Growing Up on the Move
My solo travel journey is not typical. You would typically think of someone young taking a gap year right out of school. But I also did not have a typical upbringing. I grew up in a military family. I was an Air Force brat and had the good fortune to grow up in Europe. I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and went on to spend most of my childhood, almost 10 years, in Brussels, Belgium.
That is probably where my love for both Europe and travel started. Belgium is centrally located so it was easy to travel while living there. Our school would take field trips to Germany and plan weeklong middle school trips to England and Switzerland. At the time this was normal, but as I got older I appreciated how unique that childhood was. Military families usually move every three years which meant there were constantly new kids, and even as an adult I am the type of person to quickly make friends.
18 Years of Putting Travel on Hold
I unexpectedly became a pregnant single mother at 23 and spent the next 18 years focusing on my son. Not to say I did not travel. We took yearly family trips and I travelled often for sports competitions, both for me and my son, as well as for work. But most of that travel was within the United States.
I am drawn to Europe and love everything about it. The culture, the fact that everything is small (cars, roads, homes, food portions), and especially the food. I also appreciate how easy it is to get around on public transport. There is so much about Europe that just makes sense.
The First Taste
Life is all about timing. In October 2025 I had just quit a full-time job that was causing me so much anxiety I had to go on medication. I booked a trip to Spain for a volleyball camp, and after the camp I stayed and travelled on my own. My first real taste of solo travel.
That trip lasted a month and covered six countries. I got a little bit of everything. Beautiful beaches in Spain, amazing food in Italy, snowy mountains in Switzerland, the excitement of Paris and Amsterdam, and my first international dog-sit job in London, looking after a doodle called Charlie through TrustedHousesitters. Charlie loved going on adventures and we visited Greenwich Park and the Tower of London together.
After a month of travelling, I was not ready to go home. There was so much more to explore and I had only scratched the surface.
Selling Everything and Buying a One-Way Ticket
Six months later, in spring 2026, I made it happen properly. I sold my house and my car and bought a one-way ticket to Portugal. At that point in my life it all came together. No full-time job, no mortgage, no lease. My son was grown. No dog, no boyfriend. This was the time to pick up and go. I know I am very lucky to be in that situation and I felt completely comfortable travelling alone around Europe, so it all made sense.
This trip lasted two and a half months and covered six countries again.
The Volleyball Camps
Both trips were planned around attending a volleyball camp. The group that runs them is from England and is called Deep Dish. They offer camps for all skill levels with training in the mornings and tournaments in the afternoons.
I have attended several Deep Dish camps now and really like the format and how easy-going the staff are. They have added more non-volleyball activities too, including yoga, beach tennis, spike ball and evening socials. There was a pub quiz, dancing, board game nights, and I organised a dinner for those of us who were travelling solo.
My first camp was in Spain and the second was in Portimao in the Algarve region of Portugal. What could be better than doing what you love, meeting people from all over the world, in another country?
Pet-Sitting as a Way to Travel
To say that I am an animal lover is an understatement. My Instagram handle is mandy.loves.dogs and it suits me exactly. I use an app called TrustedHousesitters where you pet-sit and house-sit in exchange for somewhere to stay while travelling.
I first learned about TrustedHousesitters about five years ago and signed up to try it out in America, hoping one day to pet-sit internationally. The initial cost to become a pet-sitter is $129 USD per year. I spent years building up my profile with reviews and ratings before taking the leap to do it abroad.
The jobs can be very different. My first was in St. Augustine, Florida at a large beach house looking after a pit bull. The second was a small apartment in Santa Monica, California watching two timid cats that I never actually saw.
The beauty of pet-sitting is that lodging can be one of the biggest costs while travelling, so having it covered is a genuine game changer. You also get a place to yourself, you can do your laundry for free, and you are settled somewhere for more than a few days which gives you time to properly explore the area.
When I apply for jobs on TrustedHousesitters I always offer to meet the owners virtually first. As a previous pet owner myself, I think it helps ease their mind about hiring someone they have never met.
The Ericeira Dog-Sit
The pet-sitting job in Portugal was in a small surf and yoga town called Ericeira. What drew me to apply was the beach and yoga, two of my favourite things. Ericeira is a short 45-minute bus ride from Lisbon and the town is small enough that you can get around without a vehicle.
The couple were American, in their 50s, with a beautiful home that had a view of the ocean. Not a bad place to live for 10 days. The dogs, both rescued, were very well behaved and warmed up to me quickly. Sunset walks along the coast with them became the highlight of my time there.
If you want to see just how far this can go, one family on TravelPen turned house and pet sitting into a full-time way of life, with no car and no fixed address. Their story, We Never Set Out to Travel the World, is well worth a read.
Where I Went
After three weeks in Portugal, including the volleyball camp and the Ericeira dog-sit, I met a friend in Italy and we did Milan, Bergamo and Tuscany together. The pasta in Florence was exactly what you would expect it to be. Incredible.
Then I took a train to Nice on my own. I stayed at a hostel that was a converted apartment. It was strange at first, not the typical hostel setup, but the host made me feel so welcome and comfortable. She took me to her gym as a guest and took me swimming with her in the mornings. The crystal clear water at Paloma Beach in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat was one of the most beautiful things I saw on the whole trip.
After Nice I spent a month in Spain. Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Guardamar del Segura, Sitges, Zaragoza and San Sebastian. I really love Spain and could see myself living there one day, possibly very soon. My favourites were Valencia for the food and Alicante for the beaches. Both cities have a big beach volleyball community which is a draw for me.
The best single meal I had while travelling was a Pappardelle Tartufo at La Pappardella in Valencia. I also did another pet-sit through TrustedHousesitters in Guardamar del Segura, a small Spanish town, looking after a chihuahua. More sunset walks.
San Sebastian was a pleasant surprise. It was not originally on my list but I met a lovely Australian woman in Valencia who was travelling for six months and she suggested I visit. It is a stunning coastal city in Spain's Basque Country, about 20 kilometres from the French border. I was so glad I went.
The last few days of my trip were spent in London. I have been several times but never in the summer. I was able to visit a few people I had met from my travels and play volleyball while there.
Hostel Life at 40-Something
I had stayed in camps and dorms in my younger years but it had been a while. For the past three years I have lived a nomadic lifestyle, constantly travelling and pet-sitting in people's homes. That helped me feel comfortable with constantly moving around and adjusting to different surroundings.
Overall my experience of hostels has been positive. I really appreciate the culture. They are affordable, social if you want to meet people, clean and typically comfortable. You can find hostel prices as low as 25 euros a night, though I typically chose a mid-range hostel with good reviews. It is so worth saving money on lodging and having more to spend on food and experiences.
As someone who has insomnia and frequently has trouble sleeping, I found ways to cope. In addition to my prescription medication I used ear plugs, but I also found that putting my phone under my pillow with white noise on magnified the sound and drowned out the noise. That was a game changer.
The best part of hostel life is the people. Yes, they were all very young, but they really did not seem to mind hanging out with someone their parents' age. I spent time with people from China, Australia, Canada, England, Slovenia and Italy. I have stayed connected with many of them on Instagram which has been fun, continuing to watch their travels. If meeting people is the part that worries you, our guide on how to meet people in hostels has plenty of ways to make the first move.
Solo Travel in My 40s
If I had to choose my favourite part of solo travel it would be freedom. Being able to choose where, when, and whether you want to go solo or meet up with others. I consider myself an ambivert, a good mix of introvert and extrovert. I think that is a perfect combination for someone travelling solo.
I value my health even more as I get older and strive to stay healthy both physically and mentally. When I travel I like to take yoga or fitness classes in addition to all the walking. I tried aerial yoga for the first time in Portugal and fell in love. In Spain I also tried acro yoga which was challenging in many ways. Acro yoga is a partner practice that blends yoga and acrobatics, so not being able to speak the language made it even harder.
What surprised me most about solo travel is that I rarely felt lonely. I am a friendly, outgoing person, but being in a foreign country where I do not speak the language, I was not sure if I would meet people and make friends. Staying in hostels, practising yoga and playing volleyball gave me the opportunity to meet amazing people from all over the world. If nerves are what is holding you back, our guide to solo travel safely covers how to feel confident heading off on your own.
What I Would Do Differently
When I book my next solo trip I will change the time frame. Summer is very busy, more expensive and very hot.
For planning I really did not do much research before either trip, although I had a general idea of which countries I wanted to visit. I wanted to keep my plans fluid and go with the flow. I booked my transport and accommodation three to five days in advance. This gave me the opportunity to take recommendations and visit places I might not have seen otherwise.
Tips for Anyone Thinking About It
Hostelworld is brilliant for booking hostels. They have loads of reviews and photos and it is also a good way to connect with other travellers. I would highly recommend it for solo travel.
ClassPass is a monthly subscription app where you can book exercise classes while travelling, even internationally. If staying active is part of your routine at home, it does not have to stop when you are on the road.
TrustedHousesitters costs $129 USD per year for a pet-sitter membership. If you love animals and want to save serious money on accommodation, it is worth every penny. Start building your profile with local sits before going international.
Book a walking tour, bus tour, bike tour or food tour early in your stay. It is a great way to get your bearings and pick up ideas for the rest of your trip.
And if you are still deciding where to go, our honest guide to where to go on your first solo trip will help you pick a destination that fits the kind of trip you want.