Fearless Females who travel Solo and LOVE IT: Part 2

Thank you for joining me on my second week of featuring a fellow solo traveler.  I am loving this blog series!! The stories and pictures show just how incredible these women are and how they are truly living life to the fullest!  Let's be honest, that is what life is for, right?!? 

This week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Raksha Nagaraj, more often known as @solopassport on Instagram. She is a remarkable woman who travels, loves life and lives it to the fullest. She is an Indian woman who lives in Sydney Australia and works full time as a Business Analyst with an IT Firm.  Her posts and content always makes me smile! I asked her the same questions as our last feature and it's always great to see the varying viewpoints. 

I asked Raksha what her most memorable place traveled and why?

"I have travelled extensively, and I have many places in my list that are memorable. But New Zealand as a country definitely stands out. I have been to New Zealand about 5 times now and I go there every year. For an adventure soul like me, New Zealand is a perfect destination. It is a mecca for adventurous activities including bunjee jumping, sky diving and hiking. Lastly, I cannot stop talking about New Zealand without the mention of its spectacular landscapes."

I love this photo she shared! She is living life and all the random experiences that come with travel.

As a solo female who travels, we are always on a heightened alert where safety is concerned, so I asked her about a time she has ever been afraid. I feel like sharing these types of stories can give another woman the courage to share and the tips to possibly avoid a similar situation.

"Just to share a story from my solo traveling in Norway. I had booked a tour to chase Northern lights in Tromso and was expecting the tour guide to pick me up at around 9 at night. A van arrived and stopped in front of me and without thinking much I got into the van. Even though, I noticed that there were only two guys (including the driver) in the front row, I ignored. 

The panic started after a short drive from my hostel, when one of them turned to me and asked if I give my passport to him. I freaked out. After few questioning and discussions (as we had the language barrier), it turned out that because it was raining in Tromso, the tour agency was taking me to Finland to see the Northern lights."

This type of situation can be very scary and I'm so thankful for Raksha it was all good in the end. But, I wanted to include this particular story to remind ALL travelers to be aware and always ask plenty of questions before getting in an unknown vehicle in a foreign country. 

I want to end on a high note and I can't complete this blog without a final word from Raksha on why she travels. Her words and reasons mirror so many of my own and this photo captures her joy and peace. I love it!!

"For me, solo traveling is like meditation. I solo travel when I am upset about something, when I am happy about something or when I want to be myself. It provides me a platform to introspect myself and to get away from all the dramas of life. It is liberating, and I can do what I want without any judgements. And… it is a great way to meet other likeminded travellers from around the world." 

You can connect and follow Raksha through the following social outlets:

• Blog address: www.solopassport.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/solopassport
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/solopassport
• Email address: solopassport@gmail.com 

Thank you again for Raksha for sharing your story and I hope her story has inspired you to travel and brave the wide world solo! Just because you travel solo doesn't mean that you are alone. Next week, we will feature another fearless female who travels solo and LOVES IT, so be sure to check it out!

Keep Traveling and Much Love,

H

Fearless Females who Travel Solo and LOVE IT

As a female who thoroughly enjoys solo travel, I'm bombarded with questions such as...

"Aren't you afraid?!"... "What does your husband think?!"...

"Don't you get lonely?!".."Don't you feel unsafe?!".."Isn't it weird to do things alone?!"...

And the list goes on and on... 

I've been so fortunate to connect with some incredible women who choose to travel solo! In the next few blog entries, I'll be sharing their stories. Who they are, why they travel solo and why they LOVE it!!  I'm excited to share their stories and give them voices and to show that women traveling solo isn't so abnormal!

My first featured traveler is Ana Rijo who was born in Portugal but moved to London at the age of 25.

She found a new world opening up before her when she moved to London! Here are some of her words about why she travels and if she is ever afraid.

"I started travelling solo because I had a friend who bailed on me for a girl’s trip and I ended up going by myself (to Santorini, no less). I had a lot of fun exploring the island by myself at my own pace, doing my own thing, not having to worry about other people. And it started from there. I was open to having people travelling with, but I didn’t have anyone who wanted to, so I just decided to do it myself, and now I don’t even think about inviting other people to my trips, I just book them and enjoy them by myself. And I always end up meeting people along the way.  I know the world we live in is diverse, with different customs and traditions. I know that being a female can attract unwanted attention (unfortunately), but I’m not afraid of going to a new country. I think I’m more afraid to lose a flight or having my accommodation cancelled, etc."

I also asked if she had some advice for first timers and I loved her advice and I can definitely relate to her sound wisdom! Because she faced her fears, she has amazing memories to last a lifetime. This is why we travel!!

"I think my best advice would be “do not overthink. Just go and enjoy. The first solo trip might be daunting, but you will learn how strong you are”. I’m an overthinker by nature, but when it comes to travelling, I dive head in."

"the most memorable place I’ve travelled was definitely Budapest, Hungary. Besides being the first time I vlogged in front of a camera for an audience and having my videos on my YouTube channel, the city made me realise how much I love travelling and I wanted to do that as much as I could. It was the beginning of everything really."

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmA-8C0t4Rji8G0s_xi_ghA

Check out Ana's YouTube channel where she documents her travels, you are going to love it! Give her a follow on Instagram as well, she always has amazing travel photos, she is @red_girl_travels.  I hope it inspires you to take that first step and venture out on your very own solo adventure!!

Thank you to Ana for being so gracious and collaborating with me on this first post! Stay tuned for more stories from other fearless female travelers. 

As always, keep traveling and much love!

H

New Adventures

New adventures can be exciting, scary and a whirlwind all at the same time!  It's funny how when you are figuring what to do with your life, people say to find something you love and it won't seem like work.  That sounds good in premise, but how often does that happen, for real?

 

Putting yourself out there takes so much courage and bravery!

 

What if no one wants what I'm offering? 

What if I fail? 

What if I make a fool of myself?

Instead of focusing on the negative things that COULD go wrong, I decided to focus on what could go RIGHT!!!

What if I fulfill my wildest dreams?

What if I'm wildly successful?

What if this brings immeasurable joy to my life?

What if I'm able to share my joy with countless others?

I am excited to finally announce that I have started a new travel business!!  This has been a dream in the works for quite sometime.  As many of you know, I LOVE traveling and all things travel related! This is step one, and soon, hopefully, other steps will follow in my ultimate goal!!

This is going to be a fun and wild ride as I figure out the kinks! So, those of you who I will be helping as my first customers, thank you for your patience!!

It's funny how life can change and morph into so many different avenues. Certain chapters may be ugly and not worth mentioning, but if it weren't for THOSE chapters, you may not be EXACTLY where you are at this point. I am so thankful for the ugly, beautiful, crazy, hectic and unknown chapters of my life! I can look back and see how each one prepared me and taught me things that I am living now.

When life throws you a curve ball, or a new adventure is dropped in your lap, embrace it! Life is a journey full of ebbs and flows and its the only one we get. 

Much Love and Keep Traveling!

H