The Full Story

I fired my employer. I gave away everything I owned. Then I quit the United States.

I needed to live according to my values unapologetically, in places where my race, my age, or my income wouldn't define the quality of my lifestyle.

I served in the military. I taught college. I spent decades in corporate America striving to make a difference. Owning decisions, adapting to change, and forging a path that felt right came naturally.

But traveling solo and living abroad full-time brought a different set of realities. There was a cost to not knowing what I didn't know—and I paid it. Many times over.

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I fund this life myself. I don't collect Social Security, retirement, or military benefits, and no one else sponsors any part of my lifestyle.

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I learned that minor problems can multiply quickly because of language barriers, infrastructure, cultural differences, and scams. In turn, trip planning and expat living become expensive, stressful, and deeply complicated.

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Successful solo travel requires more than choosing where to go and booking a flight. It requires financial planning, safety and health considerations, physical and mental energy, and, of course, understanding and weighing risks and knowing how to make better decisions when reality doesn't match the plan.

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That’s what led me to create Graceful Roamer: helping women think through the parts of solo travel that can jam them up.

• What happens if you lose your phone, or an ATM gobbles up your debit card?

• How do you keep scammers from stealing your identity and your money when you rely on public Wi-Fi?

• Why are border runs scary and sketchy?

• What do you do when the only thing good about your apartment is that it has a door?

These are the stories, lessons, and travel tools I share here. Use them whether you're planning or already traveling.
 

In your corner,
Graceful Roamer 🦋