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Back in 2011, I was a broke-ass Seattle girl who had just graduated from college and had about $200 to my name.

I was faced with two choices:

Get a desk job, a husband, and a mortgage
… or take a big leap of faith, sell everything I owned, and solo travel the world.

Obviously, I made the right choice. That leap of faith paid off big time. For the past 13+ years, I've been traveling the world solo. I went from budget backpacker to living my dream as a solo female travel expert and author.

Award-Winning best-selling travel author and hotel reviewer on a mission to change the way women travel the world: with less fear and more fun (and more money)

Hi, I'm Lexi.

read the reviews

I review hotels and consult them on how to create a better guest experience.

02

I want to know how

I show women how to travel the world and make money from anywhere.

01

fabulous, fulfilling things:

I now do two amazing,

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.

The answer is simple…

How did I go from broke with zero travel experience to making money while traveling the world as a solo girl?
How the hell did I manage to turn my first solo trip into long term travel?
How did I stay safe traveling alone?
How did I make friends while traveling?
How did I figure out how to make enough money to fund my travels?

make it happen?

But how did I

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…

My dream of sustainably traveling solo was starting to fall into place.

...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...

I discovered organizations, opportunities, and travel programs that would pay me (or pay for me) to travel the world.

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.

I didn't feel 100% safe on my solo trips.

the one way ticket plan

this
book
has
magic
powers

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.

women travel the world.

To change the way that

My mission today?

How do you fund your travels or make money and travel?

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.

Frequently

Asked Questions

Do you always travel solo?

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.

Can I work with you?

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.

Is solo female travel safe?

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.

have a q? I'm an open book.

Ok, now your turn! Get in touch

I am obsessed with a sport called Pickleball. I travel the world with my paddle and find pickleball courts in Mexico, Vietnam and beyond. It's the best way to make friends while traveling. I am always on the look out for resorts with pickleball courts!
Sushi is my love language. If I could only eat seafood for the rest of my life, I would.
Both my brothers live in Asia. Joey for 15 years, Brady for 7 years and me for 10 years (but now I split my time between Asia, Mexico and Seattle).
I am good at languages. I can't paint, draw or sing - but I can learn a language and nail the accent pretty quickly. I speak basic levels of 5 languages: Spanish, Bulgarian, Thai, Khmer and Indonesian. Put me on the spot however, and I'll likely speak a combination of them all.
I don't speak to my parents. I'm an advocate for women leaving toxic homes, protecting their mental health, and finding their chosen family.