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Solo Budget Travel: Safety Tips, Destinations & How to Make Travel Your Career · Roam Alone

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So, my guest today is Michelle Jensen.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, Michelle.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad you got to come on today.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, before we get started, can you tell me a little bit about your background and how you started this?
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I am just going to say it before we even get started, this amazing solo travel life that you have created for yourself.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: How did it all get started?
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, thank you.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, um, second, I used to work in TV.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_01: And when I was about 23, I graduated from college and I went like many people like went on a trip and I went to Europe and I came back and everybody was like, Oh, what'd you do?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I got tired of emailing people.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: And about that same time, I was like kind of bored because I had just finished college and I was also working a full-time job while in college.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: So suddenly I only have like one job, kind of.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I remember my boss being like, How do you feel?
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, bored.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Eight hours was just not enough.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he like looked at me like I was crazy and I was like, dude, I'm used to like full-time school and full-time job.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, of course I'm bored.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: But a friend from high school at that time had it was like, I'm gonna start this blog.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, All right, like I don't I got time now because I'm bored, might as well do that, and I'll post what my travels on there so people can stop emailing me and asking, like, oh, what'd you do?
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: And back then, this was like 2013.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, if anybody is listening who remembers that time, blogging was like the wild, wild west.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you put up your sangria recipe, you put up your trip, you put out the outfit of the day, you put out just anything that was on your brain.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it was it was it was not niches like it is today where people are like, I only write this.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like it was whatever you had.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, so I ran like that for a while, but like I never made any money on it because it was I didn't really know how to have I knew how to build a website because I had been doing that since I was younger, but I didn't know how to get people to it.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know anything about SEO.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but SEO stands for search engine optimization.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So basically it tells Google, this is a post uh for an itinerary in Paris or whatever it is we're trying to go for.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: I did that for a couple of years, but it was always like a hobby, the blog, and it was always kind of like in the background while I was working in TV, and then I worked in tech and I had an app company.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: And then I left the tech job, and rather than staring at LinkedIn, I started networking and I talked to a guy, and he is a photographer who basically takes people on trips like they'll go to the Sahara and take photos together.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, Yeah, I used to have this blog, and I was like, I just never really like ever made money.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he was like, Well, why don't you like put up some ads, at least make like what you're spending on having a website because you have to have a pay to have a domain and a host and things like that.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, rather than just staring at LinkedIn all day, I'll give you something you can do because we all know how staring at LinkedIn all day is just basically brain rot after a while.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, Yeah, I'll be a hobby and I'll make like, I don't know, 50 bucks a month or something on it.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I wasn't, and then I started to like actually like get really getting into it and then made a couple grand a month.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just like, oh, okay, like this is more profitable than I thought it could be.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that was about two years ago now.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, just over two years ago that I start restarted that journey of like kind of figuring out what blogging is.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: That is amazing.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: So it's been about 13 years, you said, since you started this travel journey.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And in that time, you've you've gone to at least what 35 or so international trips in that time?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's 38 countries, if I'm remembering correctly.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: I know I quite haven't hit 40.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: My my goal is always kind of to be beyond my age.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm about to turn 36, so I'm still ahead.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great full and a half.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: My goodness.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: So is it full-time?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, do you travel full-time?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have a base somewhere that you like go out and come back, or you just travel from country to country?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I have a base.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm in California right now, but last year I spent four and a half months in Europe, mostly solo.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: There was a week I was with family and there's another week I was with a friend.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: But the other, you know, four months I was by myself and I hit 18 different countries in that time, some of which I've been to before, but most I hadn't ever explored.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And at each of these countries that you go to, do you stay long enough in each one to really kind of settle in, get to know the place, or do you like hit the highlights, you know, the big tourist spots?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so you can blog about it and let people know, you know, what to expect or some practical tips or whatever.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: It depends on the country.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna butcher the name, but it's Shengren, which is the agreement of most of the European countries.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: As an American, I can stay 90 days in a 180-day period, I believe is the rule.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I got up to like 63 of my 90 days last year.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: And those countries, because I knew I had that cut off, I kind of did like a couple days and each of them moved on.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: Some of them were longer.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was a Budapest for a little bit longer than just a couple days.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: But then I also went to like the UK and Ireland and spent more time there because you can stay six months in a year-long period.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I spent like two weeks in Belfast, which I love.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: I spent two weeks in Edinburgh.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's kind of dependent on like what the visa requirements are and how much time I have.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Spending two weeks somewhere was like the longest time I've spent somewhere, and like two weeks in Belfast was amazing.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: There's certain places I don't think I'd do that just because there's maybe not as much to do or there, but yeah, doing it, doing it for certain locations is just amazing.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: Because yeah, you get you start kind of like feeling like you live there almost.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: Right, exactly.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And if you would maybe want to one day, you know, whenever I go to a new country or a new city, I'm like, can I imagine myself living here, staying here for a while?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So imagine after a couple of weeks, that would either be a strong yes or probably maybe leaning toward a no at that point.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, from Belfast, I would 100% if you were like, hi, I have a visa.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'd be like, Yeah, let's go.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_01: I met so many nice people there.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, like literally everybody I talked to, I would get in like the Uber going somewhere, and the guy would be like, Have you tried this place?
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's great.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then you talk to the next person, they're like, Oh, this place is great too.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: You should check out.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: I had so many recommendations, and it wasn't even like I was fishing for recommendations, it was just people being generous with their time.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: I got to like pub crawl with some random people.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: I went to a pub and some lady had a shirt on, and they uh Belfast is where they shot some of the Game of Thrones stuff.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: So they have the studios there.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: She had the shirt for Game of Thrones, and I said, Oh, did you go to the studio tour?
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: So from that on, I mean, I've hung out that with that group like several times now.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, she just adopted me.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's so, you know, welcoming when they, you know, treat tourists like one of their own and bring them in.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: It makes you feel, yeah, like like you're one of the locals.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, for the podcast, for the people that I've interviewed over the last several months, uh it often is about not just about where you go, but the why, why you're going, why you're going solo.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that is a question that I will have for you later.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: But one thing that I thought of all the people that I've interviewed, you would best be able to answer is the practicalities of traveling and traveling solo.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: And as I was looking through your blog and your newsletter and your post that had so many amazing tips on it, I would love to get your opinion on budget travel for people who are traveling solo, maybe for the first time, maybe internationally for the first time.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: It would be nice to stay at a four-star hotel, go to the best restaurants, do the most amazing things.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: But a lot of people, especially if they're alone, they want to make sure that, you know, if it's all on them, that they can afford a good solid stay, but on a budget.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: I would say the two main things are be flexible and book in advance.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: So for be flexible, for instance, my flight from California to Amsterdam last year was$273.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, now that was one way.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but still.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: But that's still very cheap.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I can't, I'm paying more, I think, to go to New York in a couple weeks, and that's on the same country.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like the tracks, yeah, yeah.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And how I found that was I went on Google Flights.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: I knew when when I wanted to go, it was April.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: And if you put in your your home place, let's say California for this instance, because for me, yeah, and then the destination put anywhere.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: I literally just zoomed in on the map.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: It'll show you a map and it'll show you, like, you know, London is 500, Paris is 600, and then I zoomed over and Amsterdam was 273.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Amsterdam was on my list, it wasn't like at the like top of my list, but I was like, it's on the list.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: And if it gets me over there for that little absolutely make a trip around it, of course.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the nice thing about something like Europe is it's so easy to get around.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, even if you're like, I don't really care about Amsterdam, take the flight there and then take the short flight to wherever you want to go.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care if it's you know, you want to go to Berlin or or Vienna or something like that.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: Just you don't want it being cheaper.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: Right, exactly.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you could take a train, you can take a train anywhere.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great idea.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: And the other thing I like book a book in advance, like I've I think my my train from Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales to Edinburgh, Scotland was like a fraction of what my friends who live there have paid.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: And all I did was book in advance.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um so for international from the states to Europe, for example, how far in advance do you think is the sweet spot for that?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think I booked that flight like a only like two, three months in advance.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: But again, it was I was being flexible with where I was going.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: I just said I wanted to go in April.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um it was just I don't know, maybe because it's my birthday's in April, I don't know why I picked April last year, but I just decided I wanted to go in April.
• 10:12
  unknown: Yeah.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, the flexible is yeah, where you're going, maybe like on the dates you're going if you can be.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's so many like cool destinations that like if you stick to just like I want to go to Paris in August, right?
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be expensive.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and that's actually that leads into the the next thing that I was thinking about, which is you were talking about New York and now Paris, of course, and they're very expensive cities.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: If you're thinking about traveling on a budget, could be Europe, could be uh South America, could be Africa.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: Of the places that you have been, pick like the top three that you think are the most budget-friendly destinations.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like you are getting a lot for your money in return for this amazing cool place.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: I would probably say Belize number one.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: The benefit, especially for an American, it's only like I think my flight was either two or three hours from Los Angeles.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: It speaks English because it was the only country in such America that was colonized by the British.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, if you're like, I don't speak Spanish, don't worry.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: Last I was there like a year and a half ago for every American dollar was two Belize dollars.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: So, like, it's quote unquote half off, if you want to think of it that way, kind of yeah.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: They have the second largest barrier reef in the world after Australia.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: So you don't have to go on a 15-hour flight or whatever it is, like Cape Barrier Reef.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's true, yeah, which is a big benefit because I know obviously, again, people have limited vacation time.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely and then if you go in the interior, there's all these Mayan temples.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: I did uh a thing called the ATM cave.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Basically, the Maya used to do sacrifices in there.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're like an Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider fan, like that's what it looks like.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that would be my number one.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, especially because it's like close enough that it it feels away, but it's not, you know, 15 hours where you're like suddenly on like a completely different time zone or having to deal with all that.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, probably Thailand would be my next one, but that is, you know, like a 15-hour flight or something like that.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: I can't remember.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: I I flew from Bangkok to Manila, Manila home.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Manila to LAX was like 12 hours.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we added another three hours to that.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Gotcha.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: That is Thailand is very cheap.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: The only thing that's really, really expensive is the flight there.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: But even that, I paid$400 to come home, I think.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that's amazing.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was April 2022, though.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like kind of like post-COVID prices.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: So don't clear it.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: They were wanting everybody, yeah.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: They were wanting people to get back in the plane again for sure.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: But still, I think, I think you're right.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I interviewed my brother actually for this show, and he spent months and months traveling around Thailand.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: He went to Vietnam, the Philippines, all like Southeast Asia area, and literally lived like a king, he said, on less than$50 a day.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: At most, at most, and was just enthralled with the place.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: The food was amazing, the beaches were gorgeous.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: So that sounds like definitely at the top of a budget travelers list for sure.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think I paid, I went to the floating market, which is famous in Bangkok, and I think I paid like the equivalent of like a dollar 75 for pad to eye, and the lady made it next to me in the next boat.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: So it was like super fresh.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how you get it fresher than that.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: Right, right.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: I know another thing that's a lot that's on the mind of a lot of solo travelers, especially women, is the safety factor.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have certain strategies as whenever you are traveling solo, traveling alone, that you incorporate just to be on the safe side wherever you're traveling?
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I always bring an anti-the purse.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I know some travelers are like, that's just that's too much.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: You can just bring a normal purse.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: I have watched like too many people like don't zip brother bags or don't do this, that, and the other thing.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there was a bag stolen right next to me in Barcelona.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, that's why I got the purse because everybody I knew was like, damn, my phone got stolen, my bag got stolen, my luggage got stolen, my whatever got stolen.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have that, it locks.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, you have to remember to lock it, so that is on you, but like I am very diligent about it and knock on wood, but like I haven't had any problems yet.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, good.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I do that.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's also just like kind of like stuff that I would even do at home.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't over-drink when I'm out by myself.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I have a glass of wine with dinner.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna have eight glasses of wine, you know?
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Even when I was in Bratislava, I had a couple of drinks, but at my hotel was literally the next building over.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, okay, like I'm still not getting drunk.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm allowing myself one more because I am literally like 50 feet from the hotel.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can mitigate that just a little bit for sure.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's things like that.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's certain places I didn't go out at night.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: Naples is known as like a little sketchy.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: And when I was at the train, like the security guard for the train made me stand next to his booth because he was like, There's pickpockets here.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: He's like, just stand next to this booth.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, Okay.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, there's just yeah, it's it's a lot of like looking out for yourself.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of people think that like that's a lot of stressful, but like I would do that in New York City too.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, it's just literally as always being just aware of your surroundings and not oblivious, not on your phone, looking down the whole time.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you would use at home, or you know, if you're out at a restaurant or out for the evening at a club or whatever, those same strategies translate.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I I think that's most of what it is.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: The only country I've ever actually had any problems with was I went to Istanbul last year, and the other tourists were just very aggressive.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I had a girl who shoved me because she said I was in the way of her video.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: And she wasn't another American because I said I'm sorry, like, excuse me or something like that.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because I thought like maybe she did it by accident.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'll give her the penance of the doubt.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: She, it was not by accident.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'll shorten the conversation because it didn't, words were not very nice.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: But uh, but it wasn't that it wasn't an accident.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: She purposely did it because she was angry that I was in her way.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: And then I had, I was on a tram there because everybody terrified me that the the taxis will scam you, and everybody told me that while I was there.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not just like making that up.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: And so I took the tram because I was like, oh, a tram can't scam you.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you you tap in and out.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I had some guy like press up on me, and I had to do like the New Yorker and me came out where I like put my elbow back to make him back up, and he did, thankfully.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: But that's the only place that I was like, I don't and everybody I know who's had like a good time there went with people or at least a man.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, still for all the places you've been, that is relatively few instances that you seem to have had problems, which is really amazing.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and again, I think that's just like a place that, like, you know, like that pressing up on somebody could have happened somewhere else too.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like that's not like a I'm not saying by any means that's like a standpoint specific problem.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, most of it was actually other tourists.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: So if somebody wants to, again, solo travel for the first time, budget not a consideration, what are your top three favorite cities to visit?
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like where you would just go back again and again, if you could even narrow it down to three.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there's two that I really loved last year.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Belfast and Budapest.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for the same reasons.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: They had great people.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like I literally was talking to anybody and everybody there.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Great history, tons of things to do.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: The food was good.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I felt safe everywhere.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_01: Belfast is definitely smaller, I think, than Budapest.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know of a square mileage or anything like that.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Belfast, yeah, I would move back in a heartbeat.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: I was there for two weeks and just yeah, met people constantly and was talking to people.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, it's a little bit easier in Belfast because they speak English, it's their primary language and stuff like that.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And Budapest, they they speak English too, but obviously like Hungarian is is their their first language.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um but tons of people spoke English and I met other tourists and things like that too.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And and I was even out with my I stayed at a hostel there, a friend who had stayed there probably a decade ago.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: She loved it.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, Oh, I'll go back and see if it's still great.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: And it is still great.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's called the Loft Hostel in Budapest.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Very central, very community oriented.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, literally the minute I got there with my bags, they were like, We're gonna go to the ruin bar.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_01: You want to come with us?
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, sure.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we stayed out till two, three in the morning and then ate falafel on the street.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it was it was it was like what you want out of like a good community hostel experience.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so that's something that is literally foreign to me.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: The one thing I've never done is stay in a hostel.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And there was a woman, Diane, that I interviewed recently, who at 55 went to Europe for the first time, met a girl in her like 30s, and they went to Greece just off the cuff for like four or five days, and they stayed at a hostel and she absolutely loved it.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: But in my mind, hostels are, you know, pre-college, post-college backpackers, you know, in their early 20s.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Do I have it wrong?
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: It are hostels for anybody, any age, and it doesn't matter.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: So it depends on the hostel.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of like thinking about like certain hotels.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's certain hostels I've stayed in that are definitely more families where I'll see like parents with their kids that are maybe like five to 15 or something like that.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've also stayed in hostels that are mostly like the the Loft Hostel, I think I was the oldest person there.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: No, there was actually one other guy I think that was older than me, but most of them were like in their mid-20s.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: But it wasn't awkward.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think the best advice I could give is there's a a website called Hostel World.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_01: That lists I'm pretty sure all hostels, or at least most hostels, and the reviews on there are all by like actual travelers.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna find some like weird AI-generated stuff on there.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: But I usually check there and read the reviews to see what kind of vibe.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because some people don't want to party hostel.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really want a party hostel.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: I want a community hostel where I can talk to people, but like still sleep.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: But that's where I usually go.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: And some hostels don't let you pass a certain age.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've seen ones where it's like 18 to 30.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm 35.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: I have passed that.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it just depends on the hostel.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like the one I stayed in Norway, very family oriented.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Like all I saw was other families.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like I think I was the only person, at least I saw that was by myself.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: But then, like I said, like completely different.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like I seen one in London that was very much a party hostel.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: It wasn't too bad that we like I couldn't sleep or anything like that.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_01: But like every night people were like hanging out and like sometimes playing music till like midnight or something like that.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I would just say, like, go on hostelworld.com.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: If there's one you're interested in, like scroll down, read their description.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Cause like sometimes sometimes I it will say, you know, 18 to 30 or something on there, obviously.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: Then like depending on your age, that may or may not work for you.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then yeah, scroll down further and like read the reviews.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_01: And like if they're like, hey, I I was out till three in the morning, we were blasting music, then like maybe you're not, maybe that's not for you, or maybe it is, you know.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: I will definitely put that link in the show notes.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: So whoever's listening right now, if you want to check it out, just uh scroll down and you can click on that link because that's that's great advice, and especially because it's very, again, budget friendly.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Of the hostels you've stayed in, what do you think is like an average rate range that you've stayed in per night?
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's usually about 50 per night.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: I know there's definitely ones that have been more.
• 21:52
  unknown: Yeah.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: I I know there's probably ones that are less too, but I would say like 50, I feel like at least for Europe is like usually the average.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: I've only Stayed in one hostel in America and it was more, but it was like during San Diego Comic-Con Week, and that was the only place I could find to stay in.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so that was yeah.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then I stayed one in Belize, and I don't think that one was super expensive.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: I want to say that was like maybe in like the$50 to$75 range.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I was actually we had I had like a it looked like a hotel room, honestly, the room me and my cousin shared.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, I feel like a lot of people think like hostel.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think they think like something like the 90s movies were like it's the rickety bunk beds and the the walls are made out of tissue paper, and you know, and I've I have stayed in one hostel that kind of felt like that, but that was also over 10 years ago.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: And again, if you just look at hostel world or or look at other bloggers, like I've written reviews of hot hostels I've stayed in, like Google the hostel name, and then like you can put blog if you want to just like cancel out everything else.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: And if a blogger has written about it, it should show up.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, speaking of, tell us about your blog.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: I know you've got a blog, you've got a newsletter, and it's called Travel Her Story.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Is that correct?
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I list everything from itinerar to what to pack to things to do to reviews of accommodations that I've stayed at, um, apps to download that I've found are helpful, even things like lists of movies that have inspired me to travel.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like so, if you're like, hey, I want to go to Europe, but I'm not sure where or I'm I'm like a big film nerd.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: I used to work in TV.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I will watch like a movie that like, let's say I'm going to Spain, I'll watch like Vicky Christina Barcelona before I go to get like in the mood.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: So any any of that stuff, but yeah, it is definitely budget travel focused.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then SciH also have like a solo travel page on there that lists like the places I've gone solo and like specific tips so that you can head there if you have any questions and like also feel free to like message me or email me too.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm usually pretty good about answering.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: So and I have looked on that solo traveler page that you have, and it's fantastic for anyone listening right now who would like a little some tips and some places that you've been.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: I highly recommend checking out uh your blog.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I will also link that in the show notes as well.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: One thing you did mention is a checklist that you have developed over all these travels.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: Can you hit some highlights of your checklist when you are traveling internationally?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good question because I feel like the the first thing that came up when you emailed me that question is last year was the first time I had been gone for that long.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: Again, I was gone for four and a half months.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: I'm used to going to like two weeks to a month.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And about halfway through my trip, my mom messaged me and she's like, Hey, um, there seems to be like a card in the mail for you.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, Yeah, go ahead and open it and like credit card.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it was my debit card had expired.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh so luckily, my friend is coming to meet up with me and she lives an hour from my mom.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: So my mom gave it to her to give to me.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: So, moral of the story, if you are leaving for an extended period of time, check cards you might be using to make sure they're not diswearing soon.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you would think it's obvious, but you probably wouldn't.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: I don't remember any of the expiration dates for any of my cards, especially my debit card, right?
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like when you're buying something for your credit card, you usually have to put in the expiration date.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: True.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not usually entering in my debit card to buy something online.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: So until it shows up in the mail, I don't even really think about it.
• 25:34
  unknown: Right.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, yep, exactly.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, that was definitely one I added to my new checklist.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: But also, like, I mean, there's like a silly stuff that we like constantly forget, like putting your mail on hold or at least having some collect your mail so that doesn't look like you're like abandon your house while you're gone.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like nobody, everybody knows that's kind of like if the mail is piling up in front of your door, you're not home, which is unfortunately gonna lead to maybe somebody breaking into your house.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: Also, check when your passport expires.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: I, when I was working in TV, I had a guy who was going to go do a movie.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: He was actually gonna go do Crazy Rich Asians, but I didn't know that at the time.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: And his passport was expiring.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: And some countries you need either three or six months valid past the time you're staying.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: And he did not have that.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I had like rush do his passport for him, which was costly.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_00: Again, again, you know, yes, these things that you're that you may not be thinking about that could be have huge ramifications.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: The only other thing I would say maybe is like make sure you have some kind of cash on you, even if it's your own currency, because you can always convert it there.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: When I was in Istanbul, I had like some ATMs and also in Belize that like just did not like me for whatever reason.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: I wind up finding ATMs that liked me.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: You don't want to get stuck somewhere and you're like, I don't have any cash for anything, you know?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: So even if it's like, I don't know,$50 in USD or something like that, have something that you're like, this is the emergency fund if something doesn't happen.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: So you've mentioned going on, of course, all these solo travels and then with cousins, family, friends, I'm sure.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: What is the difference to you when you travel alone versus traveling with someone else?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: How does that hit differently for you?
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: It depends who I'm going with.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have a friend that we actually met in Barcelona, but we both live in California and she is a solo traveler as well.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: So me and her work very well together because we can independently do stuff and we're both like very research focused.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: So like she'll look up at hotels and I'll look at things to do, and then we'll compare notes and like agree what to do.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very like a museum nerd.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: She's not.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: She loves going hiking.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, like when we were in Florence, she was actually gonna hike the Dolmites, but unfortunately it snowed.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: But that day, I she decided to go on some other hike.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: But that day I just went and like went to the Medici crypt or something like that.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know, something to do with Medici in Florence.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm forgetting it right now.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then we just agreed on the time to meet up.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like we were like, okay, 7 p.m.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: we meet here at the hotel or whatever for dinner.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that I know if she doesn't show up at that time or past that time, like to worry, but other than that, have fun.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, like I'm not trying to be her babysitter, like right.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that's that is actually perfect because you have all these things you're doing together, but you're feeling, you know, you feel comfortable and confident enough to go out on your own to do those things that you're passionate about.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's like the best of both worlds.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: Cause I feel like some people like I've had it with like family before where they're like, Oh, where are you going?
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_01: What's happening?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: Does it like it's like a little bit too detachment for me?
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: I can't do that.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I really I just like I weighed out really hard.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: So with her, again, it's I only ask for a time when you're coming back for safety.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_01: I want to make sure she's not, you know, passed out on the side of the mountain.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like exactly.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: Knocked out by a tourist because she got in the way of a camera, right?
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, like that's it.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, other than that, like have fun, do your own thing, girl.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when I was my cousin in Belize, like we we did really well together.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there were certain things, like she loved snorkeling a lot, and I liked it too, but like there was some point I was just like, I'm done for the day.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I just let her go do it, and I like went and did my own thing, you know.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I think having that flexibility if you are traveling with somebody is key.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, these people are all adults I'm talking about.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not like leaving like a six-year-old by themselves, but yeah, the majority if you're traveling with other adults, just yeah, have that flexibility and just build in the safety measure of like, I'll see you at 7 p.m.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't show up past 7 p.m.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: or if you don't message me, like, hey, the train got delayed, that's why I'm late, then I know it'll be like, okay, I have some concern for you now.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's perfect.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's perfect.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: So what's next for you?
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: What does the next, let's say, two years look like for you?
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I occasionally work for AAA because my blog actually, I had a recruiter reach out.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I write for them on contract, and I'm hoping to kind of do more work like that on top of my blog as well.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: But um, work for like a lot of like travel-based companies like AAA or something of that sort.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_01: So basically for them, I wrote like, you know, guides to Paris where I'd be like, here's things to do, and you know, tips for Paris, you know, bring your power adapter, things like that.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, so those are the two things.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: But like my next trip, I'm hoping is Southeast Asia.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of like waiting for some stuff to like sort out because I applied to some jobs recently for some travel jobs.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm waiting to see, knock on wood, fingers crossed.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: Fingers crossed.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, I really want to do like a Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Philippines, that kind of like basically what your your brother did.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when you set out, I was like, Yeah, it was like one basically on my list.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so inexpensive.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can live so well on so little there.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: One of my favorite things, which is it's funny to say because I'm not usually a big foodie, but I was like staying at the Marriott in certain places, I think it was mostly in Bangkok, if I remember correctly.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: And their breakfast buffet, I tried fruit I've never seen.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_01: I had dumplings for breakfast.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: I had just like anything and everything.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I don't know what that is.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's what we're eating today.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_01: And it was all really good.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like the only problem I have with Thailand is because I'm not a super spicy person.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_01: So there's one place I went in Chiang Mai that I saw all the local settings.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, okay, I'm gonna try it.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna be brave and try it.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: And it was real spicy, and I ate half of it and my lips were on fire.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then I had to like give up and I was still hungry and I saw McDonald's on the way home.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I went to a receipt set on my said Mick Kai on it.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um my gosh, I love that.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but I tried, I really did try.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: So one thing I always ask when I have people on the show is how do you think your solo travels affect you as a person when you get back home to your quote unquote real life?
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: What does it do for you when you can go out into the world?
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: And for you, that means literally anywhere in the world and navigate everything on your own.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: What does that do for you?
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like it resets the world for me a little bit.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: I I grew up in New York and then I moved to California when I was 18.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like one of the things I've really noticed since leaving, I think this is partly leaving school where you're like with the same people all the time.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's very challenging to make friends as an adult.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: When I go to Europe or like almost anywhere else, like community is so much more prioritized that like I can walk into a pub and just talk to somebody random.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and it's not even I think a lot of people get confused with community.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: They think that it's complicated.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care if I talk to you at a pub for 20 minutes and then I never see you again.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: Having that exchange is community to me, right?
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: It is nice if, like, like I said, there are certain people I've stayed in contact with, just being nice to your fellow person.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's something I really miss.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I used to live in LA.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: And every time you go to some place, they're like, Oh, what do you do for a living?
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: Are you in the industry?
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like, I was like, ah, you know, you the more I travel, the more I realize we're all very similar.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: There are some differences, you know, um, mostly based on governments and things like that.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, as humanity, we all want to be happy, we all want friends, we all want, you know, to talk to somebody, to share an experience.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: That doesn't change like from country to country.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_01: Even most people's problems, you know, whether it's money or they're struggling with their family or whatever, like are not that different.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, when I like go somewhere and like I said, even if I sit down in a pub and have a conversation with somebody for 20 minutes that I never see again, like that's worth it to me.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: I wish we had more of that in the States.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've experienced the exact same thing.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's been such a pleasure to talk to you, Michelle.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for coming on today.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_00: I really do appreciate it.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've had a great time.