Solo traveling so liberating!

I’ve always bin very shy and I used to hide behind others which was quit easy to do because I m a short lady.

I was born in 1980 in Indonesia Jakarta and got adopted by a Dutch Family together with my half brother.

We both came as adoptees to the Netherlands and we grew up in a small village in the Netherlands.

Growing up in the Netherlands in the early 80’s was difficult most of the people were caucasian.

So most of the children in the village were not used to see Asian kids.

The children were very mean towards me and I got bullied a lot.

I never really felt like I belonged anywhere or felt comfortable in my own skin.

So for a very long time my self esteem was very low.

Soul Journey

When I was 18 I met my first boyfriend who I later on married I was 24 at the time.

The marriage however ended in 2013.

It was never really a good relationship to begin with basically because I was not my own person.

So I was 33 and divorced and after many years single again.

I felt like a failure  and because of this period in my life .

I started to do a lot of soul searching .

I knew I wanted a change and I knew I couldn’t hide behind my husband or my marriage anymore

And so this is how the journey of my solo traveling all started.

Inspire the Soul (to go!)

My first solo travel was to the south of France to a place called Nice.

I got inspired by the movie French Kiss starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton.

From the first time I saw that movie I thought I really have to visited the Côte d'Azur.

So in 2014 I booked a ticket to Nice.

Nice has a beautiful old city centre and beautiful fountains.

And the beach and the whole atmosphere is just wonderful.

I stayed at an Airbnb which is of course cheaper than a hotel but it also gives you a splendid opportunity to know more about the Côte d'Azur area because you stay with locals.

And if anything happens you have a good local contact.

I stayed with a fellow female from about my age.

She gave me great advise about the area  like Saint Paul de Vence.

This place is so authentic, cosy, romantic, artistic it feels like you walk into a fantasy world is unbelievable.

It is really worth a visit!

This first solo travel was a huge challenge for me.

But when I got the hang of it I kinda got addicted to it.

In that same year I went to Barcelona and  also to Portugal  Lisboa!

These movies will inspire to go solo traveling

French Kiss 

Under The Tuscan Sun

Eat Pray Love