March 10, 2020
An honest conversation about expat anxiety Let’s have an honest conversation about expat anxiety and depression. When you live alone in a foreign country with no family support, things can get tough. I experienced no anxiety or depression before moving to Hanoi in 2016. Well, that’s not exactly true. I’ve had a few anxious moments — sometimes days and weeks…
February 13, 2020
These cruising tips and essentials are based on my experience. Cruising may be right for you, but it might not. The #1 thing to think about before booking your cruise is your health. When I cruised with Holland America in 2012, I learned many things about cruising that weren’t really explained in the travel brochures or guide books. Even the…
February 12, 2020
I’m a big fan of inspirational quotes, especially inspirational quotes about travelling alone. Here are my 12 all-time favourite solo travel quotes — and I’d love to hear yours. Also I’d love to hear about how travelling alone had changed your life — good, bad and ugly. Comment below, or email me! If you love these quotes and want to…
January 28, 2020
Why did I visit Luang Prabang? Hanoi has not been kind to me for a while. For more than a week I’d been battling a slight cold (sneezing and ticklish throat) that morphed into a super shitty virus. No, it wasn’t the Novel Coronavirus, but someone did cough without covering their mouth as they walked past me at the gym…
December 7, 2019
Recently, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Better Homes & Garden’s Tastebud Traveller podcast, giving listeners a taste of Vietnam, like a local. I’ve lived in Hanoi since the end of 2016, and I’m always up for chatting about my experiences, insight and — of course — offer up my insider tips. I share the spotlight with…
June 19, 2019
As a solo female traveller, it is important to feel supported while you travel to new and exciting destinations. I remember my first international trip — to Vietnam — and how nervous I was. Because I was travelling alone, I had no idea about immigration processes or airport security, or long haul travel, let alone what to do when I…
June 17, 2019
When I travel alone, people often ask me: don’t you get lonely? To which I reply: absolutely not! Far from it. There are always people to chat to, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. Being an English speaker means that I get to speak to people from all over the world — travellers like myself — some…
January 25, 2019
Apart from two trips — a short weekend trip to Dalat, Vietnam in 2017 and a longer one to Myanmar in 2018 — I have always travelled solo (apart from significant others, who don’t count). In 2010, when I initially started travelling, it was from necessity, but now travelling alone is my preferred way to travel. It was my trip…
November 16, 2016
I had not travelled Tiger Air before my trip back to Bali on the 5th of November. I assumed that it would be like travelling other low-fare carriers like Virgin (who I sent a big F*CK YOU to last year) and Jetstar. I was right, but it was worse. Much, much worse. So here’s my review of Tiger Air, in…
August 2, 2016
Travel solo: so many benefits Confession time. I have never travelled internationally with anyone. Ever. I only ever travel solo. Alone. All by myself. Just me, myself and I. Yes, I join tours and meet people, but I have never actually left for an overseas destination with a travelling companion. I can’t imagine what it would be like having the…
I have settled into a bit of a routine on the ship, and it goes something like this: 7am – 7.45am – have breakfast (I have room service and my breakfast is usually delivered by a lovely Indonesian boy) 7.45am – 8.15am – get ready for day tour (shower, get dressed, pack day pack, check tour tickets, wallet, passport, camera…
The one question I am asked more often than any other is: “Are you travelling alone?”. I reply in affirmative because I am, and what I find interesting is that if a woman asks me, she always replies “Oh, I could never do that! You are very brave.” My response to this is: “If I waited around to find people…