Solo Female Travelers

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar is joined by Dr. Karla Boluk, professor at the University of Waterloo, to explore the complicated ethics of Last Chance Tourism: traveling to see places, ecosystems, wildlife, or communities before they disappear or change irreversibly. They discuss the paradox at the heart of this kind of travel. Visiting a threatened destination can creat...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Meg and Mar dive into six years of data from the annual Solo Female Travel Trends Survey to uncover what women really want when they travel alone. They challenge some of the most persistent stereotypes around solo female travel, including the idea that women travel alone because they have no one to go with, or that shopping, spas and Instagram-...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar is joined by Cepee, founder of She Hit Refresh and author of An American’s Ultimate Visa Guide to Living in Europe. Cepee shares her story of moving from the US to Spain at 35 after realizing that the stable life she had built wasn't the life she wanted. Together, they explore what it really takes to turn the dream of moving abroad int...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Anastasia is joined by Meg Ten Eyck, founder and CEO of Every Queer and a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ travel and inclusion. Together, they explore what it really means for a destination to be welcoming and affirming to queer travelers, beyond rainbow flags, Pride campaigns, and LGBTQ-friendly marketing. Meg shares her experience traveling to m...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar and Meg Jerrard explore a question that sounds simple but is surprisingly personal: is group travel right for you? Rather than trying to convince everyone to join a tour, they unpack the different types of group travel and why the right choice depends on your personality, expectations, travel style, and stage of life. They talk honestly abo...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast , Mar is joined by Marinel de Jesus , a former civil rights attorney turned mountain nomad, filmmaker, tourism equity advocate, and founder of Equity Global Treks and the Porter Voice Collective. Marinel shares her journey from practicing law in Washington, DC, to building a life around hiking, community-led tourism, and advocating for the worke...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar is joined by Gaby Orozco, a former cabin crew member who spent five years working in aviation and now works with the Solo Female Travelers team. Together, they go behind the scenes of life as a flight attendant and explore what passengers rarely see once they step onto a plane. Gaby shares the reality of working at 35,000 feet, from crew re...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar is joined by Ellie Hamby and Dr. Sandy Hazelip, better known as the Traveling Nanas, whose adventures prove that there is no age limit to exploring the world. After meeting through a medical mission in Zambia, their friendship grew into decades of independent travel and, eventually, an epic journey around the world in 80 days at age 81. Ell...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar is joined by Dr. Vincie Ho, founder and Executive Director of RISE Travel Institute, for a thought-provoking conversation about what it really means to decolonize travel. Together, they explore how colonialism continues to shape the way we travel today, from the maps we use and the passports we carry to the language we choose, the experienc...

Planning your first trip to Scotland? In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Anastasia is joined by Scotland tour host Naomi to share practical advice for making the most of your visit. From choosing the best time of year to exploring the Highlands, Edinburgh, and the Isle of Skye, Naomi explains what travelers should expect, how to get around, and why slowing down and connecting wi...

This week’s episode brings your favorite co-founder duo, Mar and Meg, back together for a fun and very honest conversation answering all the questions you have about Solo Female Travelers and our trips. They answer the most asked questions they get: Am I too old or too young? Does everyone really come solo? Will I fit in? They also get into the practical details, including payments, what is includ...

Travel photography doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating. In this episode, Meg sits down with professional photographer Anastasia Novosyolova-Blatt to share practical, beginner-friendly tips for taking better travel photos, especially when you're traveling solo. They cover everything from choosing the right camera setup (spoiler: your phone is probably enough) to finding the bes...

Thoughtful travel can sound like a fancy buzzword, but it does not have to be complicated or hard to achieve. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Meg sits down with Amanda Kendle, travel writer, podcaster, and host of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, for an honest conversation about what it actually means to travel with more intention. Amanda shares how her love of travel began wit...

Antarctica is one of the most remote places on Earth, but visiting it isn't as simple as booking a cruise. From choosing the right expedition to understanding the rules that protect this fragile environment, there's a lot to know before you go. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with expedition guide and Antarctica expert Lori Gross, who has spent nearly...

So much of travel is built around what we can see. We talk about sightseeing, bucket-list views, and must-see attractions. But what happens when you experience the world differently? In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Meg sits down with author, speaker, podcaster, and disability advocate Lois Strachan to talk about travel, independence, and what it means to truly be present in a...

In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with Fatima Haidari, Afghanistan’s first female tour guide, for a deeply personal conversation about courage, displacement, identity, and rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss. Fatima’s story is also part of our own. When she first left Afghanistan, she worked with Solo Female Travelers during those early, uncertain moments of...

When most people think about traveling to Greece, they picture Santorini sunsets, Mykonos beach clubs, and crowded whitewashed streets packed with tourists. But what if some of the best Greek islands are actually the ones you've never heard of? In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with Stella, our Greece tour host and a travel industry expert who has spent more...

Packing light sounds simple in theory, but for many travelers, fitting everything into a carry-on can feel almost impossible. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Meg sits down with Mar to unpack the strategies, mindset shifts, and practical tips that have allowed her to travel carry-on only for more than 20 years. While Meg openly admits to being a lifelong overpacker, Mar has re...

Bali is one of the most visited islands in the world, but beyond the traffic, beach clubs, and Instagram photo spots, there is another side of the island that many travelers never experience. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with Henni, our local Bali host, to talk about what Bali is really like from a local perspective. Mar has visited Bali 13 times over the las...

What happens when romance, solo travel, and modern dating collide? In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Meg sits down with Sabrina, a sex educator, TEDx speaker, and founder of After Sex Ed, to talk about dating, intimacy, boundaries, and safety while traveling solo. Meg shares some of her own experiences with travel and dating, while Sabrina explains why travel can feel so freein...

A lot of people hear about pet sitting and immediately think: free accommodation, cute animals, dream lifestyle. And sometimes… it really does look like that. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, Mar sits down with her longtime friend Sabrina, a blogger, digital nomad, and long time pet sitter who has completed nearly 200 pet sits around the world over the last 12 years. From luxu...

Ecuador received 1.4 million visitors in 2025. In comparison to the nearly 100 million people who visit Spain each year, this is only a small fraction. Those who venture there find more than they ever expected. A magic that is hard to describe but easy to feel. Mountains that stretch as far as the eye can see, topped by year-round glaciers; rainforests that teem with vegetation and protect some of...

Most conversations around safety, especially for women, tend to focus on what to avoid. Where not to go, what not to do, how to stay out of risk. But this approach is rather limiting and incomplete. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, we sit down with Nicole Snell, CEO of Girls Fight Back and founder of Outdoor Defense, to rethink what safety actually means.  With over 20 years o...

Adventure doesn’t have to mean crossing deserts or taking on extreme expeditions. Sometimes, it starts with simply stepping outside your comfort zone. But Alice is ready even for the grander adventures. In this episode of the Solo Female Travelers Podcast, we sit down with Alice Morrison, an explorer, writer, and former BBC journalist who left her career to pursue slow, long-distance journeys acro...

Most travelers never see the real impact of their trips, not because it’s hidden, but because we don't always see where our money goes or who truly benefits. In this episode, we sit down with Lily Palma, founder of Zapotec Travel and our Oaxaca tour host, to talk about what ethical travel in Oaxaca actually looks like and how community-led tourism works in practice. We get into the realities...