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Welcome to Cheryl's Travel Blueprint! I’m a former Spanish teacher turned travel advisor, passionate about curating unforgettable experiences. My expertise lies in European adventures (with a special love for Spain), cruising, and all-inclusive Caribbean getaways. I specialize in creating tailored trips for families, multi-generational groups, and teachers—whether they’re traveling solo, with colleagues, or leading student groups.
In this podcast, we celebrate the joy of travel, uncover hidden gems, share practical tips and tricks, and embrace the spirit of adventure. Each episode features inspiring conversations with fascinating guests from all walks of life as they share their unique travel stories, lessons, and favorite destinations. Whether you're planning your next getaway or simply love to dream about the possibilities, this is your place to explore the world from wherever you are.
Let’s embark on this journey together! 🌍✈️
Have you ever thought about taking a trip completely on your own and then immediately talked yourself out of it? Today's episode is for every woman who's ever wondered, could I really do this? And for every seasoned traveler who knows that the most important and powerful journeys often start alone. We're diving into the world of solo female travel, not from a place of fear or caution, but from a place of freedom, courage, courage, connect, transformation. And to help us do that, we are joined by someone who has changed the way hundreds of thousands of women experience the world. the Black, founder of the Solo Traveler Network, and creator of Indoor Community, has built the world's largest group of women heat solo, over 550 ,000 strong. She's an entrepreneur, a community builder, and a global connector who believes that it's something you stumble into. It's something you create through shared firsts and shared adventures. Today, we'll talk about what women get wrong about travel, how to travel more safely and confidently, why connection is an important ingredient of every transformational trip, and how experiencing the world, especially off the beaten path, can change you in the best possible ways. So settle in, grab your notebook, and get ready to feel inspired because solo travel might just become your next venture. I'm Sheryl Johnson, your host here at Sheryl's Travel Blueprint, where we explore meaningful travel, cultural connection, and the experiences that change us. Welcome to today's episode, and I'm so glad you're all here. And joining me for this powerful conversation is someone who has transformed the way women see the world. Amanda Black, founder of the Solo Female, Female Trout Work and the visionary behind the New Kindred community. Amanda, we are so thrilled to have you with us today. Yeah, I'm thrilled to be here, Cheryl. Thank you for having me. Yes, absolutely. I'm going to just jump right in and ask about your journey with the Solo Female Traveler Network. You, as I said earlier, founded the largest community of solo female travelers in the world, over half a million women, So I want to know what started this mission for you. Yeah, so I never really intended to start the Solo Female Traveler Network, but I started traveling solo after my mom died, and it was a really difficult time of my life where I had already left the country that I was living in. I quit the job that I had and I found myself in a place like without anywhere to be like nowhere to land. So I bought a one -way ticket to Honduras and I just went and after traveling solo in this way like a backpacker not really knowing where the next destination was I did that for a little while and I eventually just sort of recognize the need that we as solo female travelers have to stick together to have each other's backs and not necessarily travel together all the time, but to there needed to be a space for us online where we could ask questions if we needed help to reach out to just sort of bond in this way. That is that like people in your normal life don't necessarily understand. So I created a Facebook group and it took off. Wow, that's really, that's really brave to do something like that. So before you, before you went to Honduras, had you ever done anything like that before? I'm just curious. I had never done like solo travel extensively. I lived in another country for a while, but I was very supported there. So this was really kind of a, my grief was so heavy and I recognized how short life was. and why not? I was like, what's the worst that could happen? I felt so ready for something crazy or different, and I just did it. I don't, I mean, yes, I was nervous, but I mean, I felt like I had no other choices, so. Yeah. Yeah. And I think what you said about grief and just going for it, I feel like maybe that's the, I don't know what the word is, but just the impetus to get you to do something that you might not have done necessarily. I don't know. That's pretty amazing. And I'm sure your mom would have been proud as well, knowing that you did something like that. She would have been proud. at my independence and courage, but she would not have been very happy about the safety aspect. She was never, she was always a little bit nervous about my adventures, so. Understandable. That's very understandable. So you've spent 10 years designing transformational travel experiences. What moment in your travels first made you think, like, not just you, but just women in general, we got to, you know, Do something about this. Well, um, you know, I did have a bit of a, a bit of a turning point that made me, I had thought about starting a Facebook group or thought about there being a need for more community or safety cues or, uh, touch points for solo female travelers for a while. But when I was traveling through Mexico, I had just landed in Cancun and I had only been there one night and I, got robbed, like robbed blind, broke into my hotel room or my... of hostel room and everything was stolen, including all of the things that I had just invested in as a brand new backpacker, all my dive gear, my camera, my lenses. So I That was kind of my tipping point where I said, I have to do it. This needs to exist. Because I knew standing alone on the streets of Cancun, I knew that there would be women around who would be happy to help me out. But I just didn't have a way to really connect with them. So when I got home and replaced my computer, I started the Facebook group. So I'd say that that was sort of the catalyst moment for finally starting this community. And that's kind of surprising because for a lot of people, they might have decided that that was a sign for them to just stop and might not have gone any further than that. So another example of your courage, I think. I don't know, but thank you. So and you did a TED Talk. And you said something along the lines of belonging isn't something you find, it's something you build. So can you explain a little bit about that? What you mean by that? I believe that we are surrounded by people who could be our next best friends, our next community members, I believe that we could become close to most of the people in our lives. And I know that the loneliness epidemic is something that really gets a lot of people down. And in my travels, I've seen time and again, people from two totally separate walks of life, two different cultures, two different paths in life, stages in life, and when they come together and they experience something amazing together for the first time, it doesn't really matter where you're from or what you do or who you are that will bond people because at our core we are curious we're curious people and Kind of experiencing that newness that excitement for the first time really bonds you with someone else so my TEDx talk was about shared firsts and how they can connect you with others. And you can do it by traveling somewhere totally foreign by yourself, meet the locals, and you'll definitely make some new friends if you're open and smile and put yourself out there a little bit. You can also do it on my tours, for example, our tours are only for women and up to only 14 people. And on those trips, I see it all the time. Women from totally different paths of life come together, experience this incredible, life -changing trip together, and you're bonded for life. So I believe that you can do it in this kind of more adventurous context, but you can take those principles and you can take them at home and you can do it with the people around you. You can, if there are people or acquaintances in your life that you'd like to be close to, And another I say this exact in my in my TEDx talk, but another coffee ketchup isn't going to change your relationship, you know, but doing something kind of new and crazy with someone else. might. And it might not be, I don't know, bungee jumping or something crazy. It can be as simple as going to a belly dancing class together or taking a ceramics class together. Or one thing that I love to do, even though I've lived in San Diego where I currently am for a few years now, I like to pick a new neighborhood and create my own mini food tour with someone and we kind of co -create it together and we go on this little journey together and you know every time I drive through those neighborhoods, I think of the person who I first did a Create Your Own Mini Food Tour together. So that's sort of the context of my TEDx talk and shared firsts and how I, yeah, I believe that they can really bond people faster. Oh, absolutely. And I think, you know, we're just social creatures by nature. Even, like you said, you know, you can be a solo traveler, but you can still implement all of that, all that social behavior, which is what makes it so much, so worthwhile, definitely. And you got some creative ideas. That was, I really liked what you said about the, you know, the food, tour, you know, that kind of thing. That just sounds amazing. I love that. Fun. You should try it. Absolutely. I'm going to talk to you about that later. So why don't we talk a little bit about what people misunderstand about solo female travel? What do you think it is that people most misunderstand about it? I think a lot of people in our everyday lives who don't understand why we do it or what it really is think that we're doing it because we are single. That's not true. A lot of women who are in partnerships or married have families and kids travel solo. And they also might assume that you don't have friends who want to go with you. Which is also not the case. And they also might assume that it's dangerous and stupid and risky. And that's also not true. So I think there are a lot of misconceptions by the people in our everyday lives. And that's why it's so important to connect with people who get it. Because if you have this desire to travel somewhere and in your world that sounds like such a crazy idea, I'm here to tell you and anyone listening that there's a whole community, a whole world of women out there who travel solo regularly and love it. So I would say Those are probably most common misconceptions. And the first thing to know is that you're not alone in having this crazy idea to go travel by yourself. I think it's just liberating. You know, for example, like I like to do solo travel because I don't want to wait for somebody that, you know, if I want to do something, I want to do it. And I'm not going to let somebody hold me back. Not my husband, not my friends, anybody, you know. And so I like what you said about, you know, about that. about some of the misconceptions. So for women that feel nervous or inexperienced, what's the first mindset shift they should make? I would say that the nerves are normal and it's okay, just embrace them. You're never going to feel completely ready and fearless before you go on your first solo adventure. I remember when I was about to leave for my first big trip, my one -way ticket trip, I was Googling, we didn't have AI at the time, right? So I was Googling like crazy, the silliest questions. Like, you know what, I won't even out myself because it was some of those questions are very embarrassing. But it's OK. Like, you know, you just don't know. Like, that's part of the journey. It's part of the process. And the fact that you're going to do it anyway is how you become the bravest solo traveler that you know. So I would say embrace the nerves, accept them. They're not going anywhere. And it doesn't mean that you shouldn't go. It just means that you're like and probably more ready than than you think you are. I love that. I love that. I think, yeah, just about every time I go someplace new, even if it's not someplace new, I don't know what it is, but I get nervous. You know, maybe maybe it's just about getting on the flight, making the connections and all of that kind of stuff. But there's always something to be nervous about. But, you know, the payoff is so much is so great at the end, for sure. The fear of the unknown. Right. I mean, you're going to a totally new country and all the, you know, if you're kind of a nervous flyer, all the connections, sometimes those flights are long, you know, and you never, you know, you don't know what's going to happen. But the more you do it, the more you understand that it's always okay. It's always okay. It always works out. And even when it doesn't work out the way that you planned, It teaches you something about yourself. It teaches you how capable you are of figuring it out as you go along. Absolutely. And I have to, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about safety while we're talking about nerves and things like that. It's always the top question. So after leading thousands of women, what actually makes women feel safe on the road? That's interesting the way that you ask that, what actually makes them feel safe. I think it's a mindset shift because Depending on where you're from, it actually is a lot safer to be in different countries. The crime rate is, I don't know, you know, I don't know where most of your listeners are from, but the crime rate in some other countries is much lower than it is where I live. And the fact that you can protect yourself in a lot of ways without needing to depend on other people is very freeing. When you have the skill set of a solo female traveler, know, to be able to spot red flags in certain situations and have the confidence to speak up for yourself when things start to feel a little uncomfortable or to know when to exit a situation or a place and have the confidence to do that. I think those are all ways that solo travelers feel safer. some of those things do kind of come with a bit of experience. So that's why I usually recommend that if it's your very first solo trip, you don't go to some, you know, more challenging destination. Like, I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn't recommend India, for example, to a very first time solo traveler, especially all by yourself, because it's a very overwhelming place. And I love it. I love India. But it's a very overwhelming place and it does require more skill. So there are a lot of countries, especially in Europe, that are better for a very first time solo traveler. So kind of building up those skill sets and building up that confidence, I would say is a really good place to start. But everyone's sort of coming in from their own experience and their own level of comfort. So I would say also to really just listen to yourself, listen to your gut. That's a huge underrated skill of a solo traveler we don't talk about nearly often enough is listening to our gut instincts and trusting them because they have never steered me wrong. So, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I agree with you totally. I know I've been in situations where I could, I just had a feeling I shouldn't, you know, this doesn't feel right and just got out of it, you know, because like you said, you just, you have to trust your gut because it's there for a reason, you know. Exactly. So one of the things that your organization focuses on, you know, we talked about meaningful connection -based travel, not touristy highlights. How do you design trips that feel transformational instead of just surface level? I love this question. This is the stuff I think about all the time. It's a great question because it's kind of the culmination of all of my solo travel experience. I mean, when I first started traveling, I didn't know how to find something really that was special or unique, and I didn't even know that I should look for it. So after years of being kind of a nomad, as they call it, and going on a lot of solo trips, some group trips, I noticed that the best times I had were the unexpected ones, the ones where I met somebody random and we did something I never would have been able to plan on my own. I wanted to create that in a group setting, in a setting that felt more approachable and a little bit safer and a little bit easier because, I mean, I was traveling long term. I was years. I would slow travel, so I would spend sometimes months in one destination. And sometimes it wouldn't be weeks until I would meet the right person and they would introduce me to the right place or experience. And I wanted to kind of fast track that for other people because I think that a lot of group tours focus on, as you were saying in one of your previous episodes, a lot of these group tours focus on the highlights, the touristy spots. And that's okay, but there's so much more to see and there's so much more to do and it's a more ethical way to travel when you kind of spread the love and the money around a place and to different people and to stop supporting the corporations so much and start supporting the local communities. Doing that isn't easy. It's not quick. You can't show up to a country and expect it to kind of unfold for you that way. So my tours are really a culmination of my experience, my contacts, my friends, and put together in a package where travelers can just sign up and join us. And I've already done all that legwork and put it together in a shorter amount of time than it took me to find. So, yeah. Did I answer your question? You did. You did. Absolutely. Yeah, and I just, listening to you say that, it just makes me think about just the way I like to travel. And you just hit on all of those things. Just, you know, because to me, that is the most important thing about going some places, meeting someone, having a meaningful relation, not, you know, just having a meaningful interaction, I guess, with those, with that person, something that you're going to remember. And hopefully they will, too. Because to me, being someplace, I don't feel like I've been to another country. if I didn't interact with someone in a meaningful way. Because, I mean, it's easy to go to a museum and just hit all of those spots, you know, those, what's the word? You know, I don't want to call it generic, but the popular destinations. And just to say you've been there, I want to have an experience. And I'm glad that that's becoming more important for a lot more travelers now, that they want to get out and actually experience things instead of focusing on just, you know, I don't know, stamping their passport, you know, just actually getting in there and and learning something about about this place and the people. Because I feel like that makes the world smaller when you when you know people from different places, you can you can see things from a different perspective and see how different people live. And that's that's just that's the only way it's going to happen is if you get to know those people, in my opinion. I totally agree. And I think also when you have that ability or openness when you go to a new country to talk to talk to strangers and smile and be open. It actually makes you safer because it gives you touch points. It gives you people who recognize you and recognize your face and know a little bit about your story. And so it's almost like building a community and community create safety. So, yeah, I think there's a lot of benefits to to what we're talking about here. Yes, indeed. I think we're very like minded. Um, so let's talk a little bit about, um, kind of off the beaten path destinations. Um, your itineraries include places like Uganda, Mongolia, Kazakh, um, I always have a hard time saying it, uh, um, uh, Nepal and, uh, Uzbekistan. Um, so what draws you to those kinds of destinations? I love, be it for example, in Mongolia. The first time I went to Mongolia was a totally different feeling than than anywhere else. You go and, you know, we we go at a probably if there is a peak season of Mongolia, I'd say we go during that time because there's the Golden Eagle Festival. And that's why that's why we go. That's like three days of our itinerary. And so there are tourists there. but there are not very many and let me tell you and so it's very easy to find yourself feeling like the only tourist in the whole country because it's not far from the truth. So and I love that feeling because the people are kind and warm. They're not trying to, there's not a tourist trap on every corner. They're more open and interested and curious and so are we. So am I. So there's just a very genuine interaction. I think when you go to these countries that are not on the tourist track and the experience is much different. There are not as many crowds. There are not as many McDonald's and Starbucks and, you know, you get very easy access to the heart of another culture and another destination. So I'd say that's the main reason why I like these kind of these kind of places. I love what you said about them not having a lot of tourists. That just that sounds heavenly to me, just being someplace where you're not. I don't I don't want to say competing, but, you know, just to see these different hotspots and things like that. You know, like you said, it's more, you get more of a feel for the actual country instead of just a surface level kind of quick in and out type of visit. Yeah. And you get also more opportunity for those, for those really sweet touch points, those really sweet connections with locals. For example, in Mongolia, It's a world of mostly nomads. It's a lot of nomads. And so when we go for the Golden Eagle Festival, we include in our itinerary, I mean, we promise it, that we're going to have dinner with a local nomad family. But the thing is, there's no way for us to plan that ahead of time. We can't call them up on the phone and say, hey, where are you going to be in nine months? We're coming. Instead, we know we're going to get invited somewhere. So we show up, and our guide puts the word out, like the day before maybe, the day of even. The word just spreads until a family says, oh yeah, we'd love to have you. They don't ask for money. They don't ask for anything. They say, yes, come over. I mean, we do bring our own cook and we bring our own food. Like, we don't expect them to just feed us, you know, a group of us. And we also bring them lots of gifts. I mean, which is the local custom. And we do, you know, we do give them a tip, but it's not it's not expected. They're just as excited to have us as we are to go. So the interactions are just really, really sweet. And it's something that, you know, if you went to Mongolia all by yourself and you wanted to be invited to a local nomads family, could you? I mean, maybe like probably if you kind of met the right people. And but, you know, Or you can just come with us and, you know, we've we've got it sorted and it's pretty much it's guaranteed. So, yeah, that's those kinds of experiences really make these destinations very special to me. That is wonderful. I would. That just sounds amazing. How do you scout a destination? Are you looking for, you know, what are you looking for that tells you that this is right for our women? That's a good question. It's a variety of factors. Sometimes it's what my community members say that they want. If they say, for example, Uganda. Uganda wasn't exactly on my radar. I'm not the most outdoorsy girl. So and Uganda is a very outdoorsy place. You know, it's a lot of trekking. It's a lot of, you know, I love safari. But you could do that in a lot of countries. Okay. So Uganda wasn't ever on my personal, very high on my personal list, but my community said they wanted it. So I made it happen. And it's a beautiful trip. I just came back from there about a month ago, just sort of putting all the pieces together for that trip next year. So that's one way. My community will just literally ask for it. Another way is at our core, The Solo Female Traveler Network's tours are, we're trying to open access to corners of the world that feel less accessible to solo female travelers. Because there are places that I definitely wouldn't have gone by myself as a new traveler. And there are places that are logistically difficult to go by yourself or just like really expensive to do all by yourself, including a lot of safari type African destinations. So I'll look for destinations that are maybe perceived as less safe for women, but we still want to go. Or countries that are logistically more difficult or more expensive, but we still want to go. And destinations also that are beautifully underrated. Right? Like, I think Ecuador is one of the most underrated countries on the planet. I love Ecuador. I'm going there next week, actually, for the fifth time or something. I cannot get enough of it. We have a group going and I'm joining them for the Amazon portion. It's just one of the most magical experiences of my travels. And Bhutan is another example. It's not a hugely popular destination at all, but it is so peaceful and beautiful, and it opens up this totally different culture than a lot of Westerners are ever exposed to. Yeah, I mean, I could actually talk about this topic for an entire episode, but in a nutshell, that's how I choose destinations. That, you know, that sounds like an amazing job to have, you know, to do the research and all of that. That sounds like so much fun and just so educational, you know, just all of those being able to see all of those things and and and shape them for women, which, you know, is so important for them to have that opportunities, that opportunity. So if you're loving this conversation and feeling that spark to explore more, whether solo or with a group, make sure you subscribe to Cheryl's Travel Blueprint so you can never miss an episode. We bring you weekly travel insights, meaningful conversations, and expert guests just like Amanda to help you travel smarter, deeper, and with more confidence. Hit that subscribe button because there's much more coming your way. And we're definitely going to include some show notes so they can visit your, you know, see, find your socials and and find out more about your network. Awesome. So many of your trips involve partnerships with women -led organizations, homestays and cooperatives. Why is that so important to you? I mean, I almost I almost didn't know how to answer because I it's so important. I mean, empowering women around the world is is everything. I mean, our tours are about empowering women at home, empowering them to travel, see the world, chase their dreams. And when we go to these places, what kind of travelers or women would we be if we only supported if we only put our money and our time in, you know, I guess, corporations or just larger companies and helping, helping, I'm fumbling, so I hope you edit this. I think the power that we have as travelers to support women in other countries is massive. I mean, when we spend, let's say $80 a night on a hotel with I don't know, the Marriott. It makes no difference to them. They could care less who we are, why we're there. They'll sell that room either way. But when we spend $80 in a women -owned boutique hotel, something that this woman has poured their savings and their dreams and, you know, is run by their sisters and their children, it makes a huge difference. And supporting women like that around the world not only is the right thing to do, but it also makes your travel experience better. They'll open up their doors to you. They'll introduce you to recipes that they make from generations that you would never find at a restaurant. It changes everything. Your travels will change tremendously when you start supporting locally owned, women owned small businesses in your travels. Absolutely. That's beautiful. And, you know, like you said, so empowering. And, you know, it sounds, you know, little by little, you're changing, you're really making such an impact on the world with, with this. It's just, you know, I mean, you'll probably never know for sure how much impact you're having, but I can just, I just know that it's, it's huge, you know. So little by little, we can make some things happen. So what's a moment from one of your trips that stayed with you long after you got home? Hope I'm not putting you on the spot too much here, because you probably have so many. I do have so many, but you know what? The first one that comes to mind, it's not the happiest story, but it is the one that has fundamentally changed me as a human being. And it was I was in India for the very first time. I had only been there for a few days. I was traveling solo and I ended up, I was backpacking there for three months by myself. And I think it was like the second or third day I was in a tuk -tuk on the highway, some highway in Delhi. So it was very crowded. It was, I was in stocked traffic essentially in this tuk -tuk. The pollution was insane. I mean, again, I love India, but Delhi can be a tough place, very crowded, just a little bit difficult. But I remember sitting there thinking, oh my gosh, I can't breathe. Like, when are we going to get there? And then I looked over, and it was like the median, kind of. It was like a median in the highway. And it kind of merged three lanes of highway. Never mind. It was like an exit kind of and the highway and there was a median there and there was a family living on that median of the highway. It was I can still it was this was almost 10 years ago and I can still like in my mind's eye see them. And the dad was lying on a broken cot, kind of a kind of a broken like mattress holder, but it had no mattress and it was it was half broken. He looked very unwell. He was lying on that and then the mother was getting a sponge bath right there on the highway from her little daughter and it was like she'd pull her shirt down one shoulder and then use the sponge and then pull the shirt back on the other shoulder and she just sort of did that slowly, they had pots and pans that were all broken and they had had made a little fire that had gone out, but you could see where they had been cooking. And I mean, it was a it was a semi settled in home on the median of the highway. And I remember, you know, in my travels to that point, I had never seen anything like that. And I learned from that and through a lot of experiences in India, It taught me a tremendous amount of gratitude. And my wish is that every traveler have experiences that teach them or remind them of how much gratitude we should have, no matter where we are, because travel is a luxury. It is special. Whether you go for a week or three months or two days, it's a luxury. I would say that is maybe not what you were looking for, but that is an experience of my travels that I still think about regularly. And that just highlights why it's so important for us to travel, because we can, it helps us to appreciate what we have, and it helps us open our eyes to the world and see that there are so many different perspectives that are out there, different ways of living. And, you know, just that, I don't know, when you're, especially when you're young, I think I just remember being young, before I had done any travel. thinking that everybody was like me, that everybody had the same experience as me. And so that's why I think it's just so important for everyone to get out and see something, just so that they know that they're not, this isn't everything, this isn't what life is for everybody. Whether you are in a good place or a bad, you can, you know, I think from any perspective, you can see how differently people live, you know, not just not just at home, but, you know, all around the world, like the way you so brilliantly described, because that's yeah, that would definitely leave an impact on me as well. If I had seen something like that, for sure. So shifting gears just a little bit, what has been your proudest accomplishment on this journey that you've taken with Solo Female Travel? I think I'm most proud. Of a few things, I'm really proud of our itineraries because when I first started running these tours, I knew that I wanted, as I said a little earlier, I knew that I wanted to capture the really special aspect of being a solo traveler, that access you get to things, the way people will come up and talk to you when you're by yourself and not with a group or with a friend or when you're just more open, like you're more available to people to just make conversation with. And it opens all the doors to this to this other country. And I really wanted to bring that. I wanted to find a way to bring that feeling and that experience into a group tour. And I believe I've done it. And so I'm really proud of that. My travelers tell me that that's their favorite part of their experiences with us. And some of our travelers have been on 10 or more trips with us. So I know I'm doing something right with the itinerary. and second of all I'm really proud and humbled by the women who trust us and support us and love us and come on our tours with this open -minded, positive, excited energy and attitude. It is what keeps me going because, you know, owning a business like this isn't always easy, but it's because of those women that I get up every day and work the way that I do because They've just like brought this vision and this and this company to life. So yeah. Sounds like a labor of love. Absolutely. That's a labor of love. Which is the best, you know, not everybody is lucky enough to to have a career that lets them do something that they really love and connect with. And so it's just beautiful when when you meet somebody that's doing something like that. Thanks. So your new project, Kindred Community, focuses on connection retreats. Can you tell us about these women -only escapes and what makes them special? Sure. So leading the solo female traveler tours, One byproduct of all these trips is the community. When these women come by themselves and come on this epic adventure and experience these shared firsts together, we've built such a powerful community and connected women who have become travel buddies and best friends and even business partners. Like, these women have really bonded. And I recognize as well that not everyone wants or has the ability to go on some massive trip around the world. It's not even for everyone. Not everyone is a traveler. Right. But everyone does deserve community. We all we all need as human beings community in our lives. So Kindred Community is my way of bringing the kind of connection that I've seen happen on my Solo Female Traveler Network tours and bring it to a place that is more accessible to everyone. And even some of my Solo Female Traveler Network tours travelers come on my kindred retreats because they are very Sophie. Sophie is what I, is the solo female traveler network for short. They're very Sophie -like. They're very, um, they're experiential, full of shared firsts, full of deeper conversation starters. Um, but they're shorter and they stick to one accommodation. So for example, we did Joshua Tree, which was, I think two nights, it was only two nights in Joshua Tree. We stayed in Airstreams and went to the park and made dinner together, sat around a campfire, and it was beautiful. And it's really meant to focus in on the connection and the community and sort of an easy, fun girls' trip vibe rather than the really exotic, 12 -day -long, you know, big flight necessary kind of experiences that Sophie does. So it's that kindred focuses on the connection in the community where Sophie focuses on the travel with that connection as a very amazing byproduct. You got it covered from, you know, from those, you know, you got every aspect of it covered. That's great. Why do you think so many women crave connection even more than travel itself? I think We are living in a loneliness epidemic, which is.. I think we all kind of accept that in some form. And I think that women have a need and an ability to connect with each other better than others. I think that we We tend to go deeper. We need our girl time. Like, we just really... I mean, my favorite relationships in my life have been with my friends. And I think that when we become adults, we are no longer in these spaces that put us in proximity on a regular basis with other people in order to have that opportunity to connect, in order to build those friendships. It's the... We're no longer in school where we see these people every day. We might go to an office and see our work friends maybe every day, but a lot of us work from home and we have to really make an effort to put ourselves in community spaces where we have the opportunity to connect with other people. And also we're living in a time when talking to strangers somewhere along the line got kind of weird. Like we don't do it as often anymore. We're always on our phone. We don't really talk to people the way that maybe we used to. But you do do that when you're traveling. You do talk to strangers when you're on a connection retreat, which is what I call our kindred experiences. And you're with a group of people who are looking for the same thing and are open to the same thing. They're looking for a good time. They're looking to relax. They're looking to be wowed. And they're looking to do it with people who are similar to them. So for a lot of us, people who are adventurous and curious and a little offbeat, We may not have a lot of those people in our world at home, but I promise for anyone who's craving more connections like that, those people exist in the world. And you can find them on trips. You can find them on connection retreats. You can find them in kind of random clubs in your neighborhood. There's a lot of places you can find them. Beautiful, beautiful. So For someone ready to travel solo for the first time, what's a great starter destination? I know you mentioned India not being a good place to start. Probably not. I think it depends on the person. It's hard to answer that because everyone has a different experience level and comfort level. If you are really nervous and you really don't have the experience and you're just not ready to get on that plane and go outside the country, you can start even just doing a weekend trip like a, I don't know, two hour drive from where you live, you could start there. You could start by even as small as going to a restaurant alone in your own in your hometown. You can you can start that small and that is a start and that is a good start. So you could do that if you're ready to go. on a solo trip and you're ready to leave the country perhaps, you can do something like join, of course you can join a tour like ours. A lot of our travelers are first time solo travelers. You can also go to, there are a lot of really friendly solo travel destinations. Portugal is a great one. I think Portugal is safe and beautiful and easy to navigate, especially if you are going to stick to a specific destination. We have as well, if you go to our website, we have a quiz that you can take. It's totally free. no email required but it's a little quiz you can take and you can you put in information about what you're looking for, how you want to feel when you travel, what your experience is, and then it'll kind of like automatically suggest a region or a handful of destinations. So that's on our website. But there are, you know, you could go to Greece, you could go to, I think Romania is actually a really cool underrated safe destination. I mean, there's so many. I would say it's whatever you want. Where do you want to go? What do you want to experience? What do you want to eat? What do you want to do? And go from there. Excellent. I feel like I'm ready to go somewhere right now, just having a conversation. Do you have any kind of gear or apps or planning tools that you swear by? No, I don't. I'm a little bit old school that way, I suppose. I think that when I'm researching a trip, I start with a basic Google search. I want to know what the big dogs are saying, right? I go to maybe Lonely Planet. I have a ton of Lonely Planet books on my shelf in the corner. But I want to get a feel, like a lay of the land first. I want to understand what are the bucket list or touristy areas. I want to understand how easy or difficult it is to navigate the country? Am I going to be taking buses or trains? Do I need to hire a private driver? I want to get a lay of the land. That's my first step. And then from there, if it's my own personal trip, I also think that Instagram is a good starting point. You know, like, like, for example, I'm going to Mexico City for like the second time in a couple weeks. And so I'm on Instagram and I'm seeing where the cafes are. What cafes are people going to? What museums are they going to? And those those places might be a little touristy, but it gives me a starting point. And from there, you can understand when you're further doing research, reading other people's blogs, looking at different different guides. then you'll start to understand what is and what isn't touristy and what may be worth, you know, what may be actually worth it. So, yeah, I don't think I have no secrets. I don't think there are really any secrets to travel planning. I think it is research. Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly about the research, definitely. So, If a woman listening thinks, maybe I could do this, what do you want her to hear right now? Do it. Go. Do it. You got this, girl. Perfect advice. So where can listeners find you, join a trip, or learn more about Sophie and Kindred? Yeah, so you can go to My website is meetamandablack . com and that has everything. You can go to thesolofemaletravelernetwork . com where you can find that free quiz I was talking about as well as all of our destinations. You can find us on Instagram. Our handle is solofemaletravel. Yeah, those are the places. Okay, and I will put that in the show notes as well so everybody can find them there and I'll put it on the screen too for easy access. Thank you so much for joining us today. Yes, a huge thank you to you for sharing your wisdom, your honesty, and your passion for helping women travel with confidence. Your passion just comes through when you talk about it, too, by the way. Thank you, Cheryl, and thanks for having me. This is really fun. You're so welcome, and I hope you'll come back. We can talk about, you know, some of the things that we talked about. I thought I would love to go deeper into this topic, you know. Okay, great. So if this episode inspired you, taught you something new, or made solo travel feel a little more possible, please subscribe to Cheryl's Travel Blueprint. We release new episodes every week, and I would love to have you along for the journey. And if you know a woman who's been dreaming of taking a trip of her own, share this episode with her. It might be the encouragement she needs. So until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and keep choosing experiences over fear.