https://www.unescorted.co.uk/journal daily 0.75 2026-07-01 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/journal/the-workbook-is-finished-and-i-only-lost-my-sanity-a-little-bit monthly 0.5 2026-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/02fb5b15-3f44-43a4-9f3e-4ba5f62107fd/Front+cover+version+4.png Progress Journal - The Workbook Is Finished! (And I Only Lost My Sanity a Little Bit...) - I’d already written the main content, but I'd completely underestimated how long the final stages would take. Reading it. Re-reading it. Editing it. Spotting the same typo for the eighteenth time. Removing repeated paragraphs. Checking the chapters flowed properly. Wondering if I'd accidentally contradicted myself three pages later. Then there was the technical side. Ten separate PDFs needed merging into one. I needed a cover. I needed a Stripe account. I needed somewhere to actually sell it. I discovered Payhip—a website I'd never even heard of a few weeks earlier—and somehow had to figure out how all of that worked. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/ab392c42-cce7-4838-bcd6-ff2995842d1b/me+at+lake+constance.jpg Progress Journal - The Workbook Is Finished! (And I Only Lost My Sanity a Little Bit...) - As for me right now? I'm writing this while cycling and camping my way around Lake Constance, weaving between Germany, Austria and Switzerland in temperatures that seem better suited to baking pizzas than riding bicycles. I'm melting most afternoons. https://www.unescorted.co.uk/journal/wins-mistakes-and-why-marketing-is-not-my-thing monthly 0.5 2026-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/fa2ac798-ee0a-4983-b472-aecdc416dc25/me+writing+in+hat.jpg Progress Journal - Wins, Mistakes, and why marketing is not my thing I reached out to a distant cousin in Canada — a number one bestselling author in his genre, as it turns out, which made asking for advice slightly nerve-wracking — and one of his suggestions was to join some Facebook groups for authors. I did. And it opened up a whole new world of marketing strategies and pain. More on that shortly. The memoir is on a brief pause while I focus on the workbook. But when I go back to it, I'll be going back with considerably less self-sabotage. The workbook is going really well This is the good news. The content is nearly finished. For anyone new here, the workbook is a practical guide designed to help women take their first steps towards solo travel within six months — small goals, no overwhelm, working through the fears and the "but what ifs" until a solo trip starts feeling possible rather than terrifying. The next stage is working out the design, the marketing, and whether it'll be digital only or available as a printed copy too. Lots still to figure out. But the writing itself? Genuinely enjoying it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/4459e039-7339-4544-8a05-19409930d377/Screenshot+of+popular+blog.jpg Progress Journal - Wins, Mistakes, and why marketing is not my thing - The 1,700 likes I nearly wasted Here's a story about a win that almost wasn't. I posted about my journey in a Facebook group for female solo travellers and — I'm still slightly stunned by this — it got over 1,700 likes. 1,700 women who connected with what I wrote. 1,700 women who are probably exactly the kind of person my workbook is for. And I didn't mention the workbook. Didn't link to my website. Didn't mention my own Facebook group. I know. I know. Lesson very much learned. I've since put a few things in place — including a link to a free PDF with my top five destinations for building the confidence to travel solo at 50+. So if you're wondering what to do with a sudden unexpected audience, apparently the answer is: have something ready for them to find. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/1781707195859-ABBPXDZ9APJ4HTJC955B/stressing+over+laptop.jpg Progress Journal - Wins, Mistakes, and why marketing is not my thing https://www.unescorted.co.uk/journal/so-im-writing-a-workbook-too-apparently monthly 0.5 2026-06-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/8610b3ee-c12d-4ed4-b522-f620d6543f70/Galapagos+landscape.jpg Progress Journal - So I'm Writing a Workbook too. Apparently - So alongside the memoir, I've decided to write a workbook. Something practical that helps women take their first steps towards solo travel within six months, using small manageable goals. Working through what's actually stopping you, naming the fears, and building gradually until a solo trip stops feeling impossible and starts feeling inevitable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/19ccb78d-4989-419a-8588-1e952b2479bf/penny+at+galapagos+beach.jpg Progress Journal - So I'm Writing a Workbook too. Apparently - If you're a woman thinking about solo travel but not quite sure how to start, my workbook is going to be designed for exactly that — I'll share more about it here as it takes shape. And if you'd like to follow the whole messy, unfiltered journey, you're in the right place. https://www.unescorted.co.uk/journal/how-a-few-facebook-posts-turned-into-a-book-idea monthly 0.5 2026-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/7b76323b-aa3e-4164-bfae-378123f9413b/Me+on+train+to+airport.jpg Progress Journal - How a few Facebook Posts turned into a book idea - Make it stand out On the way to Heathrow for my first trip to South America - Yes, those are ski’s that I’m lugging there with me too. https://www.unescorted.co.uk/travel-notes daily 0.75 2026-07-09 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/travel-notes/is-solo-travel-really-more-expensive monthly 0.5 2026-07-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/e4cedc0b-89e8-400f-a487-596395600558/tent+and+bike.jpg Travel Notes - Is Solo Travel Really More Expensive? Travelling alone removes that entirely. I recently cycled around Lake Constance staying in my one-person tent at campsites along the way. Lakeside views, fresh air, amazing sunsets, and the occasional swimming pool, all for the price of a takeaway pizza for one. Not everyone's idea of luxury, granted — but it suited me very well, and when I fancy one night in a proper hotel, I have the budget to do it without any guilt whatsoever. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/ccd44a48-8a61-405c-ace2-04a8b83411c2/Selfie+in+Swiss+town.jpg Travel Notes - Is Solo Travel Really More Expensive? - 4. Flexibility is free Groups make plans. Plans cost money. And then circumstances change but nobody wants to be the one to say so, so everyone does the thing anyway. Travelling alone, you can wake up and decide it's raining, you're tired, you love this town and want another day, or you've seen enough and you're leaving. No awkward conversations. No sunk cost activities. Just a quiet recalibration and off you go. 5. Free activities become highlights, not fillers Solo travellers become surprisingly good at finding the free stuff — walking tours, museums with free entry days, markets, local festivals, hiking, swimming, sitting in a café watching the world go by with a single coffee you've made last forty-five minutes. When you're not trying to entertain anyone else, these things stop being "something to do until dinner" and start being the actual point of the trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/47b3a13f-2aa0-4dea-bb66-a0bc3a88ecf9/Me+in+tractor.jpg Travel Notes - Is Solo Travel Really More Expensive? - 7. You become more resourceful As a solo traveller, you learn and pick up habits quickly. Hand luggage only. Public transport over taxis. Reusable water bottle. Travelling off-season when everywhere is cheaper and slightly less full of other tourists. I've also discovered volunteering through organisations like Workaway and WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), and house sitting — both of which can dramatically cut accommodation costs while actually adding to the experience rather than reducing it. Which brings me to where I am right now. I'm currently on a farm in Germany through WWOOF. Five hours of work Monday to Friday — helping with planting, harvesting, and preparing stock for the local farm shop and deliveries to businesses around the town — in exchange for free accommodation, free meals, genuine connection with other volunteers, and a crash course in organic farming I never expected to find interesting but absolutely do. Free bed. Free food. New skills. New people. Slightly aching back, but worth it. https://www.unescorted.co.uk/travel-notes/solo-doesnt-mean-alone-heres-how monthly 0.5 2026-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/49087a2e-978d-4d6c-9ca1-a17ac9bfe9a3/Me+and+E+hottest+day+of+year.jpg Travel Notes - Solo Doesn't Mean Alone — Here's How - 1. Start somewhere familiar If the idea of landing in a foreign country completely alone feels like too much, don't do it. At least not straight away. I'm flying into Germany and spending the first couple of nights with my sister. It eases me in gently — familiar face, decent food, someone to talk to while I get my bearings. There's no rule that says solo travel has to begin the moment you step off the plane. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/54d7123d-a257-4c84-a82a-0ea84c643a15/Me+on+Bike+in+Uberlingen.jpg Travel Notes - Solo Doesn't Mean Alone — Here's How - 2. Build in activities that put you around people automatically This is the big one. Rather than relying on chance encounters to ward off loneliness, build things into your itinerary that guarantee you'll be around people. Courses, classes, organised tours, guided hikes — anything with a structure that puts you in a group. For me, this looks like cycling around Lake Constance — where organised cycling routes mean you're naturally crossing paths with other cyclists — and later, joining guided sightseeing in areas I don't know well. You don't have to be glued to a group. But having one nearby changes the whole feel of a trip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/8358db86-a565-4ed7-9d4a-458a627b9132/Patches+the+cat.jpg Travel Notes - Solo Doesn't Mean Alone — Here's How - 4. House sit For the quieter stretches — when you want to slow down, save money, and actually have space to think — house sitting is brilliant. I have a house sit lined up in Germany where I'm planning to make serious progress on my memoir. Free accommodation, a proper base, and enough solitude to concentrate. You get the peace of having your own space without the cost of a hotel, and without the slight chaos of a hostel. Try Trusted Housesitters to get started. In July I’ll be looking after a couple of cats - including Patches (photo on the left) https://www.unescorted.co.uk/travel-notes/the-loneliness-and-freedom-of-solo-travel monthly 0.5 2026-06-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/dd6197f3-1816-40db-803a-4914bfd318bc/hostel+group+pic.jpg Travel Notes - The loneliness and Freedom of Solo Travel - The truth is, I rarely had time to feel lonely. My days were full — sightseeing, trekking, navigating chaotic bus stations, hunting down great food, joining organised tours, and generally just trying to keep up with the world moving around me. And hostels are brilliant for this. Everyone's in the same boat. Conversations happen fast and honestly in a way they just don't back home. Within a few months I'd bonded with a 21-year-old Politics student on his gap year, a 38 year old Argentinian Chef taking a break from working in Switzerland, a French lady in her thirties taking a breather between marketing jobs, and an American woman in her forties who felt called by God to help people in the Amazon. To mention just a few. People I would never have met in a million years by staying home and doing my day job. All of them fascinating. All of them unexpected. All of them proof that solo travel throws you into contact with people you'd never otherwise find. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/f29aa0fe-65ad-4a83-9a6e-35b0390205b8/Iruja+mountain+hike.jpg Travel Notes - The loneliness and Freedom of Solo Travel - The thing I didn't expect at all? How much I love trekking alone in the mountains. I assumed it would feel incomplete without someone beside me to share it with. But walking alone is one of the most peaceful things I've ever experienced. I go at my own pace. Stop when I want. Take approximately four hundred photos without annoying a single person. Notice things I'd have walked straight past in conversation. And funnily enough, I talk to more people when I hike alone. Solo walkers are approachable. Conversations happen naturally on trails. You share an hour or two with someone, swap stories, laugh about something, and then carry on your separate ways when you're ready. That ability to drift in and out of connection feels like exactly the right balance for me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/4ae3f72e-3862-43f1-88f9-fc35b1702569/Penny+alone+at+lake+2.jpg Travel Notes - The loneliness and Freedom of Solo Travel - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.unescorted.co.uk/travel-notes/why-women-over-50-make-incredible-solo-travellers-1 monthly 0.5 2026-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/d8ffd138-6000-476f-9f09-2e930716b7ba/me+in+wellies+looking+v+uncool.jpg Travel Notes - Why Women Over 50 Make Incredible Solo Travellers - Me, looking very uncool in the amazon Rainforest https://www.unescorted.co.uk/home daily 1.0 2026-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/9f79993e-ba75-415f-a370-2063193fbfdb/Galapagos+path+pic.jpg https://www.unescorted.co.uk/about daily 0.75 2026-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/b13558d8-261b-4c95-8dc9-69c345ace88c/Iruja%2C+Argentina.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/f88eb225-706e-4b14-b81f-0d3223b04fb8/pic+of+me+2.jpg https://www.unescorted.co.uk/contact daily 0.75 2026-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/22f8cc98-171c-46b5-b7ef-ef8402ebafb7/Iguazu+Falls%2C+Brazil+v2.jpg https://www.unescorted.co.uk/community daily 0.75 2026-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/69fc9ed9f726f54c37d66dc9/2cd67dd6-0a0f-4902-b68b-c8cb47416db6/Atacama+desert+sunset.jpg https://www.unescorted.co.uk/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2026-05-11 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/terms-of-use daily 0.75 2026-05-11 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/legal daily 0.75 2026-05-11 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/new-page-2 daily 0.75 2026-05-11 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/thank-you daily 0.75 2026-06-13 https://www.unescorted.co.uk/free-guide daily 0.75 2026-06-13