I went to the riverbank in Okazaki to see the cherry blossoms, and when I got close enough to see that most of the buds were still closed, I went from being in the experience to measuring it. That same measuring keeps a lot of women from booking a trip at all. This episode is about the question “why should I?” and why I have beef with it.
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I was standing on the balcony at my parents’ house in Canada in September when a school bus went by, and I felt relief. For fourteen years, September was when I went back. This episode is about leaving a job I had wanted without ever feeling ready, and why that’s alright.
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I had heard about Kandy, Sri Lanka for over 20 years, so I booked a full-day private tour even though I was tired. When it started to rain and everyone rushed to the next stop, I found a seat and read a chapter of my book. This episode is about what makes a solo trip worth it when nobody else is there to say that’s enough for today.
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On a bus in Laos, I needed the washroom and nobody knew when the next stop was, so I asked, and I heard people sigh with relief behind me. Earlier on that same trip, I had been shrinking without realizing it. This episode is about how being capable can make women over 40 disappear, and what I noticed once I saw it.
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I’m recording this somewhere that still feels unfamiliar, and my instinct is to speed up and fill everything in. Instead, I’m slowing down enough to let my brain and body catch up with each other. This episode is about the gap between arriving physically and arriving emotionally, starting with the immigration queue in Colombo.
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I was packing a crossbody bag that can’t be cut when it occurred to me that safety isn’t a checklist. This episode is about what safety actually looks like for a woman travelling alone, built from years of real experience, including a night in Morocco and what dusk does to a place.
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A staff member outside a coffee shop in Shirahama said something to me in Japanese, and instead of smiling and walking on like I usually do, I stopped and asked what she said. We ended up having a proper conversation on the street. This episode is about going back to Japan twelve years after living there, and the small decisions that show you how you’ve changed.
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The hotel in Sapa told me there was “no discount for you,” and it was the “for you” part that made me stop. I had missed a spa treatment I’d reserved, and I wanted some consideration for that. This episode is about the moment you decide whether to speak up or let it go when you’re travelling alone.
Read MoreI was lying completely covered in sand, an experience I had chosen and expected to enjoy, when my heartbeat suddenly felt different and everything started to spiral. Box breathing made it worse. This episode is about what it means to be present when you travel solo, including the moments you didn’t plan to feel.
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In a parking lot on Awaji Island, I looked across a field and saw a bright pink door standing on its own, attached to nothing. That day hadn’t been planned as anything special. This episode is about why some travel moments stay with you, and how to leave room for the delight you can’t plan for.
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