my first yoga getaway, it won’t be my last.

Want to plan a yoga-inspired getaway of your own, or find the perfect place to reconnect with nature? Read up on these 10 relaxing wellness retreats for women, held in stunning locations all over North and Central America.

I first saw the Olympic Mountains while driving west toward Seattle on a clear day. I was immediately disoriented because I thought all the mountains were behind me. My brother chuckled and said, “Those are the Olympics, and they are more grand than the Cascades!”

I was so intrigued I vowed I would go there someday. When my someday arrived, it was extraordinary.

I’ve learned to take in stride going solo to national parks and assorted natural settings. But going to the Olympic Peninsula solo gave me a moment of pause. It is big, it is remote, and it requires some effort to explore.

I set my itinerary to stay for 10 days in a simple campground in Chimacum on the northeast end of the peninsula. Route 101 goes around the entire peninsula and runs about 300 miles. The Olympic National Park and National Forest include the mountain range and pretty much cover the entire peninsula. I decided to make shorter day trips on the north side rather than try to explore the full 300 miles. I would have access to Olympic National Park, where I would visit Hurricane Ridge and Crescent Lake and do some remote road tripping in the park. I also visited the seaside towns of Port Angeles and Sequim, and took a whale watching trip that left from historic Port Townsend.

The park and whale watching were the most extraordinary things I did, and they both took something to accomplish for me. Hurricane Ridge is 5,200 feet up a winding two-lane road through beautiful forest and a mountain tunnel. I’m not keen with driving on narrow roads up mountains, but this seemed almost serene. It takes a good 30 minutes to get to the visitor center parking at the top. I had a picnic there with a clear view of Mount Olympus, which stands at nearly 8,000 feet, and its surrounding glaciers in the distance.

Once fortified, I took on the top-of-the-ridge trail. It’s an asphalt path that winds a couple miles from the visitor center across the ridge and back through an alpine meadow and through the forest. The views were breathtaking. I could simultaneously see the Olympic mountains to the south and Canada to the north — just across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Some fearless deer came out to visit on the path and they drew a crowd of photographers, myself included. Alas, I did not see any Olympic marmots the day I visited. Absence of marmots aside, I felt accomplished in my experiences and so grateful I made the excursion and got to see the views.

On another day, I drove along Highway 101 and on into the park, much closer to sea level, stopping at beautiful Lake Crescent. Here I hiked the lake trail that hugs the shore against a backdrop of tall trees and crystal clear water. I sat by the water’s edge listening to the waves lap and spotted an eagle flying over the lake. The trail then winds back through a forest area filled with ferns and moss as well as towering trees.

Hiking solo is challenging for me, but I persisted, not wanting to miss this opportunity. The reward was a tranquility I carry with me to this day. I spent several hours hiking and enjoying the solitude, reveling in my personal accomplishment. For those who hike regularly and remotely, my hikes may not seem like an extraordinary experience. I don’t come from that background, though, so every trek for me is building a muscle I didn’t know I had.

Whale watching in this area is not to be missed, but it takes something for me to go solo on a group excursion where everyone seems to be traveling with someone they know. I have found that there is usually a shared group experience that provides inclusionary moments. Sighting the whales was that moment. The captain came over the loudspeaker and spotted their location for us. When the whales came up out of the water, a collective “oh” and “wow” were expressed.

It was a thrilling experience, and I completely forgot I was by myself. Later I realized it wasn’t just the sighting but a common thread of experiences that every person on the boat shared — from expectation to sighting to the memories we carried off the boat with us. Being part of something makes me forget I am solo, because I no longer am.

Don’t miss a fulfilling experience because you travel solo. I loved developing my itinerary and, more so, the experiences I had making the stops. I’m so glad I went for everything on my Olympic Peninsula list and look forward to my next visit. Extraordinary accomplishments and extraordinary experiences are now etched in my travel log.

Want to commune with nature? These are the best things to see and do on Washington’s San Juan and Whidbey islands.

They’re cute and cozy — and sometimes simultaneously sleek and austere. Some boast five-star amenities while others don’t even have a check-in counter. There’s no one way to describe a micro hotel or “microtel” except to say that they are small on size and big on personality. And I mean really small!

Most micro hotel rooms are under 200 square feet, and some are less than 100 square feet. I’ve stayed in several, and I love this trend, which focuses on substance and style, not size. Here’s what you need to know.

What Are the Benefits Of A Micro Hotel?

Micro hotels are a great option for anyone who needs to spend the night next to an airport thanks to an early flight. You’ll have a comfortable, convenient room — and no superfluous space. Even if you don’t need to spend the night, an airport-adjacent micro hotel is perfect for a daytime layover. You can grab a nap, take a hot shower, and safely store your bags while you explore.

Speaking of brief visits, micro hotels are the perfect solution for anyone who’s barely going to be in their room. From conference participants to busy tourists, a micro hotel is a good balance between comfort, amenities, and affordability for anyone who just needs a clean, cozy bed.

Micro hotels provide a welcome boost of privacy for budget travelers who are used to communal accommodations. If your usual travel digs include hostels or shared Airbnb spaces, a micro hotel room may actually be much more personal space than you’re used to. And, for once, you’re the one in control of the lights, the temperature, and the television remote!

Believe it or not, many micro hotels have more storage and business solutions than a regular-sized hotel room. You won’t be frantically searching for a place to charge your phone, plug in your computer, or store your bag. Micro hotels are all about smart design, crafty storage, and user experience.

Best of all, micro hotels are affordable! Sometimes they can cost as little as half the price of a regularly sized hotel room. It’s hard to ignore a deal that great.

What Are the Drawbacks Of A Micro Hotel?

Some micro hotel rooms aren’t a good fit for claustrophobic travelers. While most are bright and airy, there are certainly some exceptions. I’ve made the mistake before of choosing the cheapest available room, which turned out to be on the lower level. That’s code for having no windows! Yikes! While I was proud of my frugality, I really missed having a view. They’re not that bad for one night but, in general, I think big, bright windows are the way to go.

However, the most challenging aspect of a micro hotel room is sharing it! Having done several micro hotel stays with my husband, I would recommend splurging on a slightly larger room if possible. Many micro hotels have a range of room sizes. A little extra space goes a long way. I’d also suggest making sure the property has a comfortable lounge or bar so you can spend a bit of time apart if needed.

Examples Of Highly Reviewed Micro Hotels

What started off as a venture for space-efficient, convenient accommodations by airports has developed into a full-blown global trend. Micro hotels are in the hottest neighborhoods and the biggest cities. More and more major chains are getting in on the game, guaranteeing we’ll be seeing more of them in the future. These are five hot micro hotels to check out.

Arlo Hotels: New York City

With a hip rooftop terrace, a coffee shop vibe in the lobby, and a free bike loan program, Arlo Hotels are fun and cool. And they’re also flexible for different kinds of travelers. The biggest of their micro rooms actually includes a balcony. And the tiniest rooms? They’re no wider than the bed!

Citizen M: Amsterdam And Elsewhere

This Amsterdam-born chain, with locations in Boston, Seattle, London, New York, and elsewhere, is super sleek, chic, and minimal. Guests check themselves in and out at automated kiosks, and all rooms are the same size and price for easy booking.

The Jane Hotel: New York City

A micro-hotel before anyone ever coined the term, the ultra-affordable Jane Hotel has narrow, unique rooms that resemble a ship’s cabin. The smallest rooms are just 50 square feet! The Jane’s building is full of history. For instance, survivors of the Titanic disaster called this hotel home, and surviving crew members held a memorial service here four days after the iconic ship sank.

The Moxy Hotel: Milan And Elsewhere

Part of the Marriot brand, Moxy hotels are styled with an artistic, colorful touch. There are now Moxy locations all over the United States and Europe, and the brand is expanding into Asia. Rooms range from 150 to 350 square feet. When I stayed at the Moxy at the Milan airport, I was impressed by the room’s clever layout and comfy bed, not to mention the property’s great staff.

The Hoxton: Paris And Elsewhere

With herringbone wood floors, copper fixtures, and sumptuous fabrics like velvet curtains, the Hoxton’s petite hotel rooms embody Parisian chic at budget-friendly prices.

Considering a hotel versus Airbnb? Here’s where to stay in Paris.

Try A Micro Hotel On Your Next Trip

How do you know if a micro hotel is right for you? There’s only one way to find out! I recommend giving one a try the next time you have a layover or a short overnight city stay. You’ll get a taste for what micro hotels are all about — and I predict you’ll be the next one singing their praises.

“Why go to Venice when I can stay home?” Some people just don’t want to take off to parts unknown. If travel is oxygen for you, but your mate would just prefer to lay on a couch holding a remote, that’s a problem.

For some people, the idea that someone would prefer to stay home is incomprehensible. Who doesn’t want new experiences, new people, new sights, and new challenges?

Reasons Some Hate To Travel

Some non-travelers cite the expense of travel and of missing work, or they may fear eating unfamiliar (or suspect) food and the resulting potential health issues (real or imagined). As a friend I follow on social media wrote: “I’m sure that there are guys who love to travel, but in my experience most of my male friends don’t care about going to Paris just to eat a plate of snails, if you know what I mean.”

Some people feel humiliated when they don’t understand the language or culture of a country, and some are loath to ask for information or directions. Many simply hate battling the crowds and traffic at popular tourist sites.

Travel-phobic humorist Dave Barry’s take on traffic in Paris gave me a chuckle: “Another well-known Paris landmark is the Arc de Triomphe, a moving monument to the many brave women and men who have died trying to visit it.”

What travel aficionados may fear most, though, is that their partner simply lacks curiosity — or enough curiosity — to find out about how other people live.

A shining example of this mentality comes from Jerry Seinfeld, who said, “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.”

Of course, being uncomfortable or facing obstacles is not enough to stop true travelers from exploring. We may even be inspired by the challenge, which can heap on more frustration when we compare our desire to get going with our mate’s commitment to staying at home.

Ways To Help Your Mate

There are those who try cajoling, arguing, bartering, threatening, or gifting a mate with guilt, but these are perhaps not the most constructive ways to arrive at a solution. Alternative ways to proceed before all hope is lost include trying to understand why he or she doesn’t want to go. Is it fear, laziness, lack of money, lack of curiosity?

In-depth conversations about what a non-traveler is feeling may result in a change of attitudes, however small. Maybe your mate is frightened and doesn’t know how to negotiate a new city. Perhaps appearing less-than-competent during travel is humiliating. Or your mate could be someone who feels as if they must always be in control, which we know is an impossibility while traveling. That said, lots of travel research combined with careful planning may make insecurities fade.

Here are a few more means of achieving happy equilibrium, and maybe even enjoying a journey together:

1. Compromise Where And How You Travel

Take baby steps. Go for a short trip based on his or her interests — perhaps a weekend trip to the beach or a visit to a Civil War battlefield or a weekend hike. Your trips need not be on your bucket list. Start small and expand your scope from there.

2. Take Turns Traveling (Or “Please Let The Dogs Out”)

Traveling without your mate, whether solo or with friends, also means that the at-home partner can take care of bills, shovel snow, walk Fido, and handle other responsibilities. Then you can switch roles when they travel, if they choose to.

3. Accept Them For Who They Are

Maybe your partner has a lot of good qualities other than travel lust, and perhaps the fact that she tells great stories and laughs at your jokes is more important than whether she’s open to trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas.

When it comes down to it, you just may prefer to spend your life with the non-traveler you love.

4. Find Somebody New

One person wrote, “Help! I’m dating Carmen Sandiego.” If someone makes you feel as if you can’t do what you love without feeling guilty, and if travel means that much to you, perhaps these differences are not fixable. One woman on social media found that her partner’s lack of interest in travel was symbolic of his lack of interest in many things she cares about.

In The End, Attitude Is All

These attitudes, and tensions, are not uncommon when one person in a pair loves to travel while the other doesn’t. Understanding what kind of dynamic you’re in can help you when it comes to decisions big (like breaking something off) and small (saying yes to a girls’ weekend guilt-free).

Want to plan a girls’ getaway? Here are essential tips for women’s group travel.

“You’re not going there, are you?” “Oh, I couldn’t possibly be as brave as you, going to all those dangerous places.” These phrases are all too familiar to female solo travelers. Even well-meaning sentiments can have a discouraging, disheartening effect.

It’s important to remember that, statistically, the most dangerous environment for a woman is her home. Women face a far greater threat of violence from those closest to them, not from strangers in another country. However, the unfamiliarity of a new location in combination with cultural and linguistic challenges can make situations abroad hard to read.

Here are some safety tips for female solo travelers that focus on confidence and common sense.

1. Find Strength In Numbers

There is strength in numbers. You’re less likely to be harassed by pesky men when you’re part of a group. On buses and ferries, seek out other female passengers. A simple smile and a hello in the local language is all you need. And, in the best-case scenario, you’ll make a new friend! When I lived in Malawi, I carried a small photo album filled with pictures of my home, my family, and my pets. It was an invaluable icebreaker, and I felt safer and more secure with my new pals by my side.

2. Consult Your Guidebook

I’m a huge fan of guidebooks. At the end of each city chapter, you’ll find a list of resources including women’s advocacy groups and gender-specific local safety tips. There are also resources for LGBTQ travelers, people of color, and those who need accessibility information.

Don’t think of your guidebook as something only for a time of crisis. Many will refer you to great websites that provide helpful tips and information about community events. They also often recommend private guides and interpreters who can help you discover the city.

3. Trust Your Instincts

You might never have set foot in a Moroccan market or Thai train station or British art gallery before, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a lot of good common sense. Ask yourself: Where would a pickpocket most likely set up shop? Which person in this crowd is a smooth-talking troublemaker? Where’s another woman I can trust? You know far more than you give yourself credit for. If a situation feels dodgy, or if something is telling you to move on from a conversation, trust your instincts.

4. Be An Anthropologist

Another helpful question to ask yourself: What’s really going on here? Many common scams rely on tourists — especially women — being polite, concerned, or sympathetic. Someone bumps into you, places their hand on your arm, and apologizes. You assure them it’s nothing — while their partner steals your wallet. It’s time to disrupt that pattern! It’s perfectly okay to ignore a distraction or an unexpected conversation or petitioner. Add a secure crossbody bag with hidden pockets and locking zippers, and you’re no longer the easiest target in the room.

5. Perfect The Art Of Making A Scene

There’s a great scene in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic in which Rebecca lies on her resume, confident that she’ll never be tested on whether or not she really knows how to speak Finnish. Of course, before long her boss introduces her to a Finnish client. She frowns in concentration as the handsome man chatters away happily in Finnish. Then suddenly she gasps, slaps him, and says in disgust, “Men like you are the reason I left Finland!” Talk about moxie!

While I don’t recommend slapping innocent Finns, two of the best travel safety tips I’ve ever heard involve channeling this sense of moxie. The first is the callout. Should you ever be confronted by someone acting inappropriately — from an aggressive flirt to a flasher — you should scream “Pervert!” and shake your finger in an exaggerated shaming fashion. Your gesture and tone will be instantly recognizable to any woman in any culture. Sure, you’ll be making a scene, but you’ll also be honoring your inner Rebecca, full of spunk and self-preservation.

6. Repel And Retreat

Following the other tip requires both moxie and a bit of imagination. If you’re in a situation where you can’t immediately escape the other person and you’re afraid — for instance, if you’re alone with a leering jerk in a subway car late at night — catch your observer off guard by talking and singing loudly to yourself, rolling your eyes, swatting at imaginary bugs, and spilling food on yourself. This will quickly transform you from a vulnerable solo traveler to someone best left alone.

7. Use Clothing To Your Advantage

I’ll bet you’ve seen more than a few lists of travel tips that focus on what women should or should not wear. These can help you complete your packing list, but the reality is that sexual harassment can transpire no matter what the victim is wearing.

Instead of looking at your travel wardrobe as a series of dos and don’ts, think of it as a form of armor that gives you confidence and allows you to travel like a superhero, slipping into and out of places virtually unnoticed.

Don’t be afraid to wear stylish sunglasses. They’ll make you feel glamorous and mysterious — and allow you to ignore catcallers by hiding your worried eyes. A pair of gorgeous ballet flats will allow you to museum-hop all day — and help you to make a speedy exit if needed. A beautiful pashmina scarf isn’t just a way to demonstrate that you respect cultural norms of modesty — it’s also a luxurious tool to make drafty flights cozier.

8. Reexamine The Ring Trick

Does wearing a fake wedding ring to deter unwanted male attention really work? Maybe. It’s certainly true that pesky men are more likely to back off when they think another man has a claim on you. As such, it’s not a bad tactic to employ when your requests to be left alone are disregarded. But it’s not a guaranteed safety plan, so forget the boring fake wedding ring and buy yourself a pretty (but not flashy, of course) piece of jewelry to celebrate your solo voyage. Every time you see it, you’ll be reminded of just how much you value yourself and your journey. And if an annoying barfly takes it as his cue to back off, all the better.

9. Be Hotel-Savvy

There’s no one type of accommodation that is guaranteed to be safer than others. You have to find the best fit for your budget, your interests, and your travel style. But what all safe, secure, accommodations have in common are cleanliness, polite staff, and a track record of positive, detailed reviews from other customers. Of course, clean sheets and a great rating don’t guarantee a worry-free visit, but they do give you a sense of what to expect.

Here are some other tips to feel more secure in hotels and other accommodations.

• Request a room close to the elevators and away from any renovations. When possible, avoid the ground floor, which is more easily accessed from the outside.
• Always secure all available locks and invest in an inexpensive rubber doorstop. This simple device adds an extra layer of resistance to prevent your door being forced open. I was happy to have one with me when I stayed in a cheap hotel in Bordeaux, since the rickety doors gave me no sense of security.
• Designate a special spot for your hotel key in your bag. Knowing exactly which pocket to reach for when you’re coming back to your room late at night is more reassuring than a frantic fumble.
• When you’re going out, leave on a light, turn the television on, and hang up the Do Not Disturb sign. The impression that there is someone else in the room is a deterrent to would-be thieves and harassers, and returning to a well-lit room is always heartening.
• One of my all-time favorite travel tips comes from a travel story I read long ago. Women hiking remote trails would stick a pair of huge, well-used men’s hiking boots outside their tent at night. Anyone who happened to pass by would get the impression that a burly, tough man was sleeping there — and was not to be messed with. How clever is that?

10. Proceed With Caution When It Comes To Romance

Travel provides an opportunity for adventure, self-discovery, and escape. And for some women, that means more than just a little fun and flirtation.

If you’re open to romance when you travel, keep the following tips in mind.

• Note that nothing good has ever come from a smooth talker sidling up to a single woman on a bridge at sunset in Paris. No one, not even a Parisian, approaches perfect strangers to tell them how beautiful their eyes are.
• Keep things on your turf, especially at first. While your companion might know the most darling cafe a few blocks away, you can just as easily get to know one another at the Starbucks around the corner from your hotel.
• Ask yourself what your new friend is getting out of the arrangement — besides the obvious. They could well see you as an exotic conquest based on your ethnicity, religion, age, or body type. They could also see you as a potential banker, just the person to take to their friend’s gallery or neighbor’s studio.
• Keep a close friend in the loop about your plans, or, at the very least, leave some notes for yourself and check in occasionally with the hotel staff. Your new paramour should know that there’s someone keeping tabs on you.
• Attitudes toward sexual health vary from culture to culture. Be prepared to supply protection and have a direct conversation about it. This is no time to be bashful.
• Finally, while this may be the beginning of a glorious, lifelong love affair, chances are it’s just a fling. Be sure to keep one foot grounded in reality.

Considering a warm-weather escape? Odds are you don’t need a passport or a pricey plane ticket to get yourself there. Florida is America’s gem of a tropical destination, complete with the sandy beaches, fresh seafood, and tropical drinks you’re craving from a warm-weather fix.

So much more than Walt Disney World and South Beach (though, those are always worthy vacation contenders), Florida is home to national parks, marine reserves, shopping, dining, art, and more. Whether you’re looking for a solo adventure, a romantic getaway, or a trip for the whole family, Florida has a weekend getaway destination for you.

1. Miami

It may be the most obvious Florida suggestion, but it can’t be denied that Miami is one of the state’s best destinations for a weekend getaway. Weather alone puts it into the running with deliciously warm (and dry) temperatures in the winter.

If you’re in Miami on a quick weekend getaway, you won’t be short-changed for things to do. In fact, a weekend may hardly seem like enough. You don’t have to spend your entire vacation budget on a swanky South Beach hotel (though you can). Instead, consider opting for a property like Circa 39 in Miami Beach, which has vintage decor, an onsite restaurant, a swimming pool with cabanas, and beach access across the street — plus a wallet-friendly price tag.

Spend your days at the beach or dive into Miami’s cultural scene. Visit the masterful Wynwood Walls or the innovative art at the Institute of Contemporary Art — both are free to enjoy.

Miami’s dining scene is one of the best in the country, as well. Hot on the scene is Le Jardinier from Joel Robuchon. This Design District newcomer specializes in seasonal cuisine, with veggies taking the spotlight. Of course, when in Miami, you mustn’t leave without trying the iconic Cuban sandwich. Where to get the best is hotly debated among locals, but you can’t go wrong at La Carreta or Sergio’s.

2. Lake Okeechobee

If you and your family love the great outdoors and don’t have to have a beach, there are plenty of easily accessible Florida destinations to enjoy. Lake Okeechobee, for example, is the largest lake (730 square miles, to be exact) in the state and is perfect for travelers who love lake life.

A Lake Okeechobee getaway means fishing, boating, and miles of trails to explore. The town best equipped for travelers is Clewiston, especially if you’re into fishing. This is the premiere spot for snagging the lake’s largemouth bass and speckled perch. From Clewiston, you can explore the 110-mile Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, which is part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. Bring your hiking shoes or bicycle — the trail is perfect for both. If camping is your style, on the north end of the lake you’ll find the town of Okeechobee, which has a campground with activities for the entire family.

3. Orlando

We likely don’t need to tell you why most people are visiting Orlando (do the words Disney or Universal ring any bells?). If you have kids, or even perhaps because you were a kid, you’ve likely even been there yourself. But it turns out there are many other reasons to go to Orlando — reasons that aren’t doused in fairy dust or coated in movie magic.

Soak up a slice of local life in the Thornton Park District. You can catch locals at the Orlando Farmers Market on Sundays in nearby Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. Prepare to shop for local crafts and artisan products like pasta and honey. If you’re looking to splurge on a meal, Kadence is a Michelin-rated, nine-seat sushi bar that offers sake pairings and boasts some of the most coveted reservations in town.

Less than 15 minutes from downtown Orlando is one of its most high-end addresses: Winter Park. Drive around the lake to take in the stunning mansions, or hit the boutiques along Park Avenue. You can even catch views from the lake itself with Winter Park Scenic Boat Tours.

4. Sanibel And Captiva Islands

Slip off the grid and into sanctuary with an escape to Sanibel Island and nearby Captiva. About 25 miles south of Fort Myers these small, family-friendly islands are known for their undisturbed beaches, rich wildlife, and even richer cuisine.

Sanibel is the larger of the islands, with Captiva as its smaller sister. On both, the beaches are the biggest attractions. Try Bowman’s Beach or Blind Pass Beach. For a deep dive into wildlife, the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is home to hundreds of animals, from crocodiles and manatees to dozens of bird species. Visitors can also explore the Great Calusa Blueway, which is a 190-mile-long canoe and kayak trail.

For hotels, Casa Ybel Resort comes with a sense of place and decided island charm. The building is historic, and each room has a kitchen, so it’s perfect for families or couples who don’t want to eat every meal out. That said, if dining out is on the menu, the seafood on Sanibel Island cannot be beat. For something island upscale, try Il Cielo or The Sandbar. Or, it can’t get more beachy casual than the Lazy Flamingo. Guests can bring their own fish for the cooks to grill up or fry for eats that are cheap, delicious, and full of local flavor.

5. Naples

Palm Beach may have the east coast, but when we’re talking west coast Florida, the charm and romance certainly goes to Naples. Culture and sophistication along with white sands and pretty views make Naples a crowd-pleaser for solo travelers, couples, and families. They don’t call it the Paradise Coast for nothing.

A first-timer to Naples will want to drink in the views from the 100-year-old pier, which juts into the Gulf of Mexico. Photographers, fishermen, and people watchers alike all gather at the communal pier to soak up a slice of life in the city.

Naples, believe it or not, has also transformed itself into one of Florida’s great culinary destinations. A must is 1500 South, which opened in March 2016 under the direction of James Beard Award winner Art Smith. Naples is also the jumping-off point from which to explore Marco Island, the largest of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands. Your first stop on the island should be 32-acre Tigertail Beach.

In addition to dining, shopping, and beautiful hotels, like the Ritz-Carlton Naples, the art scene in Naples is electric. Stroll Gallery Row along 3rd Street South to take in the collection of shops that sell everything from European art to works by local Floridian artists.

6. St. Petersburg

A cultural renaissance has turned St. Petersburg (St. Pete’s to the locals) into a vibrant, multi-dimensional city. Picture dazzling street art, a refreshed historic district, and a world-class Dali Museum. This is the St. Pete’s of the 21st century. Add to that a burgeoning gourmet scene (gulf to grill, if you will), boutique shopping, and galleries, and it won’t be long before St. Pete’s becomes one of the great cultural destinations of the South.

The vibe in St. Petersburg is decidedly vintage, with samples of a retro era, like the Bon-Aire Resort Motel and the Postcard Inn. People move at a calmer pace in St. Petersburg’s Gulf waters. At night, though, St. Pete’s comes alive with tiki and beach bars. Jimmy B’s Beach Bar continually gets recognized as one of the city’s best. There’s also The SandBar at the SandBox Beach Lounge and the Toasted Monkey, a waterfront beach bar and grill.

7. Amelia Island

A sun-drenched island with a checkered past (think a long history of pirates), Amelia Island is a jewel in the string of barrier islands in the Atlantic. Today, the island is known for its championship golf courses, white sand beaches, sublime seafood, wildlife, and a healthy dose of serenity. Just 13 miles from the Georgia border, Amelia Island has a touch of southern charm, heavy with hanging moss and rich in a variety of cultures.

The Timucua tribe people settled here as early as 4,000 years ago. Since then, the island has been inhabited by the French, Spanish, English, Mexicans, and more. It’s a cultural melting pot in such a small space. The central town is Fernandina Beach, which beckons visitors with 50 blocks of historic buildings, Victorian architecture, restaurants, and more. Outside of town, you’ll find verdant parks and miles upon miles of beautiful beaches.

8. Key West

The ultimate Floridian escape, Key West is a taste of the Caribbean right on our very own soil. Laid-back, friendly, and buzzing with activity, Key West is a wonderful weekend getaway, whether you want to kick back and relax or sip daiquiris with your new (or older) best friends. Hotels abound here, so you’ll have your pick of size, style, and budget.

Seafood is the order of the day in Key West — try Thirsty Mermaid for oysters and the ceviche du jour. And, of course, there’s Pepe’s, which has been open since 1909 and is known for its Key lime pie and margaritas.

Tip: If Key West is too far of a journey, you can switch it up and head for Key Largo, the northernmost island in the Keys. It’s just an hour’s drive from the airports in South Florida and is home to a national park and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Still undecided but eager for your Florida weekend getaway? Read up on Key West vs. Key Largo: nine key differences between them.

One of my best friends inspired me to go to Buenos Aires and dance the tango. She went last year, rented an apartment, and took several tango lessons. She showed me photos and smiled as she recollected the experience. What may have impressed me more than her stories were the shoes she bought to dance with. They were beautiful: a red-orange color with a small heel and an elegant design. According to her, they were comfortable as well. I wanted to buy a pair just like them. I began my Argentinian travels in the south where I met a lovely English couple. They added to my tango fantasies when they raved about the class they had taken two weeks prior.

When I finally got to Buenos Aires, I saw tango dancers in the streets of San Telmo — Buenos Aires’s oldest barrio, or neighborhood. They stepped, they spun, and the confidence of their movement together was tantalizing. My body wanted to mimic those steps. I daydreamed about entering a tango contest and wearing one of those beautiful dresses — long, dark, and flowing, that spread and drift on the air with each turn. And those shoes! They looked just like the ones my friend has.

After a couple of days in the city, I researched tango schools. I asked my hostel for tips, looked on the internet, and read TripAdvisor reviews. I ended up choosing my school by the one that was most responsive to my questions, most affordable, and had class times that worked for my schedule. La Viruta Tango de Solanas also accepted singles, which was important since I had recently broken up with my boyfriend. I went to the school looking forward to dancing and hoping I might meet someone, too.

I arrived for the class, paid at the door, and entered the lesson room. A tall, slender, sinewy woman slid over to me. She introduced herself as my instructor, Karen. I admired her physique even though it made me realize I hadn’t been to the gym in months. Then I realized that dancing the tango must be a great way to get back into shape! Karen guided me to the group I’d be joining. That’s where my initial disappointment began. I learned that all the singles were women.

Karen began our lesson by sliding across the floor with ease, demonstrating the steps with exceptional grace. She wore the shoes I coveted and glided like a swan across a lake. I tried to slide forward, one, two, three, then backward, two, three, then sideways, three, four. I got a few corrections, and tried again. My feet slid across the wooden floor with the grace of a baby trying to walk for the first time. I blamed my sneakers.

After several minutes of stilted sliding, we were partnered up. I got matched with Silvia, a nice woman who, with her friend, Jessica, was taking the class for the second time. We had to designate between us who would lead and who would follow. I’m terrible at following, whether it be instructions, rules, or directions, so I started as the leader. This is where my problems began. I hadn’t connected the street dancers I had watched with the passion in the dance. I knew it looked sensual, but I didn’t think about all that goes on while you’re doing it as opposed to watching it. I wasn’t enthused about sidling up to another woman. I felt uncomfortable, avoided eye contact, and tried not to get too close. All those discomforts, I now realized, would make it impossible for me to look anything like what I had witnessed.

To make matters worse, we had to hold hands and repeat the sliding steps as a couple. It turned out Silvia and I both felt awkward and suffered sweaty palms. So, we connected over laughter which is how, eventually, we began to get a rhythm together. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt like we made progress. I was just beginning to feel like I was understanding and perfectly executing the steps when new ones were added, and we had to change partners.

I was now paired with Silvia’s friend Jessica. I thought nobody could criticize me more than my ex-boyfriend, but after a few attempts at leading her, I was proven wrong. Jessica corrected every step I took and frequently called our teacher over to change everything I was doing, from the placement of my arms to how I was leading and where I was stepping. Any confidence I had gained with Silvia was completely crushed. I watched the teacher. She would lead me for a moment and I felt like I was finally getting it! Even when she asked me to take the lead, I felt like I was comprehending tango better and better. As soon as I returned to Jessica, all my renewed hopes were dashed as soon as I raised my arms to begin again.

I was overjoyed when the class ended. Had I not been so disappointed with my lack of progress, I might have stayed for the next class, which was bachata. I had never heard of it, but it seemed like solo salsa dancing. Salsa, I learned while I was in Colombia, is something I can dance. I made a mental note to come back another night to try it.

Though I didn’t exit my first tango class a pro, I learned that if I really want to learn it, I need to return with a boyfriend or take a solo lesson. Karen helped me understand that spending an hour dancing with an expert would allow me to master the dance more quickly and successfully than I could with another beginner. I’m also grateful I took the class because it helped me realize that the true beauty of tango comes from how the partners relate; following and leading one another. In that exchange there is passion, connection, and understanding. Even though I was disappointed by my first experience — and I didn’t buy those shoes — it left me hungry to try again when I find my partner in life.

Thinking of traveling solo? From Colombia to South Africa, here’s how I’ve safely solo traveled the world.

At a young age, I understood that my father’s career as an Army officer meant that I would be raised as part of a unique community of modern nomads. Affectionately known as brats, the children of the men and women defending our country are regularly uprooted and moved around the globe as determined by the United States government as their parents fulfill their military obligations.

Stateside or abroad, the places we lived gave me the opportunity to explore new cities, different cultures, and unique foods, and these experiences were especially memorable when we lived overseas. As a parent, I wanted my four children to have the best of both worlds: a childhood with deep roots in one spot and enough travel experiences that they knew the world was bigger and more diverse than their bubble.

Naturally, I was a mix of emotions — heart-swelling pride, a touch of fear, and a twinge of jealousy — when my 20-year-old daughter, Juliette, announced 18 months ago that she planned to move abroad to Southeast Asia.

Whether your child is a minor or an adult moving abroad for a more-structured experience (like a study-abroad program) or a less-defined opportunity (like my daughter’s), supporting them by working through the following move-abroad checklist will help shape the experience of a lifetime (and prevent you from prematurely aging from stress).

1. Draft A Plan

A person filled with wanderlust can easily get lost in rainbow-filled fantasies about what it’s like to live abroad. Guide your child’s feet back down to planet Earth by discussing their plans, including:

• Where will you live?
• Which local transportation options are best for your budget and safety?
• Are there parts of town you need to avoid?
• What common scams will you need to watch for in your new country?
• How will you support yourself?
• How long do you plan to live abroad?
• Under what conditions will you return to the U.S.?
• What things do you want to do and see beyond your proposed home base?
• What would you do if there were an emergency?

Juliette chose to move abroad to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam because she had a few friends living there. She was able to rent a bedroom in a friend’s apartment and quickly get up to speed about living in Vietnam through this friendship.

2. Build A Budget

Once your child has outlined a plan, help your wanderluster build a budget. This will help them set savings goals and develop an action plan to make their move-abroad dreams a reality.

Because Juliette moved to Vietnam without a job, she saved six months of living expenses before she left. Additionally, she put the funds for return airfare in a separate savings account.

3. Learn About The Destination

While Americans are fortunate that English is widely spoken around the world, knowing at least a few phrases in the local language will greatly enhance your child’s experience living abroad.

It’s also important for your world traveler to be able to identify the country and a few key cities on the map, have an overview of the country’s history, a sense of the political climate, and a basic understanding of the nation’s culture and customs.

4. Get Affairs In Order

Anyone planning on moving abroad should have a valid passport with an expiration date well beyond the intended stay. Your child should also fully research and prepare for:

• Visa requirements
• Immunizations
• Travel and health insurance
• American tax laws regarding earning income abroad

Additionally, your child will need to notify their bank that foreign transactions are expected.

Lastly, regardless of your child’s age or frontal lobe development, if he or she can’t consistently make informed, rational decisions, they are probably not prepared for a move abroad. Be prepared to explore alternatives during your planning conversations as well.

5. Have A U.S.-Based Backup

No matter how worldly your child is, bad things can happen out there. And, no matter how old a child is, parents worry. Be a lifeline back in the U.S. by keeping a copy of your child’s passport and other important documents in a safe place at home. While no young adult wants Mommy or Daddy keeping daily tabs on them, encourage your child to share his or her high-level travel plans with you. Additionally, it’s wise to agree upon how frequently you will communicate.

I know that my daughter is a smart, street-savvy, independent young woman. But I still worry. Our agreement is that she’ll post at least one photo or story a day on Instagram so I know she’s alive and well. If she’s taking a weekend trip away from Ho Chi Minh City where internet access may be spotty, she’ll let me know in advance of her plans and when I should hear from her next. And, of course, we also have longer conversations from time to time via chat or video calls.

6. Prepare For The Worst

I believe that when you have a detailed emergency plan, you rarely need it. So help your child take out a “smooth move abroad” insurance policy by planning for the worst.

Encourage your child to always carry the address and phone number of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate, especially the emergency after-hours phone number. It’s also wise to register with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) designed to keep U.S. citizens traveling and living abroad informed of conditions as they explore the world. Our tax dollars fund a global team of people who are ready and able to assist with any emergency that may arise.

Surviving A Child’s Move Abroad

Parenthood is perpetually full of emotions: unconditional love, heart-swelling pride, paralyzing fear. And it’s normal to experience all of these feelings at once as your child plans to move abroad. But the right preparations can make for a smooth — and perhaps even enjoyable! — experience for both of you.

Want to share a great resource with your outbound kiddo? From Columbia to South Africa, here’s how one woman’s safely solo traveled the world.

Solo travel is an amazing opportunity to discover the world. It comes with a few challenges. One of them, especially for women, is worrying about safety. I’ve now been to every continent except Antarctica. While in Colombia, I didn’t see people with guns, apart from the police. Nobody grabbed my phone on the streets of Buenos Aires. I wasn’t kidnapped in Peru, and I wasn’t mugged or threatened in South Africa. I did follow a set of self-imposed safety rules. If you plan to travel alone, here are some of my guidelines that I hope will keep you safe, too.

I Trust My Intuition

This matters more than anything I hear, read, or see. If I have even the tiniest feeling I should reject an invitation, walk on a different street, or say no, I listen. I was recently alone in a touristy area in Cape Town, South Africa. A man approached me. He asked, “Are you from here?”

My inner alarm went off since it seemed obvious that I wasn’t. He launched into a story about his car being stuck, going to a funeral, and needing me to walk to his vehicle to help him. His story was too long, and my gut didn’t trust him. I said no and walked away.

I learned later that this is a typical scam in the area. Had I given in, a number of horrible things could have happened to me. They didn’t because I trusted my instincts.

I Ask The Locals

The first thing I do when I check in is to ask the staff whether the neighborhood is safe both day and night, and what areas to avoid. I listen to their advice.

In Brasilito, Costa Rica, my hotel owner told me to return by dark. One evening, I walked back around dusk. A male stranger began walking next to me. He acted friendly, wanting to know my name and where I was from. I got uncomfortable when he asked what hotel I was staying in. I pretended I forgot the name, made an excuse to stop walking with him, and went a different direction to get back. Going forward, I made a point to be back by dusk instead of dark.

I Learn From My Mistakes

In almost two years of travel I’ve had only one bad experience. I spent four nights at a hostel in Argentina. One of the owners offered me wine every evening in the lobby. He wanted me to drink more, but my intuition stopped me after one glass. On my third evening, he proposed cooking dinner for me and a staff member. I accepted, feeling safe since we wouldn’t be alone. After dinner, the three of us went next door for a drink. I felt secure in the belief that I had two friends to walk me home.

That safety illusion was broken when we got back to my door. The staff member said a quick goodnight and ran off. The manager began to kiss me and tried to enter my room. Luckily, I was able to say no and push him away. I closed the door. Thankfully, I also locked it because he came back later and tried to enter without success. I was terrified, but that was the worst of it. Since then, I’ve refused to have dinner or drinks alone with men unless I’m interested. I may have missed out on some friendships, but I don’t feel like taking the risk.

I Have A Travel Buddy

It’s great to call home once in a while and let everyone know I’m safe, but ongoing plans made on a whim can be overwhelming for family.

Last year, I met a lovely solo traveler, Jackie, in Thailand. We agreed to keep each other posted on travel itineraries and safe arrivals as we went. We were in touch every week, sometimes multiple times, letting each other know about plans and safe arrivals for most of this year. If I didn’t hear from her and got worried, I checked on her. Sharing each other’s emergency contacts back home also helps.

I Keep My Technology Hidden

Our iPhones alone can make us targets for theft in many places. Until I get my bearings and watch how other people behave with their valuables, I keep my phone and camera hidden. I use paper maps on the street or ask people for directions. If I do use my phone, it’s in a store or away from the street.

One irony, however, was in Buenos Aires. I was warned that people on motorcycles would grab my phone out of my hand if I used it too close to a street corner. I found that the locals used their cell phones in the street so much that I felt more of a tourist for not using mine!

I Stay Positive And Manage My State Of Mind

I believe our thoughts and attitudes determine the types of people we attract. I’m happy and have friends who behave with integrity. I travel the world treating others well and looking forward to the potential new friends I may meet each day.

In Cape Town, when I ended up at the last stop of a local bus line and it wasn’t where I wanted to be, I asked the driver what to do. He told me I needed a different bus and insisted on driving me to it so that I wouldn’t be mugged. At the transfer point, he waited with me for my bus, ran across the street with me, flagged down the other driver, and made sure he took me to the right place. These are the types of people I attract, and as I travel, it’s the kind of people I expect to meet. When someone out of integrity shows up, I feel it and walk away.

I Have My Key Ready

On my way “home,” I put my key in my pocket long before I get to the door. When I get close, the key goes in my hand. I look around to see who else is on the street. If anyone makes me uncomfortable, I keep walking or turn around and let them pass. It may sound simple, but once I’m at my door, I open and close it quickly.

I Carry A Flashlight

You never know when you’ll find yourself alone in a blackout or on a street that’s not well lit. My flashlight is clipped to the outside of my bag so I don’t have to search for it. This was a godsend all over Costa Rica. I stayed in many cheap places with either bad lighting outside or a dark street on the way. It can double as a weapon if you need to shine the light in someone’s eyes!

I Notify Friends About Taxi Rides

My Uber app notifies five selected people of every ride I take. If I use another taxi company, I take a photo of the license plate, and sometimes the driver, and send them to my designated five. This ensures someone knows who I was last with, and it can deter a driver from taking advantage of me. In countries without Uber, I ask my hotel to send a car for me. Safety is worth paying extra for.

Female solo travel isn’t always easy, but it is extremely rewarding. I know of no better way to deeply connect with who you are and what you want out of life. If you’re willing to abide by some basic safety guidelines, there’s no reason to fear traveling alone.

Want more on making the most out of a trip, wherever you go? Read 10 travel tips for personal safety when traveling abroad, written by a seasoned traveler who’s traversing Europe by motorhome.

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure.” I am fond of this quote from intrepid explorer and travel writer Freya Stark.

I’ve woken up with that sensation in Istanbul, the Outer Hebrides, Lhasa, Bali, Seoul, Hong Kong, Wales, Marrakesh, Cusco, and other places around the world.

I wanted my daughter to feel it, too.

More than that, I wanted my daughter to experience the challenges of travel and to figure out ways to overcome them. Doing so would arm her for other challenges in life, whether in her career or in relationships or in taking trains in India or subways in New York City.

I have had life-changing trips. In some instances, I was overcome with the beauty of a vista or the generosity of people. I have also had horrific journeys (funny only in retrospect), ranging from my stint as a tour guide in Europe for teenagers committed to escape to discovering that rats populated my room in Nepal. Challenges like these were overcome — some more easily than others, but I’m here to tell the tale.

Not that I want those experiences for my kid, but I do want her to be able to take off and find a wondrous place at a moment’s notice. And I want her to feel, as I did, that travel is oxygen and affords us a world of inspiration, adventure, gratitude, and possibilities.

The Beginnings

Travel was my sustenance during the 1960s and ’70s, when I was in my 20s and 30s. I needed to get up and go, and often.

There were reasons for my urge to fly. The first was my experience at Newark airport as I was waiting to board my first flight to Europe: “If you’re not home in six months, my death will be on your hands.”

That’s what my mother said to me as I stood, aghast, in the airport line.

Her panic may have been understandable — if I had been mature enough to think about it. My mother underwent a horrific trek through Europe during World War I to reach the U.S., followed by the death of her father and, later, the death of two sons from polio. She did not want to go anywhere and tried to stop me when I wanted to travel. But I went anyway, inspired not only by my years as a romantic kid who read fantastic books, but, in retrospect, also perhaps to overcome my own nightmares — one of which was that I would be called upon to fear the world along with my mother.

Although she lived to be 100 (probably because she wanted to see where I would end up next), I learned my lesson. I would be the kind of mother I had heard about and dreamed of on my travels, one who gave her child wings to follow her dreams.

Was My Mother Wrong?

These days I think that my mother may have had reason to worry. Fifty years ago there were not many young women in their 20s traveling alone through Asia, North Africa, and South America. This was all unfamiliar to her, and Stone Age means of communications didn’t help.

Traveling alone was not easy then, nor is it now. I think that I reached the nadir when I was doubled over with stomach cramps in Indonesia, trying to get to the airport and asking for help from a group of missionaries, who refused me. And yet, the feeling of accomplishment I had when I returned home — the joy I felt when realizing what I had done — nothing in my life compared to that.

Taking The Solo Leap

My daughter shares my desire to travel and also sees a challenge in finding friends with similar interests and timetables. As I told her, you can’t wait for someone to share your travels: When you really have a destination in your sights, either you go alone or not at all.

I sold the joys of travel to my daughter from the time she was a tot. When she was two years old, my husband and I took her to France, then Ireland, then Poland, then Mexico. She enjoyed traveling, and when she was in college she took a semester abroad in Prague. She has traveled alone, just not in the way I did in my day. She lived for a year on the opposite coast and has produced documentary films in many different countries with a crew in tow. Last month she moved to Europe for a year and plans to travel whenever she can.

I worry about her when she is away, but I trust her intelligence and wisdom and always support new experiences for her. I can see how she has blossomed from every trip, every new country, every opportunity to talk to people and to see for herself what the world is like. Travel changes people; it did me, I am sure. Overcoming fears, taking a chance, trying new things — they all expand our understanding of ourselves and of the world.

Many friends and social media pals have shared with me their stories about how their children love to travel. One of the stories I love most came from Judith, who I met on a ferry in Hong Kong in the early 1970s. We quickly found that we were kindred travel souls. We ended up wandering together through Thailand, and I’ve followed her journeys throughout both our lives.

We completed the circle when I brought my daughter to her home on the other side of the country in 2016, more than 45 years after we first met. I realized that we shared our vision of the future when she said, “Both of my children are adventurous, leaving home to live abroad from time to time. It makes me happy to know that they are trusting of this crazy world.”

Want more travel inspiration? Read about how one of our writers faced her fear of heights to cross Carrick-a-Rede, an iconic swinging bridge in Northern Ireland.