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.
Episodes
175 episodes
How Solo Travel Builds Confidence After 50: Reclaim Your Courage One Trip at a Time // 174
What if confidence isn’t something you wait for—but something you build?In this episode, Cheryl explores how solo travel becomes a practical path to steady, grounded confidence for women over 50. From small starter trips to bigger advent...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 174
•
16:44
12 Solo Date Ideas to Build Confidence Before Your First Solo Trip // 173
What if confidence for solo travel doesn’t start at the airport—but in your own town?In this episode, Cheryl shares 12 simple solo date ideas designed to build self-trust, independence, and ease in public spaces—so future solo travel fee...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 173
•
14:04
Solo Travel or Traveling with Friends? How Women Over 50 Can Choose What’s Right // 172
Should you travel solo—or invite a friend along?If you’ve ever shared a dream trip idea only to have someone invite themselves, this episode will help you decide what truly fits your season, your personality, and your purpose.In t...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 172
•
15:15
Can Purposeful Travel Change You More Than Therapy? Why Solo Trips Spark Real Life Shifts // 171
Have you ever come home from a trip feeling clearer, lighter, or suddenly certain about what needs to change?In this episode, Cheryl explores why purposeful travel often creates powerful life shifts—and why stepping into a new environmen...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 171
•
13:49
How Solo Travel Becomes a Turning Point: Real Stories of Courage, Healing, and Renewal // 170
Have you ever heard another woman’s story and thought, If she can do that, maybe I can too?In this episode, Cheryl revisits four powerful stories from women who discovered that solo travel can become more than a trip—it can beco...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 170
•
17:55
Empty Nest After 50: How Solo Travel Helps You Rediscover Your Next Chapter // 169
What happens when the house grows quiet — and you’re left wondering who you are now?The empty nest season can feel freeing… and disorienting. After decades of caregiving, coordinating, and putting others first, many women find themselves...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 169
•
21:59
Healing Through Solo Travel: Rebuilding Confidence After Divorce or Loss // 168
What if your next solo trip wasn’t just a vacation — but part of your healing?In this deeply personal episode, Cheryl shares how a two-week solo journey after divorce became the beginning of something far bigger than she expected. What s...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 168
•
14:28
How to Plan Your Dream Trip in 2026 (Stop Waiting for the “Right Time”) // 167
Are you still waiting for the perfect time to take that dream trip?For many women, travel goals sit quietly on a bucket list year after year. Not because we don’t want them — but because life feels uncertain, responsibilities feel heavy,...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 167
•
11:12
7 Safe & Underrated Solo Travel Destinations for Women in 2026 // 166
Where should you travel in 2026 — especially as a solo woman over 50?Travel trends are shifting. Crowded European hotspots are cooling down. More women are choosing meaningful, less touristy destinations that offer safety, infrastructure...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 166
•
32:49
5 Hard Truths About Solo Travel for Women Over 50 (And How to Handle Them) // 165
Solo travel is beautiful—but it’s not always glamorous.Behind the dreamy photos and bucket-list destinations, there are realities that don’t make the highlight reel. In this episode, Cheryl shares five honest truths about solo travel so ...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 165
•
20:24
First-Time Cruise Guide for Women: Is Cruising Worth It for Solo Travelers? // 164
Is cruising worth it—especially if you usually prefer independent travel?In this episode, Cheryl shares her first cruise experience sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and visiting five Caribbean islands in seven days. She offers an ho...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 164
•
18:30
How to Pack a Capsule Wardrobe for an 11-Day Trip (Simple 5-4-3-2-1 Method for Women) // 163
Packing for an 11-day trip doesn’t have to feel chaotic, heavy, or overwhelming.In this episode, Cheryl shares a simple, repeatable packing system that blends capsule wardrobe principles with the practical 5-4-3-2-1 method—so you can tra...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 163
•
17:48
Travel Trends for 2026: Purposeful, Slower, and Smarter Trips for Women // 162
Travel in 2026 isn’t about rushing back to crowded hotspots. It’s about choosing experiences with intention, calm, and clarity.In this episode, Cheryl explores the biggest travel trends shaping 2026—and how women over 50 can turn them in...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 162
•
14:44
Why Do You Travel? How to Define Your Purpose Before You Book // 161
Why do you travel?Before choosing a destination, booking a flight, or building an itinerary, this single question can reshape everything.In this episode, Cheryl reflects on 100,000 downloads and three years of Solo Travel Adventur...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 161
•
17:50
How to Build a Travel Bucket List That Actually Leads to Meaningful Adventures // 160
What if your travel bucket list wasn’t a scoreboard—but a compass?In this episode, Cheryl shares a fresh approach to creating a travel bucket list that reflects your season of life, your energy, and your deeper purpose. Instead of chasin...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 160
•
18:49
Is It Safe to Travel Right Now? How to Decide During Shutdowns or Global Conflict // 159
Should you still travel when the news feels uncertain?From government shutdowns to global conflicts, headlines can create hesitation—especially for solo women travelers. In this episode, Cheryl walks through how to travel with discernmen...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 159
•
12:45
How Travel Changes Your Brain: The Science of Awe, Healing, and Lasting Confidence // 158
What if travel doesn’t just change your scenery—but actually rewires your brain and body?In this episode, Cheryl explores the science behind awe and why moments of wonder—whether on a mountaintop, in a quiet museum, or walking through an...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 158
•
13:18
Holiday Travel After Divorce or Empty Nest: Rewriting Traditions as a Solo Woman // 157
The holidays can feel heavy when your life doesn’t look the way it used to.If you’re navigating divorce, widowhood, or an empty nest, the stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s can bring grief, loneliness, and the ache of changed tr...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 157
•
19:50
Active Group Travel for Women: Why Adventure Tours Are Rising for Solo Travelers with Avery Hale-Smith // 156
Could guided group travel be your next brave step?In this episode, Cheryl sits down with Avery Hale-Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads, to explore how active, guided adventures are changing the way women experience travel aroun...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 156
•
34:52
How to Choose Your Next Trip: 6 Meaningful Ways to Pick a Destination // 155
Overwhelmed by too many travel possibilities?Choosing your next destination can feel exciting—and paralyzing. In this episode, Cheryl shares six distinct approaches to picking your next getaway, from playful spontaneity to deeply intenti...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 155
•
20:54
What Season Are You In? How Life’s Terrain Reveals the Right Type of Trip // 154
What if the ground beneath your feet could tell you what kind of trip you need?In this episode, Cheryl shares a powerful metaphor discovered during a solo road trip to West Texas: the terrain you’re walking—sandy, rocky, paved, or steady...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 154
•
16:20
You’re Already a Solo Traveler: Why You’re More Ready Than You Think // 153
Think you’ve never been a solo traveler?Think again.If you’ve ever run errands alone, taken yourself to lunch, or planned something independently, you’ve already practiced the core skills of solo travel. The only difference is the...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 153
•
12:27
Solo Road Trips for Women: Safety Tips, Planning, and Confidence to Get Started // 152
What’s really stopping you from taking a solo road trip?For many women, it’s not the desire—it’s the hesitation around safety, logistics, and the unknown. In this episode, Cheryl walks through the essential guide to planning a solo road ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 152
•
13:52
Solo Travel After 50: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started // 151
Are other people’s fears shaping your decisions?If you’ve hesitated to travel solo because of warnings, doubt, or “what if” conversations, this episode is for you. After six years of intentional solo travel beginning in her 50s, Cheryl s...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 151
•
11:51
Reading Retreats in 2025: Why Book Lovers Are Turning Travel Into Quiet Restoration // 150
What if your next trip wasn’t about sightseeing—but about slowing down with a good book?A surprising travel trend is rising in 2025: reading retreats. These quiet, intentional getaways are designed for book lovers who crave uninterrupted...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 150
•
9:54