Claim OwnershipSolo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
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© 2025 Solo Travel Adventures: Safe Travel for Women, Preparing for a Trip, Overcoming Fear, Travel Tips
Description
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.
159 Episodes
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Wonder isn’t a luxury—it’s a lever for real change. We trace the quiet path from a single sunset or museum hall to the deep shift you feel when you come home from a trip and realize your mind, mood, and body aren’t quite the same. Drawing on the science of awe and years of solo travel coaching, we break down how novelty, vastness, and meaning work together to rewire attention, dial down rumination, and open space for gratitude and connection. You’ll hear how nature’s big canvases—mountain ra...
The calendar flips to October and the store aisles explode with tinsel—meanwhile, your heart feels heavy at the thought of the holidays. If you’re a single woman or newly navigating an empty nest, those weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s can feel like a pressure cooker of memories, expectations, and silence. We decided to tell the truth about it—and share a better way to move through it. We start by naming the hard stuff: sadness, loneliness, grief, and the ache of feeling like the od...
Wondering if group travel might be your next adventure? Join me as I chat with Avery Hale-Smith, Chief Experience Officer at Backroads, who shares how guided active adventures are transforming the way people experience destinations worldwide. Avery reveals how her own childhood travels—from immersive village experiences in Ecuador to studying abroad in India—shaped her perspective on what makes travel truly meaningful. These formative journeys ultimately led her back to Backroads, where she ...
Feeling overwhelmed by endless travel possibilities? You're not alone. Every wanderluster faces the delightful dilemma of where to go next. Drawing from years of solo travel experience, I reveal six distinct approaches to selecting your next destination – some spontaneous, others deeply intentional. You could explore trend-based travel, where popular destinations like Paris or Amsterdam beckon with their timeless appeal. I candidly share how social media discoveries have sparked unexpected a...
Ever notice how the ground beneath your feet changes when hiking? From sandy paths to packed dirt trails, paved walkways to rocky terrain—each surface requires a different approach and energy level. What if these changing terrains hold wisdom about the type of travel that would serve you best right now? During a recent solo road trip to West Texas that didn't quite go according to plan, I discovered a powerful metaphor while hiking that perfectly illustrates the relationship between life's s...
Do you think you've never been a solo traveler? Think again. That trip to the grocery store alone, the errands you run by yourself—these everyday activities actually share elements with what we define as "solo travel." The difference? Just the destination. In this eye-opening episode, we challenge the common perception that solo travel exclusively means backpacking across continents completely alone. The truth is far more accessible and varied. Whether you're flying solo to meet friends at y...
Remember those magical family road trips from childhood? The singalongs, the roadside attractions, the endless games of I-Spy? There's something deeply nostalgic about hitting the open road—but experiencing that freedom solo introduces an entirely new dimension of adventure and self-discovery. Safety doesn't mean sacrificing spontaneity when traveling alone. I've learned through countless solo journeys that preparation creates the foundation for freedom. Establishing a reliable check-in syst...
Are you letting other people's fears hold you back from experiencing the world on your own terms? After six years of intentional solo traveling that began in my 50s, I've discovered that the biggest obstacle isn't the outside world—it's the voices of those who've never actually done it themselves. Solo travel transformed my life in ways I never expected, teaching me valuable lessons I wish I'd known sooner. The world isn't nearly as frightening as many would have you believe, especially when...
Ever stared longingly at that stack of unread books on your nightstand, wishing for just a few uninterrupted days to dive in? You're not alone. A fascinating new travel trend is emerging in 2025 that might be the perfect solution for book lovers everywhere: reading retreats. Imagine yourself sipping wine on a veranda overlooking mountains or ocean, completely absorbed in a novel without a single interruption. No chores calling your name, no meetings to attend, just you and your books in a be...
The empty nest phase doesn't mean the end of meaningful parent-child connections – it simply marks the beginning of a new kind of relationship. As summer vacations end and college drop-offs happen across America, many parents find themselves reminiscing about family trips and wondering how to maintain closeness with their now-adult children. Travel creates a unique opportunity to reconnect with adult children in ways that regular family gatherings often cannot. When we remove ourselves from ...
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is transforming how we plan, book, and experience travel—whether we're ready for it or not. After resisting the AI wave, I've finally accepted its inevitability while maintaining a healthy skepticism about certain applications. Delta Airlines' recent expansion of AI-powered pricing algorithms reveals a troubling trend. They've increased coverage from 3% to 20% of domestic routes, using your personal data to determine how much you might be willing to ...
Travel transforms us in ways we rarely anticipate. When we step outside our comfort zones, something remarkable happens – not just philosophically, but neurologically. The brain forms new pathways, rewiring itself in real-time as we navigate unfamiliar territory. My journey with travel's healing power began unexpectedly in 1996 when I traveled to Jamaica just eight weeks after losing my mother to breast cancer. We had been extraordinarily close – best friends, creative confidants – and her t...
Solo travel has become a transformative movement, particularly among women who now comprise 70% of all solo travelers worldwide. Yet despite these impressive statistics, many women remain on the sidelines, watching others embark on adventures they only dream about. What's holding them back? For many, it's the invisible weight of past trauma, grief, or loss that makes the unknown elements of solo travel feel insurmountable. This episode introduces the concept of travel coaching—a specialized ...
Every budget traveler has faced that moment of frustration—the cheap hotel that feels unsafe, the bargain flight with endless layovers, or the too-good-to-be-true deal that actually wasn't worth the hassle. As someone who lives by the philosophy that spending less on one trip means affording more adventures overall, I've made plenty of costly mistakes in my quest to travel economically. In this candid episode, I pull back the curtain on five significant budget travel blunders that actually e...
What happens when a woman who's lived like a "caged bird" for 25 years suddenly finds herself free? For Linda Magoon, freedom meant climbing mountains—specifically, all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot peaks. After decades in a controlling marriage where asking permission was the norm and independence was punished with silent treatments and anger, Linda reached what she calls her "tipping point" in her mid-50s. With the help of a crisis counselor, she realized she was experiencing domestic v...
The moment of departure for a long-awaited trip should be filled with excitement, not anxiety about what you might have forgotten at home. So many travelers have experienced that sudden panic on the way to the airport – "Did I leave the curling iron plugged in?" or "Did I forget to lock the door?" This episode tackles those pre-travel worries head-on with a practical, comprehensive checklist to ensure your home remains safe while you're exploring the world. From arranging house-sitters and m...
What drives a woman to sell everything she owns, travel halfway around the world, and jump on yachts with complete strangers? For Tess Millhollon, author and founder of Her House, it was the desperate need to reclaim her sense of self after surviving sexual assault in college. Tess shares her remarkable journey of healing through solo travel in Australia, where she discovered that recreating her comfortable bartending life from Texas wasn't enough. The pivotal moment came when she spotted a ...
Have you ever looked at a solo traveler with a mix of curiosity, concern, or even pity? Those reactions reveal the powerful misconceptions surrounding solo travel, especially for women over 50. As a freedom traveler and coach who's ventured solo across continents, I'm pulling back the curtain on these limiting beliefs that might be keeping you from one of life's most empowering experiences. Safety concerns top most people's list when discussing solo travel. While being informed is crucial—re...
Ever found yourself standing in a crowded European plaza, sweat dripping down your back, wondering why you bothered to travel at all? For women navigating perimenopause and menopause, travel presents unique challenges that rarely make it into guidebooks or travel blogs. Hot flashes, night sweats, and unpredictable temperature regulation can transform dream destinations into uncomfortable ordeals without proper planning. Drawing from personal experience and health coaching background, I share...
Freedom calls from the open road, and summer's the perfect time to answer. This practical guide to solo road trips unlocks the joy of spontaneous travel when expensive flights or elaborate planning isn't an option. Feeling the wanderlust but haven't made summer plans? A solo road trip might be your perfect adventure. Whether you have just a day, a weekend, or a full week to spare, hitting the highway offers unparalleled freedom and flexibility. The beauty lies in simplicity - choose a destin...
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