I review hotels and consult them on how to create a better guest experience.
I show women how to travel the world and make money from anywhere.
The idea of going back home to work a 9-5 and live paycheck to paycheck was my nightmare. I had so much more to give. I wanted to help people. I wanted to eat strange food and speak other languages. I wanted to get lost.
So I got creative.
I was traveling to the world's best destinations, barely spending any money and growing my bank account. I was no longer broke but I still had a serious problem as a female solo traveler…
...I was also still broke. I blissfully ate tuna from a can and wore my clothes until they had holes big enough to see through – but I was living a life worth living. This is where I became an expert in budget travel and travel hacking.
Eventually, though, I got tired of being a broke backpacker and decided that it was time to start making some real money whilst traveling solo.
I landed jobs teaching English… jobs that paid really well. I lived as a teacher for two years in South Korea and one year in Taiwan. This funded trips to The Philippines, Japan, and all around Southeast Asia.
One night, however, I got drunk and applied to write for a travel blog...and got the job! Soon, I was freelancing writing full time - and was able to quit my teaching job. I became a pioneer of the digital nomad movement, a woman traveling the world, working from my laptop.
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria...
A hostel worker in Cambodia...
A housesitter in Costa Rica...
Now, I'm the founder of The Solo Girl's Travel Guidebook series — aka the #1 best-selling travel guidebook series for women. My travel books are sold by the most influential marketplaces around the world, such as Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Goodreads, and more, in over 25 countries and translated into three languages (so far) — and have now exploded into a worldwide solo female travel movement.
The guidebook I needed didn't exist! So, I f*cking wrote it myself.
The longer I spent as a solo female traveler, the more I realized that the world was built for men. There was no guidebook that took my safety or comfort as a solo travel woman into consideration.
To give women permission (and resources) to quit the work-marry-kids treadmill of life, travel the globe as a solo traveler, and build the sparkliest version of their dream selves.
As an expert solo traveler and avid explorer, I want to show you places you've never seen and unlock hidden doors you never knew existed in places you may have been before.
I want to create paths for you where you feel safe being solo female travelers while diving deeper into cultures and countries beyond your own – whether for a week, a year, or a lifetime.
This is why and how I wrote my new book, The One-Way Ticket Plan which teaches women how to fund and find their purpose while traveling the world (for a month, a year, or a lifetime).
My biggest passion beyond writing is my career as a hotel reviewer. which you can find out more about here.
I started with volunteering, moved to teaching English as a second language, then freelance writing and finally, starting my business, The Solo Girls Travel Guide. Then, I achieved my biggest dream of all: signing a book deal to write a travel how-to book for women called The One-Way Ticket Plan. Book sales make up 70% of my income. I also make money through hotel consulting and trip planning for my readers. But there are endless ways to travel and make money, honey. You don't have to do exactly how I did. I explain the many ways to travel and make money here.
For the first 6 or so years, I traveled super solo. But when you solo travel, you can’t help but collect friends from all over the world. These days, I travel with Emilia (the business partner and #TravelBFF) to research new books or I visit friends around the world. I even travel with readers who have become friends. Sometimes I travel with my man. BUT I will always crave traveling alone - it’s my favorite feeling. So let’s call it 50/50 solo travel.
Yes, writers, photographers, videographers – I’m always looking for fresh travel perspective. Feel free to submit any of your travel articles/ video ideas here! Or if you want to lead one of my girl gangs around the world, I run Facebook communities like Girls in Bali, Girls in Texas, Girls in Puerto Vallarta - you get the idea. If you think your community needs a girl gang, message me on Instagram and let me know.
Choose your destinations wisely and yes, you can travel safely as a woman! In fact, travel can transport you to destinations that are safer than home!
Seoul is safer than Seattle, for example. When I travel to Seoul, I study the neighborhoods, I book hotels in safe areas, I go on reputable tours with locals, and I follow my intuition. I often feel safer traveling than I do at home.
You can find the best places to travel as a solo female traveler here.
And in these destinations, you'll find a list of "Solo Girl Safe Spots," which are businesses around the world who are expecting you, my solo travel girl. Read more about them here.