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…
I still remember the crushing weight of my backpack the first time I landed in Europe. I was twenty-two, terrified, and convinced that the secret to solo travel survival lay in bringing everything I owned. I had packed extra shoes I never wore, a massive hair dryer, and enough emergency supplies to stock a small…
I still remember the heavy, suffocating feeling of standing in the middle of my tiny New York apartment years ago, staring at a massive, overstuffed suitcase. I was preparing for one of my first big solo trips across Europe. I had packed for every single worst-case scenario. I had four pairs of heavy jeans, three…
I still remember the crushing weight of my first giant backpack. I was standing on a crowded subway platform in New York, getting ready to head to the airport for my first solo backpacking trip across Europe. I had packed everything. I had extra shoes I never wore, massive bottles of shampoo, three heavy cotton…