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

Starting Over after 50: Finding Freedom Through Solo RV Adventures with Allison Gonzalez

• Cheryl Esch-Solo Travel Advocate/Travel Coach/Freedom Traveler • Season 3 • Episode 135

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When life forces you to start over completely, what would you do? For Allison Gonzalez, a series of devastating blows in 2019—losing her job, the death of her beloved dog, and the onset of a global pandemic—became the unexpected catalyst for a transformative journey of self-discovery through solo RV travel.

Rather than continuing to push for conventional stability after selling her California home, Allison made a bold decision: "I'm just going to skip the house and travel." What began as a reaction to circumstances evolved into a four-year nomadic adventure through national parks, desert landscapes, and mountain terrain across America.

Throughout our conversation, Allison shares the profound lessons learned from living on the road—physical challenges that built resilience, safety concerns that demanded vigilance, and most significantly, the spiritual healing she discovered in nature. "I don't know how to explain it," she reflects about her time among the saguaro cacti and mountain vistas, "it fills your soul." This soul-filling connection became the tonic she needed while rebuilding her life after 50.

For women contemplating their own solo adventures in midlife, Allison offers wisdom from her journey: "Get out of your comfort zone even if it's just a little bit." She emphasizes that small steps build confidence for bigger adventures, while learning from mistakes makes you stronger. Perhaps most surprisingly from an independent traveler, she encourages others to "learn to trust...lean on them" when needed, finding that community support enhances rather than diminishes personal strength.

Whether you're facing your own life reset or simply dreaming of more adventure, this episode offers both practical insights and spiritual reflection on how starting over through travel can lead to discovering your most authentic self. Ready to find out what you're truly capable of? Listen now and be inspired to take that first step.

Follow Allison Gonzalez and her adventures:

https://allierambles.com

https://www.youtube.com@imallierambles

@allierambles

BOOK A COFFE CHAT WITH ME:

https://calendly.com/solotraveladventures/book-a-call

Instagram @solotraveladventures50

Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50

https://www.facebook.com/groups/860865768609200


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Speaker 1:

Have you ever found yourself needing to start over? Maybe it's starting over with your diet or your exercise routine, or you find yourself starting over in a new career in midlife. What if you had to completely start over in life in all aspects? Well, maybe you find yourself recently divorced or an empty nester and you're at a place where you're rediscovering who you are in this new season of your life. Well, my guest today, allison Gonzalez, has done just that while incorporating travel in an RV, while starting over in life after 50. So, welcome to Solo Travel Adventures. I'm Cheryl Esch. Listen in on our conversation and hear her story. Well, hello, Allison Gonzalez. I'm so glad you're here today to share your travel story with my folks here on my podcast.

Speaker 2:

It's great being here. I'm so excited to talk to you. I've been waiting for a while now and I'm just excited. I've been preparing for it.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, good, I'm glad you're here and I always like to start my podcast when I've guests, have them share their origin travel story, like how did your love for travel even begin?

Speaker 2:

My love for travel. I think I've always been kind of curious just about, like you know, different cultures and seeing different things, places out there and anywhere in desert cities it doesn't matter natural or not and meeting different people. Unfortunately I'm an introvert, but I'm trying to fix, I'm trying to change that a little bit through the travel. But no, I think it's always kind of been there. But I specifically remember I think I was 12 or 13, and we went on a family road trip. I'm originally from southern california. We went on a family road trip to a part of arizona and we went up into colorado and then cruised back through utah and if you know that area, it's packed, filled with natural national parks and it's just absolutely gorgeous in those areas, so we hit all these national parks anywhere from Grand Canyon Zion.

Speaker 2:

Where else did we go? I think we went to Mesa Verde. We went to Colorado Springs and my mom and my younger brother he's five years younger than me we took us out hiking in these gorgeous places and I just fell in love with it, and this was one of the first times I actually saw rain in the summertime.

Speaker 2:

We didn't get that in Southern California. So I was like this is really neat. And then I found out later it happens a lot in other states. But I just absolutely fell in love with it and I thought this is I'm gonna make sure that I have traveled in my life and um went from there.

Speaker 1:

I don't care if it was by jet car walking, yeah, I mean as long as I get it in so many different ways that we can travel, and that you're open to that. Well, I understand. I know a little bit of your story as far as how you more recently for example, in 2019, you had an event happen in your life that kind of perpetuated you and prompted you to these new beginnings of like getting into solo travel. So tell me what happened there.

Speaker 2:

The universe works in strange ways, doesn't it? It propels you for sure when you're on one track and then you just you're forced to take another one.

Speaker 2:

But at least this one was an exciting one coming from something negative so if I just rewind just a little bit, in 2018 I sold my home in California and then in 2019, a year later I moved to Arizona. But I was looking to purchase another house and I had been saving money and I saved the from the sale of the house. I had the equity from that. So I was ready. I was going I'm going to buy a house in Arizona. So I was ready, I was going I'm going to buy a house in Arizona. Um, and I was staying with my mom and her husband. They had retired in Arizona Area and so I was actually planning on buying the home and traveling too, because I was working remote. I could live anywhere.

Speaker 2:

And in November of 2019, I got laid off and I went oh gosh, now what do I do? Now, what do I do? Nobody's going to give a mortgage to anybody that doesn't have money. And I went oh, gosh.

Speaker 1:

Now what do I do?

Speaker 2:

Now what do I do? Nobody's going to give a mortgage to anybody that doesn't have money. I had the down payment but I didn't. I couldn't make the monthly payments, of course. So they gave me a severance and it was. It was closer to Christmas so I decided I'm I'm not going to look for a job right now. I'm going to go ahead and look in January it's a fresh year, I'll look then.

Speaker 2:

It was at that time just me and my dog. I have grown children. They were out on their own by then. So it was me and my dog and she actually she was 14 at the time. She came down with cancer. So for the whole month of January I was actually taking her an hour and 45 minutes away to I'm forgetting the name of the type of doctor, but for chemotherapy at a veterinarian that specialized in cancer in our pets. Well, it didn't work and she ended up passing away in February, so about five weeks later. In February, so about five weeks later, she was older, she was my buddy, she did everything with me, she was a great dog, but she ended up passing.

Speaker 2:

And that's kind of when I decided excuse my language, I won't say it out loud Like I won't say the whole word, but I was just like I won't say it out loud, like I won't say the whole word, but I was just like F it, I'm, I'm, I'm going to live my life. Because now we were getting into also the pandemic time and I, just over the month of February and through March, the pandemic started to hit and I had lost my dog, lost my job, and I said you know what, if this is how it's going to be, I have this chunk of money, I'm just going to skip the house and travel. And so, yeah, I was at that time. I was still deciding should I just travel and maybe rent apartments or homes in different cities around the world, or the RV?

Speaker 2:

Well, the pandemic made that decision for me as well. I couldn't travel outside of the country and I stayed within the state too for a while. So, yeah, just the way things just rolled out, it made my decision for me. I have a little side note too. I can't remember the exact day my dog passed away, but the very next day I was mourning, I didn't want to do anything, I was just sitting in the room just going over the internet. I was looking at hikes and travel and just something that would cheer me up because now I had this void in my life.

Speaker 2:

I was used to walking her and going places with her and everything. So I was just clearing my head and I was part of a group of women who it's an over 40 hiking group and this random woman I don't know any of them personally, or I just don't know any of the women there Random woman said does anybody want to hike the AZT with me? And I didn't even know what the AZT was. I went, I will. I didn't know her, I didn't know what the AZT was. I said, oh, it's okay, I'll vet her, you know we'll. We'll probably vet each other and make sure this is legitimate and safe.

Speaker 2:

I ended up meeting her and I'm still friends with her. If Janet is listening, hello, janet. She's been a supporter of me. We've been friends ever since. We've hiked. We headed out on the AZT but, as I said, the pandemic. It took us off after 76 miles. Yeah, after that I said you know what? I love it out here. I'm going to buy an RV and that's what started it. I'm just going to do it. I don't care if I am solo, see.

Speaker 1:

I love that Just like you said just not caring, taking that leap and doing what makes you happy and fulfilled. Like you needed something to fill that void, as you said.

Speaker 1:

And yeah, and because you already have this sort of ground, this foundation of travel and how I love how it fits in. And then, of course, you were not the only one during that time that chose to do RVing. But I guess that answers the question why you decided to RV through the US. It really, really was decided for you. So what challenges did you encounter while RVing solo in the US?

Speaker 2:

You know what the biggest challenge is? Well, it's two. As a solo woman, there's always that, everywhere. You're always thinking of your safety, always, safety, safety, safety. Thinking of different scenarios what if my RV breaks down?

Speaker 2:

You can do that as well with a car, but RV, there's a lot more involved. It's a little home what if it breaks down? What if I meeting somebody unsafe? You know that you're coming across somebody unsafe and what, what, what you're going to do in those scenarios and stuff. So that's one of the biggest challenges. A lot of it's mental, like it can be straining, it can be stressful if you get yourself into a wrong situation. Driving a rather large vehicle and getting out of a situation that could be unsafe, that probably was the biggest challenge. Like I said, it was more mental than anything. Sometimes it can be lonely oh, I wasn't sure if I froze. Sometimes it can be lonely, but especially as an introvert.

Speaker 1:

But if you're an introvert.

Speaker 2:

you'll meet people. I did meet a few people out there, but, yeah, you have to be careful for your safety, so a lot of times you don't meet other people, but I did. I met a few people out there and I'm still friends with actually all of them. That is so strange. Yes, all of them. They live in different States but, yeah, still friends with them. Some of them are still nomads but, yeah, still friends with them. Some of them are still nomads.

Speaker 1:

the challenge that I there was another thing that I was thinking of and I forgot what it was, but I think from uh, so I've, I've done a little. I lived in my RV for a few months. So, um, one of my challenges I don't know if you kind of encountered this was more the physical part of, I guess, unhook. You know, because it's, it's, I don't want to say it's a man's job, but it certainly would make it a lot easier if a guy would handle it Right.

Speaker 2:

There was one time I was in Texas and I didn't have the strength to get the. There's the big hose that dumps your gray and black tank, yeah, and it clicks on. And you make sure it clicks on, otherwise bad things could happen. Like, think about it, I dumped and then I went to try to take it off and I couldn't take it off and you know, I'm just not strong enough to do it. I was like I don't have a tool for this and I I couldn't get it off and I felt so bad because it was at um, I was staying at a County park and they let you stay there for free and there was nobody else around. Oh, okay, every. Uh, the campers had left for the day, so I couldn't find anybody to help me and I had to leave my hose there. Oh, and I felt so bad I could buy another one I just had to go to walmart or an auto place or whatever.

Speaker 2:

You know, I could buy another one I felt so bad leaving it there because it's, you know, leave no trace. You don't leave a trace behind. Maybe your your tire tracks, but you clean up after yourself at your campsite. Oh, I felt I felt so bad leaving it there, but I was thinking it's a, it's a good hose still. Maybe somebody will take it to get it off and take it. So, oh, I felt so bad, but yeah, it's something like that.

Speaker 1:

So you did that for how long? How long were you doing this initially? Because I know you know, moving to the next kind of phase, I know you encountered a bit of a detour with the RVing. You stopped for a little while, I think right. So how long did you actually, I guess, solo RV before this different season or detour in your life happens?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we can call him a detour. Detour, yes, I like it. I was solo for six months in the very beginning, so I started in July of 2020. And I met him January of the next year, but we but we were on and off, on and off. He had his own rig and everything, so and it was kind of an on and off relationship. So, total, I was out there for four years, okay, with and without him. So there was you know there was a lot of times that I was not. I was still solo.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, four years, I would have kept going, but circumstances and so you're kind of at a place where you have a home or whatever like for now.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yes, yeah, okay.

Speaker 1:

And what did you learn about yourself during those four years of RVing solo?

Speaker 2:

I think the biggest thing I learned about myself is you know I'm. I'm stronger than I ever thought I was, especially as you get older. It's really important to know that, to know that you're still capable.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

Of of relying on yourself Strong, just capable I love that word's, yeah, yeah, you know, because a lot of women, as they get older and I guess men too, but I can only speak for women that I've myself as well as what I've heard, um, speaking to other women our age, um, they will, they'll have this idea that I don't need a man or I don't need anybody else. It's like, yeah, you know, in today's society you kind of don't. If you have your career, you have an income, you can make it on your own, and so that's nice to know that you can. And then there are options to have a partner in your life, there's options to have your friends in your life. Those are nice things to have in your life. But it is nice to also know it's not absolutely necessary physically or financially.

Speaker 2:

Psychologically it can get lonely. But yeah, I mostly learned about myself that I'm stronger than I ever thought I was. And I don't mean physically, I just mean psychologically, the stresses sometimes that you could. That happen while you're traveling solo. Like I mentioned, the safety, there had been a few cases where I felt unsafe. And getting out of that situation safely, getting to safety, and you go wow, I did that. Okay, I'm proud of myself, I was able to do that, and now I know don't do that again. So, yeah, don't go back there. So that is so liberating to know that you can rely on yourself.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it really is.

Speaker 1:

I think, as we age too, that's also super important, as because the statistics are that women outlive men All right. And so when you know, even if you are married and, um, you know, say you lose a spouse, whether it's later in life or in midlife that you already like, I find that women that already have that confidence, they know they're capable of managing things on their own, tend to fare better than I've seen. You know some women that completely rely on their, their spouse, for everything, and then when they pass they're, they're not. I mean everybody's going to be devastated losing somebody they love, but they're even more devastated because they they don't have the skills to sort of take care of themselves, manage things in the household or whatever it is that's needed to be done. So I agree that it's important now, especially you know in midlife, that you know we are strong, resilient women.

Speaker 1:

Most of us are Gen Xers, so we have that in us. But you know, like, but to remind ourselves, like you said, through that whole process, you know getting that confidence back if you've lost it through life, or you know just building it up and knowing you are capable of hard things. I mean that's, that's hard. I mean I don't know many women that would just say, yeah, I'm going to go RV solo. You know that's a huge undertaking, so I admire you and I couldn't last very long actually Well, thank you.

Speaker 1:

It was just an adventure to me.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, and I think attitude, like you said, mental attitude really does play into a lot of what you've experienced, and just in travel in general. So thank you for sharing that. Did you while you were in this process? You know, besides finding yourself, finding your voice, or finding yourself being capable of certain things that you didn't think, or learning things about yourself like, oh, I won't do that again, we always have those moments right. Was there? Was there a process of, besides the confidence building, where you felt yourself being healed or transformed from any kind of prior you know situation, I think, I think prior to 2018, were you? Were you going through a divorce or something?

Speaker 2:

my divorce was final in 2015 okay and yeah, um, I had always been with somebody. You know, as a child it was your parents that helped, that took care of you, and then, later on, I was in school, I went to university and you have your roommates and you still have your parents to back you up to lean, like you lean heavily on them, and then it was my husband for almost 20 years, and so you're leaning, leaning.

Speaker 2:

Then it's kind of like you get to experience yourself, if that makes sense. It's more of a spiritual, soulful thing. I have a hard time explaining this part of the journey. Yeah, I can tell you about all the other ones the physical, the psychological, but that, um, the soul-filling part of it for me. I like to be outdoors, um, I stayed a lot on public lands and wake up in the morning and feel that cool breeze, feel the sunrise, um, or if it's really cold too, it doesn't matter, you just absorb and you have nature all around you and there's just this connection I felt with nature. So it was very soul healing and I think I needed that. I think I had been craving it since that. Sometimes I get a little emotional about it.

Speaker 1:

It hits me a little bit, because I miss it.

Speaker 2:

It hits me a little bit because I miss it, um, that that trip to colorado when I was 12, 13, with my family. I missed that and so I of course went back to colorado and I started rv and I spent a lot of time in colorado and I missed it so much and just being around the trees and the Rockies and in the deserts and stuff. I don't know how to explain it. It says it's a. It fills your soul. It's very healing to be in nature.

Speaker 1:

Yes, it is.

Speaker 2:

If it's just a neighborhood park, you know, to touch the trees or walk in the grass, there has to be some type of energy transfer between us and the dirt and nature.

Speaker 1:

There's the science behind it. So, and I, I would agree it's something hard to explain, but someone else who's experienced like what you are trying to explain, I have to, like I understand it. I understand that. That feeling, that elation, that, yes, like I think someone just recently and I I actually just mentioned it to somebody else like that it is a tonic for your soul. Yeah, I mean, I loved how they phrased it I'm like I'm going to steal that Cause I I think that's a great way to describe what you're saying.

Speaker 1:

When you're in nature and you're getting that, that fill in your soul, um, that that's what it does to us. And there is, there's science behind it, you know, with us being connected to nature and, like you said, the energy that it admits, you know. But I find also you sound a lot like myself and that knowing you sounds like you rediscovered that that's what fills you, like you need to be in nature and that's what kind of has filled you and sounds like you miss it. So, like I know I miss it immensely. Yes, I understand that feeling. Yeah, so it's hard, like you said, it's hard to explain unless you yourself have also maybe experienced that. Well, I guess there's three things.

Speaker 2:

Getting back on my feet is a huge push for me, but what keeps me going is remembering how. I felt when I was out there. Yes, that I was reconnecting with me.

Speaker 1:

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2:

I'm sure you've had guests on Mm-hmm. You're a manager, you're managing people, whatever customers, you're giving, giving, giving. So this, actually, I felt a little selfish during this time and I thought, well, this is for me, this is for me, so I do miss that. But I always circle back around because you can't give what you don't already have. So if I don't have that serenity for myself, if I don't have love for myself, respect for myself, I can't give it, to say, my children I can't give away, right if I don't have it.

Speaker 2:

So it was very healing, um, but knowing that feeling keeps me going. Now it pushes, pushes, pushes. Even when I'm tired I go. No, no, I remember being out there and I remember having and it doesn't have to necessarily be that lifestyle again. I just remember that feeling. So I want that back. And then my children. I work to leave a legacy for them, I guess to have a strong mother as young adults and encourage them and be able to support them. So they push me still, even in adulthood. We never give up being mothers.

Speaker 1:

So it's those two things. I love that. Well, you mentioned Colorado being kind of a place that you returned to because of the memories involved with that. Did you have any other special places that were like your favorites along the way?

Speaker 2:

There's. Well, I don't want to give it away, but there's a place outside of Tucson. That's really a lot of times we keep our little places secret.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's all right.

Speaker 2:

It's just that there's a place, and you know it, outside of Tucson there's like all these saguaros. There's Saguaro National Park. Yeah, so it's just a calming place. There's just something about the desert. I never thought I'd like it, but you're surrounded by saguaros and the creosotes and all the desert plants and the small animals and the coyotes, and that was another place. Like I would hop between the two. Of course, we I followed the the weather, so when it started getting cold in colorado, you start heading south so I come down to arizona, a little bit of new mexico, but um yeah, I really loved certain places outside of Tucson that I would go to.

Speaker 2:

Nothing outrageous about it. It wasn't spectacularly gorgeous like Sedona or Yosemite or Yellowstone or anything like that. It was just a nice place to rest.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, the quiet desert called you, it did, it spoke to you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it definitely did and I felt safe there. There was always a few other. A lot of times you either on public land, you camp around other nomadic people and they can be of every age. I've met young couples and snowbirds that are just out there and they bring you know. They have their lifestyle and everything. They may go into Tucson during the day, or they have side-by-side or motorcycles or something like that and they explore. So you have this wide range of people that you'd meet. I loved it, so I felt safe there. They were always people like that, were always camped out there.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, I meet a lot of people. Definitely. You brought up a place that I am not believe it or not. I do a lot of hiking, but I'm not familiar with the AZT. You called it, so the Arizona Trail trail, right? So, yeah, tell me a little bit about that work, like speak to me like I don't know where, where it is and where it runs to, how long it is, you know, and that stuff. And I think you've done part of it, correct? Yeah?

Speaker 2:

um. So the azt is the arizona trail. It runs from the Mexican border in. Arizona to a town it runs to Utah. I think it's the town of Kaibab. I could be wrong. Okay, kaibab, I'm probably mutilating the name, so you know. And it just travels up the spine of Arizona. So you hit deserts, you hit high mountains along the way. You go through the Grand Canyon as well.

Speaker 1:

So Wow and you do it.

Speaker 2:

I guess it takes about six to eight weeks because it's 800 miles.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so Sounds about right, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

And so that was the one that I started with my friend Janet, and we also had another person with us, david, and we got 76 miles north. We started at the Mexican border and we hiked 76 miles and we hit a place called Kentucky Camp. It seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Still I think it is, and there's a camp host there, because you can rent out the little cabin there, I think, and he was there and he goes oh, you guys have to get off trail, because when you're on trail you don't hear news. There's no cell signal. Well, sometimes there is, but you don't hear news. You're hiking. You there is, but you don't hear news.

Speaker 1:

You're hiking, you're enjoying yourself you're, you're paying attention to the trail.

Speaker 2:

You're disconnected, exactly, and that's part of the reason you do it. You're disconnected and this was early march of 2020, so we went ahead with our trip because we're like, oh, this is only going to last a couple of weeks.

Speaker 1:

We all thought that.

Speaker 2:

This thing, you know, and two weeks in, this guy's telling us, oh no, no, you need to go home, everything's shutting down. I think he kind of made it a little worse than it was at the time, but it scared me and Jan, because we both have kids, grown kids, and we didn't know what was happening, like, oh, people are dying, and it's like, okay, I can't be out here if this is going down, for one, nothing's going to be open. Where would we get our food? We have to replenish our food. We want to be able to stay in motels to rest, at least once a week. Yeah so, and we wanted to be with family.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you want to be a family during that time.

Speaker 2:

So we made it 60, 76 miles and got off trail. But since then Jan has actually she lives north of here she's come down and we've been. We'll hike, like sections of it. I haven't been able to do it with her, but we've hiked sections. We hiked a big section in Flagstaff. I've hiked another section upiked a big section in flagstaff. Okay, um, I've hiked a little another section up by the grand canyon. So I'm kind of piecing it together, yeah, yeah I've done 200 miles or so of it.

Speaker 2:

Okay, um, and if I just try to park my art, I used to try to park my rv as close as I could to the trail, if I could on public lands, and then day hike it, yeah so, or backpack it if I could. Someday I'll finish it.

Speaker 1:

And people do that with the AT Trail, the Appalachian Trail too.

Speaker 2:

They do with the AT, they do it with Pacific Crest yeah.

Speaker 1:

So I mean that's huge. I mean I give you credit, that's amazing. But it's exciting to hear that you are back doing it, because I know that I'm sure that was a little disappointing at the time that you were kind of due to unforeseen circumstances you were forced off the trail again, so but I'm glad you're back doing that.

Speaker 1:

I love it yeah so, aside from, you know, doing some day hikes or backpacking overnight hikes to try to get section of the az trail done, um, what are some other plans you have with your solo travel coming up? Anything else?

Speaker 2:

you know, to tell you the honest truth, I'm such a backpacker, I'm still back, I'm still wanting to backpack. There's there's a trail in in spain, it's called the santiago or yes, the santiago, the camino.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, want to do the Camino that?

Speaker 2:

yeah, that is actually it's. It's on my bucket list, of course. Um, yeah, I don't really have any. I I do, but it's mostly like car travel and then backpacking or day hiking. I still I'm I feel we're fortunate to live in a country where we can see um experience a lot of different cultures in different States, as well as the beauty of the different States as well.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and all of our national parks are incredible. Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So I just got. My mom's husband has friends. They're originally they're from Scotland and they stay in Spain a lot along the Mediterranean. They came to visit the States just actually a few days ago and they told me anytime you want to come to Spain. I said, oh, don't tell me that. Don't tell me that I will be there.

Speaker 1:

How much is a plane?

Speaker 2:

ticket.

Speaker 1:

I got mine pretty well. I flew into Portugal. So I did the Camino last year. I did the Portuguese portion, not the one in well, it dumps you into Spain, portuguese portion, not the one in, well, it dumps you into Spain, obviously at Santiago. But, um, I went, uh, portugal as the route that I took. But you know many people do the the, the one through Spain, um, the St James way they call it, or the original way, um, but fantastic, I mean you should definitely do it. Um, if you need any advice I'm here, but you know it's, it's definitely was on my bucket list to do and I'm glad I did it. And you know you have a possibility to stay with somebody for a little bit, right, I mean that, yeah, yeah, and flights weren't too bad depending on when you're going. So, yeah, it takes a little planning, though I will tell you, but since you're already a backpacker, you should probably you'll fare well because you'll know how to pack at someone, maybe in their midlife, that is considering a solo trip.

Speaker 1:

I really thought of these when you said this, because I wanted to make sure I get this. I don't know.

Speaker 2:

I just I really thought of these because I I like to inspire other women to do your best. Be your best If you have a dream or a hope. I know it sounds a little snow white or whatever the fantasy. But it's true If you have a dream or a hope, at least try for it. So for me, it was to get out of my comfort zone even if it's just a little bit.

Speaker 2:

Just a little bit. I mean, if you hate to fly, obviously don't fly, but take a train. Then Drive a car. If you really just want to travel and meet people and see things, just get out of your comfort zone and you'll learn that it was not as scary once you do it. Even just little steps.

Speaker 2:

I've also learned from my mistakes. So learn from your mistakes. If you didn't filter your water and you drank it while you got sick, don't do that again. Just stuff, not stuff like that. But definitely learn from your mistakes, because it just makes you stronger and then more bold.

Speaker 2:

You'll get more bold and you'll try even more neat things to do. But another thing is is that you know those are all for yourself. Those are pulling from your strength. But also learn to. This was a hard one for me. Learn to trust. Trust your loved ones like lean on them. I didn't want to lean on my mom until I had to. Now I may not wait till I have to. I lean on her more for advice. I didn't before. I could do this on my own. You don't always have to do it on your own.

Speaker 2:

It's great to solo travel, but it's also nice to have those friends that you lean on. I have friends I lean on and not just during the bad bad times, during some good times too and involve them and you can still enjoy the solo travel and you can enjoy time with them as well. But I've had to learn to lean on people. I thought I could always do it by myself so, and then I was just think just have fun.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yeah, I love the leaning on, cause I think we often, you know, we think, oh well, we're doing the solo, we got to do it by ourselves, we got to figure it out by ourselves. But I like that advice to lean on others and even as just not family, like you said, lean on someone who's maybe had more experience doing what you're trying to do. Right, I love that. Yeah, not being ashamed to you know, ask questions or you know exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yes, ask for help Right. Ask for help, ask for help, it's okay and there's a lot of people that will oblige. They enjoy doing that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And if they don't want to, then move on to another person. We're human, we're social, we like to help each other, despite what we see on TV and the news and stuff we do.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yes, and I hear that a lot. When people travel, travel they, we often, like you said, you know, we experience more kindness in the world than we maybe hear through media, but there are a lot of kind people out there and, like you said, willing to help and it's just it really makes me smile about you know, just humanity, and that we, we, it's it's out there, we just have to, you know, yeah, sometimes look to be we, we, it's, it's out there, we just have to. You know, yeah, sometimes look to be open to it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and then look for it. Yes, Well, you have. You have a blog, you have Instagram, you have a YouTube. Where can people follow you in as you kind of move forward into some, probably some new adventures for yourself?

Speaker 2:

hopefully.

Speaker 1:

And so continue, you know, continue that section of the AZT, so you know where can they follow you Share that with us.

Speaker 2:

So the main hub where I'm always at is my Allie Rambles. So that's my blog. It's A-L-L-I-E-R-A-M-B-L-E-S, allieramblescom, and that's where I write and I share a lot of my story and also resources. As I gain knowledge of resources, I'll put them in there as well, nice.

Speaker 2:

I'll put them in there as well, but if you, I have a YouTube channel, I have an Instagram page, also Facebook, but if you were to, just for any of those that you like, some people prefer Instagram, some people prefer YouTube. You just look up Allie Rambles Allie Rambles YouTube and it'll pop up in Google or whatever search engine you're looking at, because I think I'm one of the only Allie Rambles out there, so you're bound to find me if you want to follow my story.

Speaker 1:

That would be great, so encouraging. Well, allison, I appreciate you sharing your story and even the great advice you gave to other women out there that might be wanting to take that trip, that solo trip. You are definitely I mean definitely an inspiration for how much confidence it took to do the RV stuff. So, I just, I just admire you. So thank you for sharing that, and showing that it is possible for other women to possibly do the same if that's something they're interested in, so great, definitely.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, Cheryl, for having me.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Well. I hope you were inspired by Allison's story and all the roadblocks and detours that she encountered. She kept going, she changed course. She even paused to stop and reevaluate. Right now, but she's ran into whether it was the pandemic that sort of thorped her plans or whether it was a relationship that changed her course. It was a relationship that changed her course.

Speaker 1:

She is back to looking down that road and looking to do another solo trip and start over again and again. And if that's where you're at in your life, you are ready to start over. You want to take that leap into a solo trip. I want you to book a call with me. Let's have a little coffee chat and let's just see if I can help you Well, how I can help you. I want you to be moving forward and taking that leap and develop that confidence that you know, as Alison shared uh, she was doing things she didn't know she could do and she was more confident than she realized. She's more capable, I think was the word that was used, and I want that for you. So in the show notes there is a link where you can book a call with me and I would love to hear from you and sisters get out there and have that adventure.

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Cheryl Esch

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