On September 16th, I wrote an article on my favorite travel couples around the globe. This article was so fun to develop because I could really relate to these bloggers, as Tony and I are beginning our RTW journey together in January. However, as I was writing this article, I realized that travel couples are not the only inspirational nomads. In fact, it’s the solo travelers that really move me to the core. Being a solo traveler requires EXTREME BALLS. I think they more than deserve their own Superlative post.
Similar to the Travel Couple Superlatives, this list is just the tip of the iceberg of all the outstanding solo travelers around the globe. I hope to learn more about others as I begin my journey as a digital nomad.
In the meantime, I hope you are inspired by this article to share YOUR list of favorites with LandingStanding… and with the world!
Solo Traveler Superlatives:
The Wicked Awesome Bahstonians: Adventurous Kate, Travels of Adam, Nerd Fitness, Nomadic Matt – They love that dirty water… and travelling the world!
Leading off is a group that is close to our hearts… Our fellow Bostonians!
Female solo travel to me seems so bold/ risky/courageous/awesome. I sometimes wonder if I could ever grow enough balls to do it myself. There are many female solos out there but Adventurous Kate is our age, from Boston, and shares a lot of the same interests as me and Tony (ex: my love for Harry Potter and Tony’s love for Karaoke). I guess that is why I always tune into her stories… She gives me hope that maybe a girl like me CAN travel the world solo. She’s an empowering woman with a great talent for sharing hilarious stories of her “adventures” on the road.
Adam is a 26 year-old graphic designer from Boston (Beantown represent!) that started his journey abroad when he got wanderlust after a trip in 2009 to Reykjavik, Iceland with a good friend. His site is full of great travel resources and boasts a helpful travel FAQ section. Adam also has a great list of all the travel blogs he follows on his website.
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you cannot make a living doing exactly what you love. Steve Kamb combines a passion for fitness, travel, and all things some might call nerdy (we don’t… we call them awesome!) to create a true community. He also writes some of the longer, more epic posts out there which will definitely cause tremendous amounts of inspiration. Sidenote: After following Steve and his adventures for the last few months, Tony just realized from some twitter replies that one of his old roommates from Florence is actually friends with Steve… you can travel all over this big world just to discover how small it is!
Another fellow Bostonian! Matt was tired of the Rat Race and decided to give up his cube life to travel the world and has been doing it ever since 2006. One thing about Matt that really intrigues me is that his original RTW was only supposed to last a year and instead, it lasted 18 months. When he returned, he realized he couldn’t go back to his normal life and three months later, he was back on the road (and hasn’t stopped since). I found this interesting because I think this is EXACTLY what is going to happen to Tony and I after our “one year” RTW. I also agree with Matt’s philosophy that he will easily spend a lot of money on an expensive meal, but will sleep on the floor if it will save money…That’s a true fat kid at heart!
The Foodie: A Lady in London
Speaking of fat kids (at heart), I also love what A Lady in London’s got going on. She is a travelling consultant based out of London and has visited over 70 countries in the last 10 years to help scout out the best travel ideas and deals for her clients. Her travel writing and recommendations have been featured on the National Geographic Intelligent Travel blog, the Lonely Planet website, and other leading travel publications.
What I love about A Lady in London though, is that a lot of her posts seem to be centered around the PHENOMENAL global cuisines that she frequently samples. Word of advice though: Do not read her blog on an empty stomach!
The Cheerleader of Travel Bloggers: Runaway Juno
Juno is a gal from Seoul, Korea that got an itch to quit her cubicle life and travel the world – and blog enthusiastically about it! What I found awesome about her site is that just like Travels of Adam, she has an entire section of her blog dedicated to all her favorite travel bloggers. I can neither confirm nor deny that I heavily referenced this list for today’s article! For anyone new to the RTW world, this Runawayers page should be your bible.
The Cool Kid: The Aussie Nomad
Just like Ant and Elise from Positive World Travel, Chris from The Aussie Nomad is definitely a cool kid. Yes, he is Australian and like I said in my Travel Couple Superlatives article, he is therefore cool by default.
I stereotype.
Get over it.
One thing I like about Chris though is that he is fairly new to this nomad lifestyle, as he started his journey in April 2010. I really like reading his articles and learning about his victories and lessons learned on the road. I also find his “How Much Did it Cost” articles to be extremely helpful. They are great reminders that I can have enriching travel experiences next year on a budget. As a bonus, his Vegemite Challenge series has nothing to do with travel, but hilarious nonetheless.
The Entrepreneurial Vagabond: Solo Traveler
Janice rocks. This hip lady travelled in her twenties and in 2009, she decided to get back on the road again to live out her passion for travel. Her blog is full of excellent stories, tips, and advice for solo travelers. She also is an extremely business-savvy woman, as she is co-founder of the Global Bloggers Network, an online resource for bloggers, and the Toronto host for Meet Plan Go, an event to inspire people for long term travel.
The Girl Power Nomad: Girl, Unstoppable
For some reason I find female solo travelers to be far more courageous than male solo travelers. Maybe I am being anti-feminist in this thought but I have always had this notion that females need more protection and need to be more careful when travelling. With this in mind, I am ALWAYS inspired by brave female vagabonds. Ekua from Girl, Unstoppable is a great example of one of these inspiring ladies, whose wanderlust kicked in during her first trip to Ghana when she was two! What I love about her site is that it is truly dedicated to female travel. On her site, you will find great resources for lady nomads, such as articles on inspirational female travelers, articles on non-fiction travel books written by females, great resources on women’s travel gear, and much more. This site is GIRL POWER at its best!
The Newbie: Never-Ending Footsteps
Lauren from Never-Ending Footsteps is a newbie to the travel world – which is why Tony and I (whom have yet to start our journey) love following her. Lauren left behind her home in England in July 2011 to travel solo around the world indefinitely. However, she already has 1,600 followers on Twitter and has been interviewed by three other travel blogs…Impressive! We love hearing about her journey around the globe and learning from her successes and failures as a new kid to the vagabonding lifestyle!
The Rebel: The Runaway Guide
Leif from The Runaway Guide is quite the character. He ran away from home at 16 to travel through Europe and the Middle East with no money….Say what?! As crazy as his story sounds, he made it work. He has travelled to over 40 countries since he began his journey and is coming out with his own eBook, The Runaway. The fact that Bear Grylls is his idol just goes to show that Leif is a true globe-trotting rebel… Although, he does note in his blog that, unlike his idol, he has never drank his own urine in order to survive. Cheers to that.
So who is missing? Nominate some of your favorite solo travelers when you Tweet this article!
Exhausted from traveling every week as a Business Management Consultant early in my career, I took a year off in 2012 to travel at my own pace. I am a high-energy girl that loves being active, eating food, drinking wine, and exploring the world with my partner-in-crime (and husband), Tony! I now reside in Portland, Oregon and continue to write about travel, food, wine, and the awesome adventures we have in the Pacific NW!
What a GREAT list! Thank you for including me, and I LOVE your emphasis on Bostonians! Two more great native Bostonian solo travel bloggers are Wandering Earl (www.wanderingearl.com) and Lille of Around the World L (www.aroundtheworldl.com). We’ve got a lot of good ones.
And…you definitely can travel solo.
You’ll see how easy it is once you start your trip. At first, you and Tony might do different activities on one day, and sooner or later that could turn into spending a few days in different places! (And there’s NOTHING wrong with a couple doing that — time apart will do you well. Whenever I leave Dave for a few days, we’re always happy to see each other again and I bring him a few wacky presents. He has no idea that I’m bringing him back haggis later today!)
Thanks Kate for the advice! I currently work as a travelling consultant so I only see Tony on the weekends. It’s going to be a HUGE adjustment next year when he goes from being my “part-time husband” to spending 24/7 on the road with each other haha. I think its very important for both of us to do our own serperate things every now and then. I am glad to see that you and Dave make it work. You are a true inspiration!
Awww thank you so much for the kind words!!! Way to represent Boston!! I’d like to add that I also share an immense love for Harry Potter
You’re welcome Adam!! Tony and I move back to Boston for November and December before our RTW trip. It would be great to meet up with all the Boston travel bloggers. And YAY to continuing the HP love!
haha, “The Cheerleader of Travel Bloggers” that’s new!
Thanks for the good words and linking me here. Glad you liked my blog roll page. I got inspired by many people on the list. Cheers!
haha I got inspired by your dedication on the Runawayers page to connect your readers with all the other great travel bloggers out there! Cheers!
Cool list and thanks for including me. I love the way you’ve wrapped us up in a few fun words.
Thanks Janice! You will have to keep us posted on your favorites too!
Thanks for the shout out! I agree with Kate that just taking a solo trip is the biggest challenge. Once you arrive, you’ll find that it’s so much easier than you thought and that it leads to the most interesting serendipitous moments.
It is still a reality that women have to be more cautious, but on the flip side, people are likely to be nicer and more accommodating to you as a female, hence a greater opportunity for those serendipitous moments!
Very good point about people being nicer…Oh the power of boobs! haha
I travel solo a ton, but also travel the world with friends, with the amazing husband and with the kids when they are on school holidays. Bonus – I’m from the South Shore of Boston!
We Bostonians are the BEST travelers, most adventurous and wicked cool without even trying!
Cheers,
Priscilla
Hi Priscilla. I checked out your blog and loved it! I am inspired that you are able to bring your friends and loved ones into your wanderlust lifestyle and balance it all so well. And yes, Bostonians do make the best (and rowdiest) travelers!
thank you so much for sharing this post. I really enjoy reading most of the topic mentioned above.
Thanks!
As an avid solo blog reader, this list really is hilarious!
Glad you like it and thanks for commenting!
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