Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
Equipping Women over 50 to Safely Travel in Confidence
Is fear holding you back from traveling because you don’t have anyone to go with? Are you concerned about being a woman traveling alone? Not sure how to prepare for a solo trip? Do family and friends think you are crazy for even considering solo travel in this day and age?
In this podcast, you will become equipped to travel safely by yourself. You’ll learn things like tactical travel tips and how to prepare for a trip, and how to overcome the fear so you can discover the transformation that travel can bring. My mission is to see more women over 50, empty-nesters, discover how travel can empower them. If you want to enjoy your next travel adventure solo, then start your journey here.
Hi Sister Travelers, I’m Cheryl, solo travel advocate and coach. I spent nearly 20 years putting my family/children first and felt guilty about even considering solo travel at the time. After my divorce and transitioning to an empty nest, I began to rediscover my passion for travel, built confidence in myself, and started to explore again. I have experienced life-changing adventures through travel and I want the same for you.
If you are ready to find freedom through travel and build your confidence while safely navigating new places, then this podcast is for you!
Pack your bags, grab your plane tickets and check one more time for that passport. It’s time to explore the world!
Email: adventuresredheadrambler@gmail.com
Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
Aligning Your Travel Dreams with Your Life's Seasons: Planning Transformative 2025 Journeys
Ever wondered how to align your travel dreams with your life's current season or find the perfect destination for a soul-soothing solo journey? We promise that by the end of this episode, you'll not only have a clearer vision of your 2025 travel goals but also practical strategies to make them a reality. Celebrating the start of season three with our vibrant community, I reflect on my 2024 adventures across breathtaking landscapes and life-changing paths like the Camino Portuguese. Join me as I share the structured exercises that help transform overwhelming travel options into a well-defined plan, ensuring every trip serves your personal growth and healing journey.
Get ready to fuel your wanderlust as we explore the thrill of upcoming 2025 adventures, including destinations that push comfort zones and inspire transformative experiences. From the serenity of national parks to the camaraderie of women's retreats, discover how choosing the right travel style can match your personal circumstances perfectly. I’ll recount my recent polar plunge experience as a metaphor for stepping into the unknown with excitement and courage. Follow along on Instagram at solotraveladventures50, where I'll bring you updates and inspiration to embark on your own travel escapades that resonate with your heart and spirit.
Instagram @solotraveladventures50
Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50
Send me a message or share your solo travel story with me.
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Happy New Year, sister Travelers, and welcome to. This is start of season three for this podcast. I'm so thrilled to be here and to be serving you, and I'm just elated that it keeps growing. The community keeps growing. Thank you so much for being a listener, but I'm looking at 2025 as just being an exciting year, not just for me, but, I think, for everybody. I'm really positive thinking that through and hoping that you have audacious plans for your 2025 and make sure you include travel in those goals that you possibly are setting right now for the beginning of the year. But my question to you is where are you traveling this year? Well, let me start by recapping my 2024 travels, and if you've been listening a while, you probably have heard about a few of them.
Speaker 1:But in January of 2024, I did a solo trip to Saguaro National Park in Arizona. It was just what I needed. It was a perfect warm setting during some cold seasons in January here, and it was just what I needed, and I love hitting national parks. So for me, I had a goal of hitting three new national parks in 2024, which I did, so that was number one. And then in February, I went to Carlsbad Canyon National Park, which I've never been to, and Guadalupe National Park, and I did hike Guadalupe Mountain Maybe you heard it's the highest peak in Texas and it was cold and icy. There was some snow on the trail and I made it, made it it was. It was definitely more challenging than I anticipated, but you know, as I have said, we can all do hard things and definitely went out of my comfort zone, uh, doing that hike there. But so that's what I did.
Speaker 1:In my travels, I always like to have at least, um some domestic travel, of course, course, and then at least one international trip, and so those were some of my domestic, uh travels. Um, some other travels that I did domestically were more for family events, such as my son's graduation out of the, out of the state where I live, and, um, my sister had a big birthday, which I went to celebrate with her as well. And then my big big trip, as you've all heard, happened in September, october I walked the Camino Portuguese route and it was phenomenal and definitely an experience, and I'm still trying to recover a little bit from that. But I have some great ideas and great plans for my 2025 travels, and maybe you're asking yourself where should you go this year I'm actually somewhat in that same boat. I'm kind of fluid right now into where I'm going. I have not planned anything except my January trip. So I have some great ideas which I will share with you, but I also want to share how I got to that place.
Speaker 1:In deciding where to go, however, if you need some inspiration as to ideas of where to go, check out episode 114 and 115. I talk about some trending places, some trending ideas of what your travel would look like, based on sort of a theme. But if you are in the boat, like I've been, where you can't decide because there's so many places you wanna get to, so many places on your bucket list, but sometimes timing is everything, so I'm gonna take you through an exercise that I did most recently, also because I wasn't sure where I'd wanna go in 2025. It's also some questions I ask and I take my. When I do travel coaching, I take my clients through some of these questions, particularly if they're looking to do a solo trip where their intention is to try to spend some time healing from some past hurts, some grief losses, anything like that. So I do guide women in that respect. So if that's something, you want to have some extra guidance with. Please reach out to me and I do offer travel coaching that specifically targets that and we do talk about you know how to decide where to go based on the answers to these following questions and just some things that they're going through. So your answers to these following questions and just some things that they're going through.
Speaker 1:So, first thing, if you are maybe listening while you're driving or walking, you may want to come back to this episode and get a pen and paper so that you can write down these questions and proceed in this process, especially if you are feeling very stuck in deciding where to go. So the first thing I love to do is number one get a blank piece of paper and I want you to brainstorm quickly. Don't think about it too much. I want you to just brainstorm 10 places off the top of your head. We all probably have some bucket list ideas, so get those down on paper real quick. Just places. Don't overthink it, maybe taking no more than maybe three minutes to figure out 10 places that just kind of come off the top of your head and you know they're there because maybe they've been on your list for a while, and these are just places you're dying to get to. Okay, so we're starting. I like to allow you to some time to dream, okay, so this is your chance to just kind of get it out there and write it down. Now we're going to get into a little more nitty gritty number.
Speaker 1:Next question you're going to ask yourself is I want you to describe right out. So make sure you write this out too. It really makes a difference. We can think in our head what the answer would be, but until we write it down, that's when we can really solidify and really see you know where you are. So this next question is describe the season you are in right now in your life. How are you feeling? Maybe you are feeling sad. Maybe you have lots of energy and you are ready to rock and roll with a trip right now. So I want you to be honest with yourself and describe the season you are in right now. Is it a stressful season? Okay, so maybe that will also help dictate where you decide to go All right.
Speaker 1:Next question Based on that above answer what type of environment do you think you need? All right, just as I said, like, maybe you are in a very stressful time. You're, you know very busy at work, possibly, or you just have a lot going on in your family. There's certain types of environments that are going to be, you know, more conducive or just giving you some time to refresh yourself, and that's going to be important as you head into the idea of where do I want to travel and thinking about what type of environment will help you. I like to say the word heal, but also just renew yourself and be happy with that place and not continue to add to the stress that you might be in. That's just an example.
Speaker 1:Okay, next question is write down the types of activities you would want to do or that you enjoy. A lot of times when we travel, we like to participate in some activities or events. Or maybe we want to go because of a certain event that's happening in that location. Maybe that's why we're traveling to that specific place. So consider that types of activities. Do you like to hike? Do you like museums? What do you prefer? Do you want to be active? Do you want to just chill? So, making sure you're listing all those activities that you would want to do and you enjoy.
Speaker 1:The next question you want to ask yourself is what type of weather do you prefer when you're traveling or what type of weather are you willing to travel to? For example, I don't like cold weather very much. However, I would be okay traveling to a place like Iceland or Norway, just because I'm just so enamored by the landscape there and I really want to get to see it, and I understand that those places are generally cold most of the year round, so I would be okay with that. But maybe I'm just needing some warm weather, and so that might also dictate where you go. So, keeping in mind, what kind of weather are you willing to travel to? What do you prefer? Maybe you are a beach person, maybe you're a mountain person, so thinking about that kind of weather, that kind of environment that you would want to be in, will help dictate where you go.
Speaker 1:Right, how much planning do you want to do for this trip? That's a great question to ask yourself. If you are all in, you want to plan from start to finish, that also might dictate. It might open up some more areas for you to get to. If you prefer to have someone else take care of all that planning for you, then you're going to be limited to possibly participating in some tour groups or even a cruise, where you don't have to do any of that uh, planning, planning except to maybe get yourself there right. So consider that you know where are you in your life. Are you overwhelmed? So maybe planning is not what you need to do right now. Maybe, with your overwhelm and stress that you might be experiencing, you need someone else to take the ball and run with it. Or maybe you have a friend that likes to do that, or you have a travel agent that could maybe help you with that type of thing. So things to consider when you're looking for your next trip.
Speaker 1:And then I want you to really get detailed in this next question, in painting a picture of what your perfect day would look like when you travel. Is it you like to get up with the sunrise wherever you go? Maybe you like to sleep in and have a leisurely morning, have some coffee, maybe go to the cafe or do some reading. Think about what your perfect day would look like and how much traveling, moving about, you know, you really want to do when you travel, and that, too, might determine what type of place you go to. So really get into the nitty gritty. I mean even like, get detailed as like, oh, the sun was shining over the ocean or wherever that looks like for you.
Speaker 1:Okay, paint that picture, get an image of it and then finally, based on your answers above in your mind, what type of trip fits within those parameters, and then kind of think about okay, well, it would have to be this kind of trip, it'd have to be a tour group, it'd have to be a beach, it would have to be. You know, think about your answers and what type of trip fits within that, and then you're finally going to go back and look at your list of 10 and see, do any of my 10 that I listed kind of fit in that category, fit in what I feel is certainly going to be the best type of trip that I need to plan for 2025. Now, maybe it's not on that list, maybe you need to. What you could do is you can try out and see what AI will tell you where you should go. Put in some of these answers, paint your picture of your perfect day and type it in. You know, ask AI to find a place that has beaches, 70 degree weather. Maybe you are on a budget. You can definitely put in that too. You can put that in AI and it will pump out some answers for you, and then you can definitely put in that too. You can put that in ai and it will. It'll pump out some answers for you and then you could refine those answers like oh well, no, I don't, I don't want to do the planning, so what? You know, what tours can I join? Or it could help you with that as well. So some things to consider.
Speaker 1:Well, you're gonna laugh, because I went through this process myself in trying to determine where I was going to go in 2025. Now I will share. I have two places, two trips that I definitely are in the books for me. So in January I am going to Florida and, yes, this is a domestic trip, but it's also to see two more national parks that I've never been to and to visit some family in Florida. So I'm looking forward to that, and that's the end of January. And then in March, I am going to a women's Christian retreat in the hill country of Texas. Now, if you need to find out a little bit more about that retreat center that I'm going to, I had the um the host, on my episode one 13 and um Kimberly Long, and she talks about at the end. Um, she has. It's called Christian luxury vacationscom, if you're interested. She's got three retreats. She is hosting early part of 2025. So I will be joining her at the end of March is my plan.
Speaker 1:And so then I thought well, what am I going to do for my birthday? My birthday's in April? I really want to go somewhere this year. Last year I got stuck working all day and not going anywhere, mainly because I I knew I would be traveling later that month for my son's college graduation. And to figure that all out, I went through these exact questions that I just presented to you to figure out where I should go in April for my birthday. And as I processed through that, you're going to laugh, but it kind of narrowed it down to a cruise. And I am.
Speaker 1:I've never been on a cruise, actually, and I'm not. I don't know that I'm a fan of cruises or not, I don't know. I'm anxious to find out, and maybe some of it is because taking a cruise leaving from Galveston, texas, which is very close I can drive there has very, for me, has very limited options as far as where, what ports you stop at during our cruise, and I was not interested in really any of those. What I was more interested in was actually seeing parts of the Caribbean, but the Eastern Caribbean side is kind of what I am looking at. So the reason it came up with a cruise is because in one of the questions I asked you how much planning do you want to do when I am in my life, like which I asked that first question where are you in your life, is I?
Speaker 1:I love planning. I do and I have already done a lot of planning for my January trip, but I think I need a break from my brain, needs a break from planning, and so the idea of just being on a cruise kind of really resonated with me. And where I am right now in my life, so I'm hoping to get that booked. It's been a little tricky, as you know. A single supplement on cruises is just outrageous and I'm not happy about it, so that's why I haven't booked anything. So I'm trying to find a deal where it won't like cost me an arm and leg or twice the price, just as one person. Right, we know how that is. So definitely something I'm looking into.
Speaker 1:Some other ideas that I came up with that still are fluid, still may or may not happen. But I also have a goal I'm trying to get to all 50 states in the US, and I've been to 46. Of course, alaska and Hawaii are still on there and I really, you know, as I've gotten older, the summers in Texas have gotten just a little bit much. So I said after last year I was like that's it, I'm going to Alaska in August because it's so much cooler there. I, just by August, the heat in Texas has pretty much run me down, um, and worn me out. So I thought, well, I could go to Alaska in August. So that's kind of um just possible. Uh, and you know, I've kind of already done some preliminary ideas and planning for that as well. And then, um, the end of July, I have a friend that possibly wants to join me. She was very excited that I did the Camino but would love to do a similar hike. So we are going to try to connect and see if we could possibly do something together. Um, she has mentioned um Iceland and Norway, and I know there are some amazing hikes in those two countries. So we just have to figure if it's possible or not to do that.
Speaker 1:So I'm excited for my 2025 travel and I hope you are excited for your 2025 travel and start brainstorming about where you could go and use these questions to help you determine the best place for you to go Now. Maybe you already have a trip planned. That's great. I'm excited. I want to hear about it and I want to know where are you going, because I love to hear about these different places that even I haven't gone to, that people are traveling to, and I love to hear you know, as far as you know, for women, is it a good place for a solo woman to travel to? And I love to hear that feedback. Well, I hope you are geared up for 2025.
Speaker 1:And I also want to add I am doing some adventures in 2025, some local adventures or challenges, you might call them, things that are getting me out of my comfort zone, things that are maybe I've never done before, but I want to try, you know and things that might be scary as well, things that something maybe I haven't done in a long time, so those will be.
Speaker 1:I'll be doing some a post about those in my Instagram. So, if you want to follow that, I am on solotraveladventures50 on Instagram and that's where I'm going to be posting all those adventures that I'll be doing and all my travels too. So if you want to follow, I'll be posting my. Of course, my January trip stuff will be there as well, but I already did one, so I did a polar plunge yesterday at the time this is recording and it's one of my challenges, so it was something I had never done before and so you can kind of see that on my Instagram if you're curious to follow, and I have another one that I'm going to be getting to here in January. So hopefully you will follow me and just enjoy the excitement and maybe it will inspire you to also do some local adventures for yourself. So, as I say, sisters, get out there and have that adventure.
