I still remember the exact moment I realized my travel style had to change. I was standing at the bottom of a massive, crowded stone staircase outside a train station in Rome. It was mid-July, the heat was bouncing off the pavement, and I was sweating through my clothes. In front of me was a…
I still remember standing in the middle of my tiny studio apartment years ago, staring at a massive, hard-shell suitcase that looked big enough to hold a small refrigerator. I was preparing to leave my secure but soul-crushing 9-to-5 office job in New York to backpack solo across Europe. I was terrified. To cope with…
I still remember the crisp autumn morning I stood on a sidewalk in Manhattan, staring at a mountain of luggage. It was 2017. I had recently graduated with my master’s degree, walked away from a sterile corporate office job that made me feel trapped, and signed up to teach English in Thailand. To save up…
I still remember the absolute panic I felt right before my very first solo backpacking trip across Europe. I was standing in the middle of my tiny New York apartment, surrounded by an ocean of clothes, three different pairs of heavy shoes, a massive first-aid kit that could support a small army, and a towering…
I still remember the crisp autumn morning in New York City when I handed in my resignation letter at my traditional 9-to-5 office job. My coworkers thought I was losing my mind. I had a steady paycheck, a clear career path, and a comfortable routine. But every time I looked out the window at the…
When I worked as a certified sightseeing guide in the busy streets of New York City, I could always spot the solo travelers who were about to have a very rough week. They were the ones standing on the sidewalk grid, sweating through their shirts, frantically digging through a massive, overstuffed suitcase just to find…
There is a distinct moment of panic that every solo traveler knows all too well. You are standing at a train station platform, the overhead arrival board is flashing in a language you do not fully understand, and your train is departing in exactly two minutes. To reach it, you have to sprint up three…
I still remember standing on the platform at the Roma Termini train station during my very first solo backpacking trip across Europe. My back was aching, my shoulders were raw, and my palms were sweating. I had packed a massive, 70-liter backpack filled with “just in case” items. I had three pairs of heavy jeans,…
I still remember the absolute panic of packing for my very first solo backpacking trip across Europe. I was standing in my tiny apartment, staring at a mountain of clothes, three pairs of shoes, a massive first-aid kit, and a hard-shell suitcase that looked like it belonged to a family of four. I tried to…