Traveling solo at 50, episode 6.

Coming to you from Vlorë, Albania to share some stories about how I was able to make some amazing connections on my 3-month European solo trip!

Are you "direction challenged" and does that keep you from traveling?

Does it especially scare you when it comes to solo travel?

I GET IT!

My own mother marvels at how I travel the world and somehow find my way because she knows how bad I am with directions :)

If you don't naturally know east, west, south, north ... this one is for you!!!

Get my 4 tips ... from one direction challenged traveler to another!

It never fails. I’ve traveled to around 50 countries, most of which I did not speak I did not speak the primary language. I’ve traveled via bus, train, car, plane, camel, on an SUV with armed guards, and I’ve even hitchhiked. But no matter how much I’ve traveled, the same thing happens on my first day of solo travel: FEAR.

It’s strong enough that sometimes it keeps me inside eating power bars for a day because the idea of navigating—and likely getting lost—in a foreign place scares the shit out of me.

This is the part of traveling I do not like one bit. The part that, regardless of all your plans, you find yourself possibly needing to pivot.

That’s been this week for me. Phone calls and texts and the possibility of rescheduling the entire first week of my trip (which starts Sunday, btw…eeek!)

When the earthquake happened in Morocco, I was unsure if that trip would still happen.

Here’s how it’s played out so far and the steps I’ve taken to deal with a potential pivot:

Do you identify as an introvert? 🙋‍♀️🤚

I was recently asked about traveling solo as an introvert during the @traveltransformationcoach’s podcast ... about how I meet other people and manage my energy ... which made me curious about others...

What's your experience? Do you see it as an advantage or disadvantage in solo travel?Listen to my own solo travel as an introvert experience:

Liz Gilbert’s story is beautiful and inspirational.

But her story is not yours.

Your Journey likely does not include eating too much pasta in Italy, living in an ashram in India and learning from a wise elder in Bali while falling in love with a man from Brazil.

Whenever I’m making a decision about whether or not to take a trip (or any big decision, really), I’ve discovered a helpful process for seeking wisdom.

Our bodies house more wisdom inside than we can imagine, and they can often help guide us. Here’s how it works for me:

Scenario: An opportunity comes my way to go on a trip that sounds interesting, but I’m just not sure if it’s the right time, location, if I have the budget.

So I run the idea past my body—literally from my head to my toes:

Earlier this year, I turned 50.

I had just returned from 7 months living overseas, so I decided to invite a small group of friends—I call them my “yard” because they are the people who surround me and infuse my home with love whenever they visit—to celebrate.

Together, our ages spanned four decades, and as we sat around the table, laughed, ate and drank, it occurred to me that the experience felt similar to a vision I had over two years ago.

I’ve come to call it “My Extraordinary.”

It’s an exercise in which I regularly imagine the most beautiful life possible for myself. I go to a favorite peaceful place where I can be alone and I imagine and feel it all with my five senses.

Not long after I got divorced at age 46, I planned a solo trip to Europe.

Just before leaving, I had a conversation with my therapist, who reminded me that I now had a blank canvas on which to create a beautiful, new life.

But rather than inspire me, the idea of that blank canvas terrified me.

It was white. Blank. And I not only had no idea what to do with it, I was afraid to even begin picturing what life should look like now.

Like many women who travel after a profound loss like divorce, I hoped my time away would bring healing as well as clarity around what my new canvas—my life—might look like. As my trip unfolded, travel became a beautiful healer and a catalyst for opening my mind to new possibilities. Slowly, I began to catch glimpses of this new canvas and what it held. As I look back today, I can see several steps that helped me along the way. They might help you, too. 

Elizabeth Gilbert inspired countless women to take their “Eat, Pray, Love” trips - yet for many women, these trips remain an elusive dream.

Dawn enables women who were previously paralyzed in fulfilling their travel dreams to not only take their trip, but also discover forgotten or unknown parts of their being that they can celebrate and make a part of their life after their trip.

So for my first guest blog contributor, I asked Dawn to put together a list of books that can empower women to fulfill their travel dreams. I love this list and confess - that I have not read any of them! So here’s to an ever-growing TBR pile (To Be Read).