Stephanie (Girl Gone Solo): Travel Alone to Live Your Life

"We all have this core thing about us and for me it’s being diverse. Open to changes, thoughts, people, culture and willing to assess my own beliefs and thoughts as I encounter new things and progress through life..."

Do you remember the moment you decided to start a travel blog?
It’s something I had been thinking about for years but because of work and other side projects, I never got to it. Once I left my job and became a full-time location-independent entrepreneur with more time to do what I want, I was able to start. I’ve been enjoying it, but my goodness, it’s a lot of work, so I have a lot of respect for bloggers.

What are the top destinations for solo travel women?
I think anywhere is up for grabs, just depends on the woman, comfort level and the experience she desires. My recommendations would be Paris for its romantic vibe, Cuba for its culture immersion, and Amsterdam for its walkability.

You were born in Haiti. Would you recommend it to other travelers?
Absolutely! I know that there’s a lot of negative images of Haiti in the media but if you ask anyone who has ever been, you’ll hear that they didn’t want to leave. The beaches, art, food, Bassin Bleu, Citadelle Laferrière, and the people are all worth experiencing. You’ll never know the real Haiti unless you go.

The name of your blog is "Girl gone solo". Why should people travel alone?
I came up with the name for my blog after thinking about the many times that I tried to book trips with friends and family that never came to fruition. You start off with 8 people and the day before the flight you’re on your own. I would send flight deals to friends and not even get a response. Many would choose to stay put, but not me. I decided I was not going to let anyone keep me from seeing the world. So many people are not living their best life because they are waiting for someone else to join them on their journey, but it is your journey so you must get in the driver’s seat and go. Travel alone to live your life.

What is it you don’t like about traveling?
"Don’t like" and "traveling" in the same sentence? Don’t compute. But I would probably say getting sick. I’ve been to places where I’ve experienced altitude sickness and places where the air was so dry that I spent most of the trip feeling miserable and of course the dreaded food poisoning.

What apps or websites do you use for traveling?
Is this a trick question? Sygic Travel of course, everything you need in one place and some really amazing safety tips, which as a solo woman traveler is extremely important to me.

If you had an unlimited travel budget for 24 hours, what would your itinerary look like?
I love tacos and beaches and my favorite destination for both is Tulum, Mexico. It’s also a quick flight from what I consider my home base so it would work well to maximize my time. I can get there early in the morning and relax on the beach, get a massage, go snorkeling and eat all the tacos I want. It’s one of my favorite places in the world.

If you should decide today, which country would you pick for retirement?
I think about this all the time, and it’s so hard to choose. It would definitely be somewhere on the beach, with a lot of healthy good food, great transportation system, amazing wine and low cost of a living. If you know a place, let me know.

What is the most overrated country or location you’ve been to?
Wow, this is a hard one simply because the times when I’ve felt like that, there were a myriad of reasons that were not necessarily the destination’s fault. I always played a role in the experience. For example, due to poor planning I may not have many activities lined up, I may not have put much thought into navigating the country or its transportation system, or maybe I’m traveling with someone and there may be some friction. As a result, all the negative feelings are transferred to the destination because it’s where I’m experiencing those frustrations. I don’t always fall in love with every place that I visit, however, I can see why others may love it and because of that I don’t think anywhere is overrated. Travel is what you make it so travel where you want.

What is the most underestimated country or location you’ve been to?
With that said, I definitely think that there are many places in the world that deserve more love. One of those places is Mexico City. Amazing food, trendy neighborhoods, beautiful street art, great and kind people, very easy to navigate with affordable transportation. It’s extremely budget friendly with many museums and the best tacos I’ve ever had. So many different experiences await you in Mexico City.

Thank you Stephanie!
Simona from Sygic Travel

Sygic Travel has been helping people plan travel itineraries since 2011. Millions of people all over the world use their web planner as well as their iOS and Android apps.