Does a continuous “ Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep”… ringing through your head sound familiar to you?… Yeah me too!
But this time, its a reminder to wake up and start something that I am passionate about rather than dragging myself out of bed for yet another 9 hour day at the office. Counting down the 57 hour week until the Sunday I get off…Do you ever feel like this? Have you devoted your life to work? Can you afford to live out your dream but don’t want to go alone? Do you live to work or work to live?
We spend most of our lives at work so why ignore your passion and instead recognise that you’ve already ticked that box which you are currently stuck in because when those thoughts enter…it is obviously time for a new CHALLENGE!
So don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job and for the past 15 years I’ve enjoyed a successful and rewarding career within sales and management, working tireless long hours to achieve the best results I possibly could. However with my previous passion lacking and gaining all the estate agency T-shirts I once dreamed about, I was now in desperate need for a new challenge. I procrastinated and delayed chasing what it was I ACTUALLY wanted to do and that was to TRAVEL the world!
My names Katherine and I’m a 32 year old single woman. I’ve set up this blog to hopefully inspire, educate and encourage more people ( not only solo travellers) to take the plunge and “do it anyway!” So first a little bit about me and then we can get onto the exciting stuff…
After years of dreaming and months of planning, at the end of December 2019, I took a break from work to travel to as many places as my budget will allow. My ultimate goal is to make this experience as unplanned and meaningful as I possibly can. Of course, the typical traveller is probably 20-25 years old, partying all night in Thailand for 9 months straight. I’m passed those days! I believe in ‘making a difference’ to the less fortunate of people in this world and for me and many others, this is the most rewarding experience you can ever give.
So as I embark on this amazing opportunity, I give myself a HUGE pat on the back! Yes! I finally did it! And guess what… If you want to… you can too!
I have prepped, planned and saved to be able to take this adventure and I would love to share how I have done this. I will be posting about my experiences, amazing places I have explored and am yet to visit, advice for solo travellers and ultimately for you to see both the highs and the lows. I’m hoping to inspire you to pluck up your own courage to follow your dreams. They may not be travel related, but I believe my journey and experiences can resonate with any dream or goals you are looking to achieve in life.
I leave for my first destination to Sri Lanka on the 1st Feb 2020 and I’m treating myself to a luxury trip before I slum it completely solo. This is with the company that first inspired me to take this amazing adventure – Flashpack. If you haven’t heard of them – check out their website here…www.flashpack.com.
Click this link to see the full exciting Sri Lanka itinerary –
Savour the serene beauty of Sri Lanka
I visited Vietnam and Cambodia with them in March 2019 and I haven’t looked back since. They specialise in solo travel for people in their 30’s and 40’s and I’ve made lots of new friends from all over the world. Their accommodation is 4 & 5* hotels and the guides all reside and come from their tour destinations! I mean what could be better than eating with a guide’s mother at his home in Hanoi as I did earlier this year!
Since opening up my social media relating to solo female travel, I have been amazed at the love and support around the world for this subject. It seems that it is very high on many wish lists, but seemingly due to commitments or financial pressures, never the right time to go?!
After stalking, following and dedicating my personal time to explore Flashpack and researching solo travel. I was amazed when they contacted me and asked me to do an interview to promote solo travelling and the quote “ Friends are busy…do it anyway”.
So I took myself down to London and that’s when I REALLY knew what it was that I really LOVED. I enjoy spending time with lots of different people within lots of different environments and cultures. I met with the videographer and content crew, did the interview ( which was not as scary as I thought) and then helped them back to the Flashpack offices with their gear!
What an amazing experience! Their offices and working environment really brought it straight home to me about why I was doing this.
That was it… the fire had been lit!
From a first time solo trip point of view, Flashpack are excellent at introducing you to your fellow Flashpackers a month before you leave via a Whats App group. You can chat, see what others plans are and get excited about meeting your new travel buddies from all over the world. The Sri Lanka group has just been set up and so far there are 13 people, from UK, USA, Australia, South Korea, Germany, Ireland and more! I’m super excited about meeting them all as I know from my last experience that there may be ‘Friends for Life’ within this group. Roll on the 1st Feb!
Don’t get me wrong, there has been tough times, its certainly challenging to get to a level to be able to do this, not only financially but mentally too. I hope I can help you understand what is needed and I will be posting about my experiences in different blogs, photos, videos and Q & A sessions along the way.
So with the days left before I leave, I really need to start packing and get started in creating some useful content for you. My next post will be all about the most important aspect… making yourself financially stable and able to travel or achieve something you’ve wanted to for a long time… so stay tuned.
Thanks for reading!
Happy Sunday Guys…!
Katherine xxx
Solo Travelling Kat 