Hi, I’m Sarah.
My new blog brings together some of my greatest passions: solo travel, vegan food, photography, and, of course… writing.
Let’s start with the travel.
I’ve visited over 30 countries, most of them solo. Now, let’s clear up some things. I’m not a full-time traveler, a digital nomad, or a backpacker. I’m a regular person who (usually) needs to show up for her day job on a regular basis. I’m not someone who can just up and leave for months at a time. But since travel is a passion, I make it work – my way.
That’s the beauty of solo travel, really. We all have our own individual travel styles, made up of our own likes, dislikes, and life circumstances. When you’re on your own, you get to take what you have and make it work, doing exactly what you want, when you want. No compromises.
A bit about my own travel style
Let me eat (vegan) cake
I’m a long-time vegan, and I’m also a foodie, so I love visiting vegan-friendly destinations and writing about them. But there’s more to it than that. I’m not looking to just “survive” as a vegan; I want to live it up. I can get Beyond Burgers at home, and I’ve never in my life actually wanted a smoothie bowl.
I’m always looking for unique vegan culinary experiences, whether that’s unbelievably cheap pandan coconut pancakes at the Sunday Night Market in Chiang Mai or an 11-course meal at a Michelin green-starred vegan restaurant in Copenhagen.
I’ve turned the search for great vegan food into an extreme sport, but aside from that, I’m actually not incredibly adventurous as a traveler. You’re not going to see any videos of me bungee-jumping (is that still a thing?) or driving a 4×4 through the desert.
I do like nature in small doses, but I mostly like bustling cities, beautiful architecture, interesting museums, colorful markets, and comfortable hotel rooms. I love street art. I befriend stray cats. I’ve never said no to a nice, relaxing spa day.
I even like the occasional chill-out-on-the-beach-and-do-nothing kind of vacation. Admittedly, I’m quite good at doing nothing.
What else?
I’m an introvert, always happy to hang out with myself, rarely getting bored. I like to have my own space while I travel; the thought of staying at party hostels and going on pub crawls makes my skin crawl. I appreciate a good cocktail, especially if it’s pink, but no beer for me, thanks.
I have absolutely no sense of direction, and without my good friend Google Maps, I’d be completely lost, in more ways than one. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to travel solo without it. There will be no “How to Get from Point A to Point B” posts on this blog; I’m literally the last person you want to be asking that kind of question.
When I’m not working, traveling, or busy planning my next trip, you might find me hanging out with my cats, cooking my own vegan food, pretending to do yoga, scrolling through Reddit, or… you know, doing nothing. 10/10, highly recommend.
FAQs (that I get asked in real life)
Before I go on a trip, I usually do a lot of research about the destination and make a list of all the things I might like to do (usually more things than I actually have time for). If I’m feeling bored, I’ll whip out my list and figure out where to go next.
If I’m feeling bored just walking around, I like to give myself little photo challenges to make it more interesting, such as taking photos of all the street art or all the cats. That way, I also end up with a nice photo gallery to take back home!
And if I’m just in a “bored” kind of mood? I’ll text with my friends back home, find an interesting cafe or pretty park and sit around with a book, or pick up some local snacks and go back to my accommodation and watch some Netflix.
“Scary” is a highly personal thing. I’m not scared to travel alone and I don’t think I ever have been, although there have been a few scary moments. If I’m ever in an environment that’s making me uncomfortable, I’ll listen to my gut instinct and use Uber/Bolt/whatever ride-sharing app is commonly used in the country in question and get myself out of there.
Other thoughts that scare me most are losing my phone and getting lost, or losing my passport or credit card and having to deal with all the bureaucracy. These things haven’t happened to me yet, fortunately, but I’m still always very careful with my belongings.
Not very often, and generally speaking, I’ll take occasional loneliness over compromising on what I want to do. But this is also a personal thing – I’m pretty good at keeping myself entertained.
If you’re considering solo travel but you feel like you might get lonely, I’d suggest looking into day tours and activities on GetYourGuide or Viator. Many activities are inexpensive, and they can be a great way to meet people.
Solo travel definitely has its challenges, but I wouldn’t say it’s hard, especially if you’ve done your research beforehand. I actually find it extremely satisfying to face the challenges and resolve them successfully – whether that’s figuring out the public transportation system in a new destination, finding a way to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak the same language, or finding a fantastic vegan breakfast when it seems like all the odds are against me.
This is a really hard question to answer, because I’ve loved most places I’ve traveled to and I have so many fond memories from them. If I had to pick my top three, it would be these, in no particular order:
Taiwan for the natural beauty, the friendly people, the amazing cities, the fantastic food… damn, I should really go back to Taiwan sometime soon.
Thailand for the wildness of Bangkok, the magic of the temples, the serenity of the beaches, and mostly for the mango sticky rice. And the rest of the Thai food. But mostly the mango sticky rice.
Iceland for… well, everything. It’s hard to describe. It’s like visiting a different planet – but one that’s very friendly for solo female travelers.
That really depends on where you’re going – it ranges from incredibly easy to massively frustrating. As mentioned above, I travel to live it up, not to “survive,” so I always aim to choose vegan-friendly destinations. If I’m going somewhere where it’s not so obvious that I’ll be able to eat out and enjoy myself, I’ll do the research to see what my options are, and maybe even opt for a short-term rental instead of a hotel so I can cook my own meals (but that’s pretty rare – I’m team hotels all the way).
I’d say that in today’s world, vegan travel can be very easy, especially in popular destinations.