hi i'm mary!

I grew up in Alaska, and let's just say my childhood was um…sheltered (by extremely strict religious parents). I left Alaska at 17 to go to the University of Idaho, and my upbringing made me overly curious of other cultures, religions and I started to dream of seeing places, I never imagined were possible.

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It wouldn’t be until years later in 2018, I finally got tired of my own excuses and trying to coordinate with friends.  I booked my first solo road trip to Milan and rented a car (despite everyone telling me it was a terrible idea to drive in Italy). Spoiler alert: it wasn't. I drove solo across Northern Italy, hitting up Milan, the Dolomites, Lake Como, Venice, Tuscany, and Cinque Terre. Sure there were some sketchy moments driving, but I conquered my fear of the "what ifs," learned to embrace solo dining, and discovered the magic of meeting awesome strangers on the road. 

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One of my first solo travel fails involved accidentally driving my rental car into the Marrakech Medina. If you've ever been to Marrakech, you know this was utterly bonkers—imagine being trapped in a chaotic maze of animals, people, carts, and motorbikes. I ended up pulling over, calling the rental company, and begging them to pick up the car (they did).

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Last year, I was day drinking at a beach bar in Turkey (one of my favorite places to travel). When I got back to my room, the munchies hit hard, so I ventured out for some snackies. I immediately fell down the spiral stairs and broke my four front teeth and fractured my knee. Went to a cosmetic dentist the next day and spent $200 EU, on what would have been a $5000 dental fix in USA.

 

Why am I telling you this? 

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I think a big reason, many solo travelers, especially women, don’t travel solo is the dread of the “What if…” scenarios. Look, travel brochures won't tell you this, but things will go wrong. Hilariously, memorably wrong. But here's the secret: those "What if...?" moments often turn into the best stories. What surprises me most is that in every bad situation solo traveling, regardless of the language barrier, locals have always been so helpful when I needed it. People, in my opinion, are inherently good. Sure, there are bad apples everywhere, but travel teaches you that…

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Like many, I work full-time and only get 10 days of PTO a year, so I have to be super strategic with how I stack my vacation time.  This also means my trips are generally no longer than five workdays, so I've got a ton of great short trip itineraries up my sleeve.  Since 2018, I have been to 15 countries...and counting. Having personally experienced the time-consuming process of sifting through countless long blogs when researching a new destination,  I wanted to make an easy to follow guide with all the travel essentials, without all the fluff. 

I'm a female solo traveler, balancing my 9-to-5 career in Atlanta, with my love of travel and exploring new cultures.  

My mission? To inspire at least one incredible person to ditch the fear and book that dream holiday. Trust me, you're braver and more resourceful than you think! The world is full of delicious food, breathtaking sights, and unforgettable experiences, and the good stuff always outweighs the occasional mishap (like, say, a wrong turn in a Moroccan marketplace). 

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In the words of Anthony Bourdain: "Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

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