How to travel solo this summer ✈️
Hi friends! Summer solstice took place this week, meaning it’s officially summer here in the northern hemisphere. I’m actually travelling this week, and currently enjoying La Dolce Vita in Italy 🇮🇹
Many of you are probably going on your own holidays this summer. Perhaps you're travelling with your family? Perhaps with friends? Some of you may even be going solo!
I personally did my first solo travel recently, and I could not recommend it enough. I learned so much about myself and got to enjoy destinations in an entirely new way.
I wish I could give you advice if you’re planning or going on travelling solo. But with only one solo trip completed, I have quite a limited experience. So today, I want to introduce you to someone who knows what she’s talking about.
Isabella Grandic has spent over 5 months in SE Asia, many of them completely solo. I asked her to share her story and some tips for solo travelling in this newsletter, and I hope you enjoy!
Maddie xx
She’s working on… travelling solo
I (Isabella) have been independently and solo travelling since I was 15. It started with my curiosity for how technologies like AI can influence businesses. I followed that interest by volunteering at conferences, first within Canada, and writing a blog about what I learned along the way.
This inspired a second phase where I was invited to speak and contribute to panel discussions around the world. I travelled to cities like Las Vegas, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Amsterdam. I spent my following summer travelling independently in Serbia and then volunteering with the planning committee at a conference in The Netherlands.
Soon after, I also started to travel for the sake of learning and exploring!
I have done trips like a month-long exploration of California and 3 weeks of backpacking in Utah. I have travelled for 5 months across 7 countries in Southeast Asia. And my most current adventure: a 7-week expedition in rural East Africa.
Travelling solo has been so incredibly fulfilling. Especially with the opportunities to make new friends, be thoughtful about new experiences and to truly follow my interests. I have grown a love and appreciation for this world through my travels. And in the future, I hope to start applying, rather than just exploring, how technology can meaningfully add to the fabric of society.
Here’s my best tips for solo traveling!
1️⃣ Volunteer unconventionally. Don't just look at "volunteer abroad" websites. Often those are performative and they take fees from you and the company you're trying to support. Instead, reach out to conferences through their website. Find people on LinkedIn. Find organisations you value. Try to send an email to see if there's a place you could add value.
2️⃣ Learn how to pack less! It will help you immensely in moving around, paying less for checked luggage fees and it will give you less things to keep track of so you can stay focused on your experience.
3️⃣ Stay at hostels. I use hostelworld.com to find them and I try to filter for 9 stars and above.
ps. my favourite spot in Asia was Yên Bái, Vietnam and I stayed at Lapatan Paradise!
Good luck!
Isabella Grandic @isabellagrandic
My favourite things
Here’s some of my favourite things I’ve recently read, watched and listened to!
🎧 Music: (It goes like) Nanana. Heard this for the first time on Tiktok and it might be my favourite song of the summer (so far).
📱App: Radical storage. I used this while in Milan to store my luggage for €5 while I explored the city. They also do other cities like New York, London, Barcelona and more.
📧 Email newsletter: Morning brew. My favourite way of keeping up with news when I’m away or extra busy. They send daily emails with roundups of important news and stories.
