Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips

From Educator to Explorer: Sharon's Journey to Solo Travel Empowerment

• Cheryl Esch-Solo Travel Advocate/Travel Coach/Freedom Traveler • Season 2 • Episode 109

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Sharon McQuaid's journey from a Texas classroom to the enchanting streets of Paris is nothing short of inspirational. As a former educator, Sharon bravely transitioned during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving behind systemic issues and micromanagement to embrace a life of adventure and mystery. Her story, fueled by the spirit of characters like Trixie Belden, captures the essence of following one’s dreams and finding joy in unexpected places along the East Coast. With AmeriCorps and supportive friends lighting her path, Sharon's tale proves that passion and perseverance can lead to newfound fulfillment.

In the heart of this episode, listeners will find Sharon reflecting on her solo travels in Paris, which were both challenging and transformative. Recounting her personal anecdotes, she unveils how revisiting familiar destinations can lead to profound self-discovery and growth. The discussion also touches on the unique experiences of walking the Camino, highlighting the distinct dynamics and insights gained from traveling solo compared to group adventures. Sharon’s journey is a testament to the magic of revisiting places with a fresh perspective and the confidence that comes with it.

For those eager to explore the world on their own, Sharon shares invaluable safety tips and budget-friendly travel options. From the comfort of hometown hotels to the thrills of international escapades, she provides a roadmap for solo travel enthusiasts, including advice on staying connected and secure. The episode rounds off with an exciting invitation for women to apply for a free travel coaching program aimed at empowering and healing past traumas. As Sharon prepares for her next adventure to the Canary Islands and Portugal, she leaves us with the compelling message that adventure knows no bounds.

Follow Sharon through her blog:
https://souladventurersmindfulmoments.blogspot.com/2024/10/how-it-all-began.html

Instagram @soul_adventure_mindful_moments

APPLY FOR FREE TRAVEL COACHING:
https://forms.gle/ZppYxxgqjEpKCUqR9

Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50

Send me a message or share your solo travel story with me.
https://www.speakpipe.com/SoloTravelAdventures

Leave a review:
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Speaker 1:

Welcome back, sister travelers. Well, today I have a guest on who is also a listener, and she reached out to me because she wanted to share her story, which I strongly encourage anybody else that is a listener that has an amazing story of their travels, their solo travel adventures, to share with other women. I'm so grateful for my listening audience, and this is just a testimony of you know that this could be even you, possibly on my podcast, but her name is Sharon McQuaid. She resides in Texas but grew up in Pennsylvania. She's been in education for 25 plus years and, while she has left the traditional classroom, she still considers herself a teacher. She uses traveling instead of a classroom to inspire and encourage people of all ages to live their best lives.

Speaker 1:

Although she's been a dreamer since the time she was little, it was COVID which changed the trajectory of her life and opened up a new path. She now travels up to nine months out of the year, living her life to the fullest and sharing her story with others. You'll often hear her say her favorite quote we will never have enough money or time to follow our dreams, so do it anyways. I love that because that's just how I feel. No time like the present, and I always also look at it, as we just never know when our time is over on this earth. So enjoy the conversation I had with Sharon. Well, hello, sharon. Thank you so much for being here today.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I was really excited to get the chance to meet you and I love your podcast so I've listened to a couple of them because I just found out about you. So I've been keeping up with that from a friend and, yeah, really excited to share my story.

Speaker 1:

And I love having listeners come on and that's really you know, I've put that call out there and just would love to have more listeners come and share their story, like you're going to do here today of you. Know your travel story and I always like to start with sort of your origin travel story. Like many people, it either goes back, you know their fondest memory or sometimes it's something that just started later in life. So what would you say is your origin travel story? That got you into travel?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I was an adventurer probably since the day I was born. You know, if the doorbell rang, I was the first to know who was there, what was going on, the mystery of it all. And, yeah, reading I'm an English teacher, so reading Trixie Belden, she was like a knockoff of Nancy Drew.

Speaker 2:

Uh, trixie Belden, she was like a knockoff of Nancy Drew and, um, yeah, so you know that's how my life was. But um, yeah, she was a knockoff of Nancy Drew and she's this quirky, freckled haired girl or freckled faced girl, red hair kind of, and um, I would sit in a tree in like September, my favorite tree in our backyard, with concord grapes, just just climbing up there. And you know, being a woman or a young girl, you're just looking down at this world with this book in my hand. And she went on these adventures and solved mysteries and was empowered and she went to places that I didn't know of because we didn't have Google right back then, and so it really opened my eyes to this world of mystery and discovery and it was really empowering for me.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I love hearing origin stories. You have some new developments in sort of this travel life of yours and I know that in later in life you've started a new adventure I like to call it and I wanted to hear you doing some long term travel, I should say. But share with us what was the impetus for sort of that, that, what's happening now, I guess, and what got you into long term travel now?

Speaker 2:

Well, I would say you know, know, I've always found ways to do some traveling right, but it was covid. To be quite honest, I'm a teacher and, um, it was just awful. Um, as most teachers will tell you, the system you would ignore the system anymore uh, systemically, how bad it was and how it was affecting students and how we were being micromanaged. And I resigned. I had no backup plan, none, and I went this, healing my soul and I said you know what? I'm a smart, intelligent person. I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I just had. I'm not a religious person, but I spiritual. I just felt this like resign and I did. And it allowed me in those four months, to teach exactly the way I wanted to teach, because I was untouchable. And when I left, I was like, what am I going to do with these skills? How am I going to transfer them? And I found a volunteer AmeriCorps, believe it or not and I thought if I go to college, I have to pay for it and I don't show anything at the end. And I'm not opposed to education whatsoever, but I felt like I was on a time constraint. So I found this I ended up working at a college and I did get a stipend and my boss at the time said, yeah, go ahead and travel because it was still COVID.

Speaker 2:

And my boss at the time said, yeah, go ahead and travel because it was still COVID. So a friend of mine who's an avid traveler and birder said, yeah, take my tent, took her tent, put it in my car and started traveling on the East Coast, just camping and living. And my friends knew so they're like, oh, stop by my house. So I had places to stay. And my friends knew so they're like, oh, stop by my house. So I had places to stay.

Speaker 2:

And if I saw a fruit stand, I stopped or turned around and camped with the tide rolling in in Maine, which is beautiful, and Cumberland Island in Georgia, with roaming horses, and I said, this is the life I want, this is me, it's my soul, and so what I've noticed is when you travel and work, some people are fine with it and some bosses will automatically have an issue with it when they change and a boss change and she was really upset and while I was traveling for no reason, my work was done, but I ended up being able to finish that job and I found an online job same thing. That boss loved it. She had no problem with me working online six bosses later in a month.

Speaker 2:

If that isn't a red flag um in a month besides that, yeah, yeah, actually less than, to be quite honest, oh my god. Um, there were there and I got a doing very well, no bad reviews, nothing and all of a sudden it became an issue. So we know that's usually something else going on, but here's where I found my voice, because it had happened already. It's funny I don't know if that's happened to you or any of your listeners, but when you use your voice and you are a rule follower and you do the things and all of a sudden your body is telling you the signs, your gut's telling you this isn't right and you follow through, it's almost hard to do that, because I've been a rule follower my whole life and you almost think the cops are going to come and say shame on you.

Speaker 2:

You shouldn't have made this. You know, like it really was that bizarre the first time. But now I'm in this position, I'm in England and, um, all of a sudden they're like what's the problem? You can come home now or, you know, resign. And um, I said, well, if I come home now, could I still lose my job? They said yes.

Speaker 2:

When, I said wow, well, I'm not resigning, but it sounds like you made the decision and so they wanted me to resign, so they wouldn't have to pay me, right? Or?

Speaker 2:

have any issues and I just said, yeah, I'm choosing not to resign, but I understand you have to do what you need to do, so they called it a separation, which is funny. It feels like a divorce. You have to do what you need to do, so they called it a separation, which is funny. It feels like a divorce. And I shared my story because usually we hear what does that feel like after I've solved all those problems? It's really rare that someone is going to say, oh yeah, I'm in that problem now. That's the problem I'm in and I can share, like I said, with you and anybody else who's been in that position. I don't feel scared this time.

Speaker 1:

I don't.

Speaker 2:

And that, to me, lets me know that there's another lesson in this adventure of okay, so I have a tutoring job Called them up and said give me as many as you can, so I'm getting money in. Right now I do have a cushion and I'm going to getting money in right now I do have a cushion and it's the I'm going to do. The next great step and that's what's interesting is through traveling. That has calmed my nerves and I know you're a traveler and when you, well, I'm never learning. Just about traveling, I'm always it's always affecting who I am as a person. Right, it's always a bigger lesson for me and how I want to live my life.

Speaker 2:

And I really feel this was about me saying I'm allowed because I have some generational trauma as well. And, with that being said, I was never allowed to have emotions, right, like I always needed to know what my mother needed. And this journey has said oh, I'm allowed to feel, so I felt, and then I'm allowed to act logically. So I used to sometimes act like this is horrible, and then I would get tunnel vision and not know how to respond, but instead I was like, oh, oh, this seems you know what are the feelings I need to have. I felt them and then I said, logically what's the next right step? And the next right step is I'm smart, I'm educated, I'm going to get those tutoring jobs. They told me I could actually reapply when I got back in January. So I might do that, I might do that, I don't know. But yeah, that's where I am now. And then I was trying to figure out so, cost wise, I found a cruise for two weeks That'll give me food, that'll give me transportation and that will give me travel.

Speaker 1:

So I'm doing that December 5th for two weeks how you were able to find or at least you found at one point to listen to your authentic self and take those risks and, just really, even though it's scary and we know, as a new solo traveler, there's some fear, you're scared of certain things, but when you do it, like you were saying, you developed this confidence and you got your voice, as you, as you said, and I love that you shared that. I mean. I think that is clearly important. I mean not just, I mean every everybody in everyday life should be able to be their authentic self, and I've, I've been where you've been too, or I used to work in human resources, so big rule follower, right. So when you take these big leaps of you know it can be scary and people outside of that kind of look at you going, wow, it's a little crazy, but it's also a chance, like you said, it feels like, at least for me, and sounds like you. You created that space too by traveling to find that true identity and to really well, I mean travel too. I mean that's.

Speaker 1:

I mean I hear a lot of people with COVID having done that, a lot of teachers left their jobs, exactly like you said, and but I'm finding now, you know, we've been allowed to work remotely and like sounds like your cases as well. A lot of employers are now requiring employees to come back to the office, and so this is like a big issue. But, you know, I think we have to be, especially at our age. I feel like we have to be true to ourselves, because I don't want to be miserable like you know, working your job or the rest of your life doing something that doesn't excite you or light up your soul.

Speaker 2:

So thank you for sharing that. Yeah, and you know, I've noticed that. You know, when I have people ask me questions, I'm like oh, I found my voice. But honestly, I'm always finding it with traveling, absolutely Still discovering it.

Speaker 1:

And you know, the one thing I learned is I would never be loyal to a job again.

Speaker 2:

Ever I'd be loyal to me. And a lot of people think, oh, does that mean you're not a good employee? Absolutely not. I will absolutely do a good job, hopefully a great job, and my reviews show that. But what I won't be is loyal to a boss anymore. I'll be loyal to me and that means setting up really healthy boundaries and that means saying to them at times I'm not in this situation, but you know saying I understand you have to do what you need to do, but this is this is where I am on the situation. You know, setting up boundaries doesn't mean I tell other people what they have to do. It means telling myself this is what I'm going to do you know, and this is when I'll answer.

Speaker 2:

This is how I'll solve it. But yeah, being authentic is so important and it's always a good guide. In my situation, it's always a much better guide than trying to conform to things that don't feel natural.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, and you mentioned your generational trauma and I like how you also brought in that you know finding those boundaries and that's also important, I think, even as we travel, like kind of knowing where, especially if you're dealing with that still possibly. I'm just saying, speaking widely here, that knowing where you feel comfortable traveling, where you feel safe to travel, right Based on maybe that you know we don't want you to be anxious in a place that doesn't kind of give you that space, I like to say, to enjoy your solo travel. So, again, I love the boundary idea Very important For sure. Yes. So what has been in because you've been solo traveling for a while now? What has been the most challenging aspect of a solo travel for you? Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So you know, if we're talking kind of like me as a person, how it's connected to me. I would say, finding my confidence in my voice and that's something I realized always continues. If you ever want to find your voice and confidence, I highly recommend going to Paris you will have to find it there, have you been?

Speaker 1:

Yes, I've been twice yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I went by myself the first time, and that is perhaps another story for another time. But you will find it there. You can't go intimate to Paris, you need to know who you are, and it was so you know again, being the reader, the writer that I am, I mean, it was like bam symbolism right in my face. Yeah, so that was a huge thing, but now I would say mostly it's you know, transportation, where am I going to stay? And even though I love traveling, it is a headache because those are the things You're not quite there yet. And again, that's metaphorical for ourselves I'm not here, I'm not there.

Speaker 2:

I'm having to plan at how much does it cost and, um, if I'm once, I'm there, everything will be fine, and that's not always true, so, but I would say that that's the part that I I don't hate it, but it's the most challenging I would agree with the whole transportation you know and making sure you're not getting scammed, or something like that. Oh that is.

Speaker 1:

That is a true, very true, yes, but if you can navigate the Metro in Paris, you can navigate anything. In my opinion, it's like, if you can figure that out, which it happened to me, like towards the end of of my stay there. I was like probably, like, oh okay, I feel confident, like I know which line we're going, you know like, but it does, it takes you. I mean, you have to use your brain, of course.

Speaker 2:

It's a whole like yeah, I would, if anybody does want to go to it, cause, like that was my, my love.

Speaker 2:

Like for art and writing like an art teacher, she told us about the Mona Lisa. And like and writing like an art teacher, she told me about the mona lisa, and like that was my dream since a child and I, literally I was, uh, with a friend in germany and then they dropped me off and I took this train and, of course, I couldn't understand the language and none of it, and even if they told me to stop and I didn't have any of the right apps and I got off at the wrong place, but you end up coming out from underneath you. You know, like, yeah, the abyss up, and like the city is just buzzing and it was like beautiful, but then, all of a sudden, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. You know, it was this unrequited love. I love Paris and Paris didn't love me back, and but there's a whole beautiful story in that that I discovered myself in the end of that journey.

Speaker 1:

Good yeah, yes, I, I've had, um, I've been to Paris twice. I would say the first time was amazing, it was huge, it was overwhelming, honestly, um. But it wasn't until I returned the second time and I spent a couple days, but I was there with a friend, but then I spent a couple days by myself that I actually started to fall in love with Paris.

Speaker 2:

So 100% same thing.

Speaker 1:

Yes, so I think, you know. I think, once you get past the overwhelm of being there the first time, right that you have to go back.

Speaker 2:

You have an idea of what you think it is, even though I did a ton of research, because I'm really a proponent of traveling and wanting, you know, to do my best culturally to immerse myself, and um, yeah, and even though I did it, it still didn't make a difference. It was, it was, it was a lesson in who I was really is what that turned out. And the second time I went, it was totally different. I have friends there now that I visit and it's totally different experience.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yes, yeah, I think that might even be true. Anytime you go to a place a second time around, I mean there's, and there's when you're talking about cities in general, like especially Paris or just big cities, there's so much to see that you can't see it all in one time, all in one visit. So you know, even for me I was just in Portugal and Spain, and you know I was- in Lisbon.

Speaker 2:

You did the Camino. I just finished mine. Oh, we'll have to talk about that, so we're on the same trajectory. That's I love it.

Speaker 1:

I was like I'm just going to have to come back because there's so much I missed. But you know, I enjoyed what I saw, like I wasn't pushing myself to get to every big place and I just was trying to enjoy the different cities and towns that I was walking through, of course for my Camino, but yeah so I think, just enjoying a new place.

Speaker 2:

I'm with you because I talk to other people and they tell me they only like to go someplace once and the first time is just awe for me, and then the second time is a deep dive. I'm still always in awe, no matter how many times I travel anywhere, even in my neighborhood. I'm just that I've always been that way. But but yeah, and then you get to explore deeper. So I totally agree with you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so you just finished the Camino.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we did the same thing we did. I wish I would have gone with you, oh my God, I actually went with people in May. I left on my birthday and I did seven. Really it was 14 days and there were five people and I only knew one person and then the rest. You know, it was my friend, her friend and her two boys. Okay, and we did 14 days and it was interesting because I'm such a solo traveler and you know there's.

Speaker 2:

Traveling by yourself is one experience and traveling with other people is totally different, and I like both, but I think I tend to prefer solo traveling because if I want to go to a museum and be lost in there for 10 hours, I can, or go in for two minutes and go, not feeling it, I can walk out, and when you travel with people, you can't slow down. I don't want to say you can't slow down. What I mean is you're in a rhythm of a group and that group makes the decisions. And the memories I have are remember when you dropped the ice cream cone and it's. You know this and that. Remember when we were at this restaurant. But my memories of when I'm by myself is, you know, leaning down in Paris and seeing the colors of a leaf float down a gutter and just being mesmerized by that for, like you know, minutes on end, when I wouldn't notice that if I'm with people, yeah, no, that's true, very true.

Speaker 1:

It's so different and a lot of times you have to compromise when you're with other people.

Speaker 2:

Did you go by yourself or did you go with people?

Speaker 1:

in the Camino. I went by myself.

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

I just saw that you posted that, yeah, so I'm going to have to go back and listen to it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so it was an experience. You can listen to the episode. Okay, I'm going to listen to it.

Speaker 2:

I just got onto your podcast through some friends and um, so yeah. I got a backtrack on a lot of them.

Speaker 1:

Well, good, we share quite a bit. You know, being from texas and, yeah, we've done the camino um and done a lot of solo travel. I love it and I've been a teacher as well. So okay just, uh, I've taught at some colleges, uh, this part-time, but so, yes, I left the education academia. Um, yeah, before covid, actually, I mean it was.

Speaker 2:

I guess it was probably good timing when I left, to be honest, um, I guess I think those things like that happen in our life are traumatic in the beginning, but they're always the thing if we're willing to listen and open up be the next best thing. For me, anyway, has always been the next big step that I wouldn't have done on my own. Had something else not forced me out of that yes, I, I see a lot of that.

Speaker 1:

I mean, when I look at even some of the travels I've done, like what brought me to that place? And sometimes it was an event that like, like forced me or got me thinking, okay, I need a trip. So yeah, I agree with that. Um, what advice would you give solo travelers, that, um, women that are just maybe embarking on their first solo trip?

Speaker 2:

So this is one of my favorite things to share with people I meet, Cause they're like you're by yourself, Like how do you.

Speaker 2:

I know I get that all the time, so I've got this down pat, and you know, the first thing is you've got to start where you are comfortable. So I tell people, because a lot of people don't like being alone, and I'm not judging that. My advice is, though, meet yourself where you are, and I tell my friends if your friends are going out girls night to a restaurant, go a half hour early, go walk in by yourself, sit at the bar. You know there's going to be people there, so now you don't feel awkward being by yourself. That's really, for a lot of people, a huge fear.

Speaker 2:

So you're sitting at the bar, maybe you get a drink or you know a little something, and then if somebody is weird or I, oh coming, you know. You have that out right away and you start feeling comfortable, knowing what feels safe, what feels awkward. You're not alone because your friends are showing up and you're going to feel comfortable walking into a space and owning it, and that's how, honestly, I built my confidence up was doing that. Then my next recommendation is you know again, start going to places by yourself, but go to a hotel, either in your hometown or a little. You know, radius, get a great pool.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, You're not paying for a flight. You're not paying, you know all these exorbitant fees. That's true. You're paying one night at a beautiful pool and just enjoy it. Bring a book, hang out, tell your friends to join you later if you want. Start getting used to feeling alone and feeling safe and knowing. And then I do tell people two huge safety things is I always have friends and guy friends that I'll say hey, I'm going to text you, I'm going. My very first, like one of my very first was in Nashville and I was comfortable with Nashville because I'd been there before with people but I was at bars so I'd say call me. You know, call me once in a while or I'm gonna text you. That way, if I ever felt somebody and somebody be like, oh, my friends are at the other bar, I was lying, I was by myself, I like the music, so I'm hanging out here. And then I'd have my friend Bob or whoever you know, and yeah, I feel like I have that

Speaker 2:

thing. But the biggest one is we all have an old cell phone that still works. Bring it because it has all of your contact information on it. We don't memorize that stuff anymore. We don't anymore. Right? I remember I was thinking back in the eighties like I had all my friends' phone. You know, couldn't even my best friend's phone number, I don't even know. So you have contact information, you have all the things you need and it works. Wi-fi works, so you don't even have to have it hooked to a plan. It has. But I automatically I was at the hotel, had my second one, the wifi worked immediately called the camp company. It was, or what if I lose my phone? Or I have an internet, you know? Just an issue you have the phone dial up, call your phone plan, transfer it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah so that would be my biggest, because my our cell phones are a safety net, right Like they are my lifeline.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, they are for all of us. I mean, and even if you know when I'm out and about and I'm traveling, I'm using my GPS quite a bit, so that is definitely you know. You need that to get around. It seems a lot even just to walk, or you know to pin where you're, where you're at Right, so you know how to get back absolutely, and taking pictures too, because that you know I always take even parking, even in the states.

Speaker 2:

If I park my car I'm like where did I park?

Speaker 1:

you know, that kind of thing do that all the time and then you know people are going abroad.

Speaker 2:

I know I was afraid the first time, um, but I knew people. So my recommendation would go to england first, somewhere in england, and take the eurostar to Paris for the day, and that will give you a nice taste, because it was scary for me to be in Paris by myself. Obviously, everything worked out fine.

Speaker 1:

But if somebody is afraid of the language barrier and all that, have your location, your home place in England somewhere, take that Eurostar in to Paris and you canurostar in to Paris and you can go wherever you want to go for a day and then come back until you realize like, okay, I get the you know, yeah, I always recommend that you go, if you're going to go international, see if you can go somewhere where either you know the language or if it's your native language that you're going there, so that because language barrier can be I mean, I for me, when I was in portugal, it was a little frustrating just because I didn't know the language and it was, I know a little bit of Spanish, but it's so different than Spanish, yeah, so I was grateful to have Google translate, but still, even when I didn't have time to pull it out or whatever, you know, you want to have some conversations with people when you're passing them, so it was a little, I mean, disappointing that I didn't learn the language before I went.

Speaker 1:

But that's why I always say you know, your first trip, go somewhere, even if it's, like you said, local, right, somewhere that they speak your language. So that's one less stressful, you know, scenario that you are finding yourself in.

Speaker 1:

So I do love the cell phone thing.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to have to do that and keep my old one it is, it's old, you don't even and make sure you have the charger that matches right Of course. Try to make sure it's the so you don't have to carry another charger. And I guess I don't know if this is one. Last thing is, and I'm sure you can relate, even though you can travel a million times getting off transportation, whether it's a bus, a train, a plane, you feel like maybe lots of I got to catch the next. Don't ever be nervous, it'll all work out.

Speaker 2:

But I always recommend, if you're lost, I always find a corner, like by a vending machine or something, because I don't want to be vulnerable. With pipometers they work in threes, so I make sure I'm not in an open space looking like I don't know where this is. Spot you instantly. They're looking for that look. And if you're by yourself, I've just made myself vulnerable, so easy for people to be bumping because they're all exiting. So I always find a place that kind of is away from people a wall, vending machine, a corner so I can look at something.

Speaker 2:

I love make sure I can get to the next place?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because sometimes we need a moment to look at our phones or figure out where we're going next, like you said, yeah so never in a vulnerable place where people can see me looking up and where what you know that whole thing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, looking lost Well through travels. I don't know about you, but I find and experience a lot of just unexpected events, or or even some fun, serendipitous type of events that occur that you weren't expecting. I'd like you to share one with me. If you have one on the top of your head, that, yeah I would say you know the one that that's really.

Speaker 2:

It was when I lost my key in paris so it was the first time I was there.

Speaker 2:

Um, I had one percent on my cell phone and I was going to do a tour. I was going to go back, oh my god, and I had an airbnb, but one of those airbnbs with a third party and you know the whole thing. So I had a key and everything. Okay, I'm gonna go home, we'll go to the back to the place, freshen up and go back out and do the sport at night. And I went to get my key and it wasn't there and I had one percent of my phone. I usually carry a map didn't have the map, couldn't find it. Nobody had talked to me in Paris, like the whole thing, right, and I I'm not a crier and I just had tears in my eyes. I couldn't even talk, like how am I gonna get in there? And, thank god, a woman with a small little voice saw me and she goes oh my gosh, you know. She said are you okay?

Speaker 2:

and she was American but lived in Paris now, yeah, and I literally couldn't say I was that shaken up about it, I need. I just kept pointing to where I need to be. I need to get she's like calm down, it's okay. Be. I need to get. She's like calm down, it's okay. So she calmed me down and she first said you know what it's the tourist season? Even I'm starting to get frustrated. Make sure you say bonjour first, right? So whenever you have a conversation with someone because I was telling her nobody would talk to me she said just don't say excuse me, that's actually not culturally appropriate. Say bonjour for everything or they will be rude and won't talk to you.

Speaker 2:

And I can explain later more of the reason behind that. But anyway, she walked me around a corner Tim's Hotel, I think it was called. Thank God, I had my passport and my credit card and, you know, she kind of wished me luck and she gave me that advice and I walked in and I have no clothes, nothing, and I'd been walking probably 20 miles because I love to walk, and I'm exhausted and I'm all of a sudden starting to panic, like I don't have this key, what am I going to do? And, um, you know, I was starting to research. I had 1% of my phone. Thank God, the people gave me a charger I could borrow. So that was good. And I thought I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Speaker 2:

Right, I open up the shutters of this hotel. I open them up it's gorgeous. And I lean my head and I can now see I hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower from my place, nor had I seen it at all. I see the Eiffel Tower and I just had this peace over me and I said I could be in anxiety or I could be in peace. Which one am I going to? And I said I'm going to, I'm going to pick Paris, I'm going to pick, I'm going to be in Paris because I realized somehow it would work out. Being in anxiety is going to ruin that. I'm in Paris and that's going to be the story I'm going to tell is I don't remember anything.

Speaker 2:

I was upset. I had the best night's sleep, I kid you not. I woke up the next day with no brush. I had a toothbrush. They weren't understanding I needed a brush, so they gave me a tiny toothbrush. I have really, really thick hair. I'm brushing my hair. I have trying to rinse my my you know stuff in the sink. What I could clean up? Absolutely nothing.

Speaker 2:

I retraced the entire 20 miles and started every conversation with bonjour and some of those workers who wouldn't talk to me or look away. The keys opened up to me. The whole city of Paris opened up. They were very nice. They were all trying to help me um, play in French and I couldn't find it and I thought, okay, sharon, well, at least I'll learn French in a French jail, I guess. Right, so I.

Speaker 2:

There's one last place, a park, that I actually got lost to find it and I thought I'll never find it again and I just was like, well, I don't know what, if it's like it was maybe this way Find the park, it's still open. There is a woman who was utterly mean, didn't look at me the day before and it just dawned on me. I had bought a water and a little snack day before and it just dawned on me. I had bought a water and a little snack and when I did I pulled my key out. I thought I'd left it on there. I walk up and I go bonjour, madame, uh, you know. And she goes, puts her finger up like wait, opens up a drawer, pulls out my key. I'm crying, um, it was just that's when I found my voice. I mean, it was couldn't have been more symbolic the key to my voice, the key to adventure, the key to everything oh my gosh, I just got.

Speaker 1:

I just got chills. I mean I love that it was.

Speaker 2:

I mean, that was it for me, that was it. And that's when the second time I went back the keys where I I already had the key, so the second time I had friends and you know, just yeah, oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

I love that story. That's incredible that you actually found the key.

Speaker 2:

It was meaningful. But you know it all happened because I'm a calculated risk taker. I'm not somebody who's going to do stupid things. You know that's not what traveling is about. But it's also knowing when to listen to my gut and let some of that anxiety and worry that like somehow it's going to work out, I just tell myself that. And then, even in my own life now, when my job is happening, I'm like I could be in England or I could be stressed out right now that I lost my job and I said I'm in England, I'm in England, so I'll make it work. You know, that's the story I want to have and everything else. It's like the universe kind of opens up to you. Then, oh, okay, if you're okay, we're going to open up these other doors to you.

Speaker 1:

And podcast with you. So, yeah, things just fall into place, absolutely. So, speaking of falling into place, where are your next adventures taking? You said you're in england right now. Yeah, plans for?

Speaker 2:

anything coming up well, so the visa works for six months, as you know, travel visa for england they like us a little bit longer than europe. Europe, europe is like you get three months with us. So I've been away since the end of May and then I'm going to a two week cruise because again, I was looking financially like. Financially it makes sense because I'm getting travel, room and board and food and I don't have to fly anywhere because I'm taking it out of England and it was a last minute deal so I got a great deal.

Speaker 2:

It saved me more than traveling. So it's going to the Canary Islands, it's going to um Portugal, lisbon, and the Canary Islands are you going to?

Speaker 1:

sometimes they go to Madeira are you going to the?

Speaker 2:

I'll have to, honestly, I'll have to look okay my big thing was price. It's so funny, there's different reasons why I travel different times, right? This one was like I don't know, I just need to. You know, I need to get out of england for a while because I'll overstay my visa and this will do it. Um, so that is all I have planned up to, and that's like the middle of december, december, and then I have to figure out from there any plans to to come back to the U?

Speaker 1:

S for the holidays In January In January, and then I'm thinking I might travel again.

Speaker 2:

You know travel. I've not done the West coast, I really not done a lot of the West coast. The East coast I love, I have connections there. So maybe, yeah, maybe, start traveling again. Camping, it's a very easy way to do it.

Speaker 1:

So I do want to get back. I meant to get back to your camping things I have a personal question about. So I consider myself very outdoorsy, I've camped quite a bit and sleeping in a tent is not an issue for me. But you've been sleeping in a tent for a long time and how do you physically feel? Cause I think at my age I you know, I don't think I could do that long-term like you've done.

Speaker 2:

Well, well, let me preface. Let's go back a little bit, though. I had a tent and I definitely did camping, but I also stayed with friends, Um, and then if I could find cheap, you know places that were safe and stuff, I did that. But yeah, I mean I'm 54, you know, so I joke with my friends.

Speaker 2:

I'm like when I was younger it was like grab a weekend bag and go Now, do I need a heating pad? Did I remember to bring, like certain beds that you can get here, that I know work? But yes, yes, it's so funny traveling older, the things that I'm like, oh, yeah, those shoes are cute, but no, can't walk in, all right, um, but you know what the funny thing is, I, it worked wonders on my back, it really just a heating. No, I didn't bring the heating pad. Oh, camping, just camping on grass, like I mean with a tent, right, but like, do you have a little pad? I didn't have the heating pad. I'm camping on grass, like I mean with a tent, right, but like, do you have a little pad? I didn't have a mat or anything.

Speaker 2:

I just have the tent. And when I woke up like I woke up with energy, my back felt better, um, and I don't. It didn't always feel like that way, don't get me wrong. It just depended on where I was camping, um, but it definitely straightened out my back sometimes, for sure. But you know that's I mean, I have, I guess, so many stories, you know, if you ever want to hear another time, but yeah, that's part of the adventure I tell myself. You know, my worst day traveling is never like my best day at work, or I don't know if I said it right, but the essence that I'm getting at is yeah, Someone recently shared that quote with me.

Speaker 1:

You know it's a bad moment it's a bad moment.

Speaker 2:

I don't think traveling is bad, but when I'm at work and things aren't right, I don't think, oh, this is just a bad moment or a bad day. I think this is awful and it's never going to get any better. It's funny how we think that way.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that is a big difference. Yes, and we're privileged to travel, so it's. I think that too sets us with a different mindset in, whereas work is this mundane thing that almost like we're required to do so, so again that whole mindset of like, oh it's, this is bad, you know, and then but travel you might. Like you said, a bad day is a better day than a day at work. Right, exactly.

Speaker 2:

That's exactly it and it's having that mindset. And you know, my parents didn't travel, so they had like a fear of it and not having money. Growing up, I mean they were. These were all things that I just knew I wanted to do it. And you just take one step. You know, uh, shared with you, my favorite quote is you'll never have enough time or money for your dreams. Do it anyway, Like, do it just take one step.

Speaker 2:

You know whether it's getting a passport, cause that does take money, so maybe you just get it. So when the opportunity comes, you know there's so many people I can't afford to get, but could you save up to get a passport, Cause, you never know, Somebody might have to cancel it and say, hey, for half the price or for free, it's there, go. And I knew that in my head I wanted to have that and I did. I had a friend on my trip. I was in Denmark, Copenhagen, for two weeks for free. She's like, oh, I'm not going to be there, Go ahead and stay there for free. So there you go. You have to set yourself up for these opportunities.

Speaker 1:

Yes, I agree, awesome. That's a great little nugget, too, of information. So do you have a social media presence where people might be able to find you? I think you have a blog, yes, I do, I've been.

Speaker 2:

yes, I do have a blog that I've on my Facebook with my friends. I always post, but they're like you need to start a blog. So I did just start the blog and we start posting my things. And then I do have an Instagram that I'm going to make public again. Um, cause you know, that's the thing with probably you have to always be careful of you know who you invite into your world or not. But my um soul adventure is what it's called my soul adventure. One is just travels, that's all it is of places and things. And, yeah, please come. You know, read my adventures on my blog. I'm happy to share it. And, um, my Instagram, I think, are the two best places for right now.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and I'll make sure I include that in the show notes for people so they can, you know, click on to see your blog and I'll leave your Instagram.

Speaker 2:

You know connection too, that sounds good, yeah, and I'm happy to share this link with people. So I've already kind of started.

Speaker 1:

So I'm excited. Oh good, I'm excited too.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we're going to get more people.

Speaker 1:

Well, sharon, it has been a joy and I think we're going to have to truly just connect, since we live in Texas, because I love to physically meet my guests, even though we do it virtually the recording and I actually had an opportunity to meet a past guest when I was in Portugal.

Speaker 2:

I actually had an opportunity to meet a past guest when I was in Portugal.

Speaker 1:

So you never know right. So, and you live in Texas, there's really no reason for us not to hook up at some point. So definitely I think we'll be hearing or seeing each other again. So again, thank you so much for sharing your amazing story, stories and giving some great advice to women out there that want to solo travel or, you know, take it up a notch right For their solo I appreciate your, I appreciate your podcast.

Speaker 2:

It's needed. We need that right. We need community and people that we trust, that we can say you know what I? I feel that way too, which is why I was drawn to your, your podcast, because it was like, you know, if I needed 20 minutes, you have a 20 minute one. If it's something longer and I'm running or jogging, I have that as well. So, yeah, what you're doing is important. It's needed. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1:

Yes, awesome. Well, thank you again, sharon. Okay, it's been a joy.

Speaker 2:

Excellent, and I will talk to you soon.

Speaker 1:

Do you struggle with fear and overwhelm about doing a solo trip?

Speaker 1:

Are you stuck in this place because you've had a past trauma that holds you in that space and you want to break free from that? Well, I'm here to offer some free travel coaching to help you get past that point, to help you on your healing journey from this past trauma, hurt, stress, loss, any incident that has put you in this place. I want to free you from that. I want to guide you in a way that you could go on a solo travel by yourself and feel confident and be able to also utilize that time to heal from any past. I'm offering three spots, three lucky ladies, and I'm accepting applications until November 10th and once the people are chosen, I will guide them through some coaching sessions to help them move beyond this pain and suffering and plan a trip, and then follow up with them after the adventure. Fill out the application that is in the show notes if you are interested or this is you and you want that freedom and you want to move forward in your healing journey. I'm here for you. Sisters, let's do this together.

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Cheryl Esch

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