58: Solo Travel for Women Over 50: Find Yourself Without Being Alone

Something shifts in midlife, and suddenly the question gets loud: what would it look like to do something just for me? Travel is one of the fastest ways to answer that, but for a lot of women the dream bumps into real concerns about safety, confidence, and being “alone” in a new country. We wanted a conversation that tells the truth about those fears and then actually helps you move through them.

We sit down with Regina Winkle Bryan, founder of Bold Spirit Travel, to talk about solo women travel that feels supported, empowering, and genuinely fun. Regina shares how a Spanish-learning trip to Costa Rica turned into years of living abroad in Guatemala and Spain, and why experiences like the Camino de Santiago can be so transformational for women in transition. We dig into what makes small group tours work so well for solo travelers, including the way community forms when everyone arrives with the same quiet goal: to expand their life and meet themselves again.

You’ll also get practical, confidence-saving travel advice you can use immediately: capsule wardrobe basics, why breaking in shoes and training walks matter, what to do with cash and credit cards, and why relying on your phone for everything can backfire. We wrap with destination inspiration for different styles of travel, from Portugal’s easy logistics and wine culture to the Amalfi Coast and Ischia’s thermal spas, plus active options like Scotland hiking, Iceland adventures, and the Greek Islands.

If you’re ready for your next chapter and want it to feel bold, listen now, then subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review so more women can find the show. What destination is calling you right now?

FIND REGINA HERE:

1. Web: https://www.boldspirittravel.com/
2. IG: https://www.instagram.com/boldspirittravelcompany
3. FB: https://www.facebook.com/boldspirittravel

Transcript

Midlife Shift And The Call

SPEAKER_02 1:32

There are moments in life, especially in midlife, when something begins to shift. Maybe it's a transition or a change in identity. A quiet realization that the life you've been living is ready to expand. And often what follows is the question: what would it look like to do something just for me? Not for your family, for your responsibilities, or for who you've always been, but for the woman that you're becoming. And sometimes that answer looks like travel. Not the rushed overpacked checkbox kind of travel, but something deeper. A journey that allows you to reconnect with yourself, to build confidence, to trust your instincts again, to remember that you are capable, strong, and far more adventurous than you may think. And yes, to do it in a way that feels safe, supported, and empowering. Because solo travel doesn't have to mean being alone. It can mean being guided, held, and surrounded by the right people in the right places. And that's exactly what we're talking about today. I'm joined by Regina Winklebryan, the founder of Bold Spirit Travel, and she is a true powerhouse in the world of women's travel. She and her incredible team are helping women step out into the world with courage, confidence, and a sense of adventure, creating experiences that are not only safe, but truly transformational. So if you've been standing at the edge of something new, or if you've been feeling that pull toward adventure, or maybe you're in a season of transition and wondering what's next, consider this your invitation. Welcome to this episode of Life is Delicious. I'm Marnie Martin, and I'm so glad you're here. And if this is your first time here, welcome to the Life is Delicious Family. This podcast isn't about surviving midlife. It's about crafting your next chapter life, overflowing with purpose, joy, and delicious possibilities. Listen, midlife doesn't have to be a crisis, it can be a beautiful invitation to remember who we are, to rediscover a new version of ourselves, or to completely reinvent our life to reflect who we are becoming now. So if you're tired of being exhausted, living life on autopilot and putting everyone else first, then you are in the right place. Each week we'll bring you thought-provoking ideas and practical strategies as well as inspiration to help you prioritize yourself again. It's time to take back your joie de vie. So grab a notebook and pen and pop in those earbuds, and let's go get it. Welcome, Regina, to the Life is Delicious Podcast. I'm so grateful to have you here today.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Thank you for having me on the show. I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

I think what you do is so fascinating, and um, I know my listeners are gonna be super excited to hear about your story and what you offer to your clients. So if you would be so kind, tell us a little bit about how you got into the business of Bold Spirit travel and why did you decide to turn it into a business?

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yes, well, um no one will be surprised that I love to travel and have for many years. But really connecting the dots, I think we can trace Bold Spirit back to taking a Spanish class when I was in my early 20s and really wanting to learn Spanish, not for any particular reason, but I was very determined to do it, and I wasn't very good at it. In fact, I was pretty bad at it, and went to ch traditional classes at the university and just was not getting it. And I thought, you know, I know what I'll do. I'll go and I'll be immersed in the language, and that way I'm gonna get it. I'm gonna learn Spanish. So I signed up and I went to learn Spanish in Costa Rica for a few months. And I lived with a family, they spoke no English. I realized just how bad my Spanish really was on a daily basis. Um and maybe I learned some Spanish while I was there, I don't know. Um mostly what I learned was that I loved to travel and that I could do it by myself, you know. And before that trip, I was pretty anxious about it, and I remember doing all kinds of research, and um, but I went and I went alone. Um, and it was great. And so that led me to go back to Costa Rica later and live there for quite a while, and then eventually moved to Guatemala, and I lived there for two years, and then I moved to Spain uh to Barcelona, and probably listeners are thinking, well, that's Catalunya, that's not Spain, so that's a different podcast. But yes, I moved to Catalunya um and I lived there for for 10 years. So incredible. Well, yeah, it was a long trajectory and about 13 years, um, and that is enough time to learn Spanish, it turns out. I did. Finally.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

So what were you working, or what was the draw to go to Costa Rica? I mean, obviously, learning Spanish was one of the reasons, but there must have been something else that kind of drew you to seeing new things.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

Well, I know I think you and I are both from the same part of the world, right? We're both on the Pacific side of the Pacific Northwest. So I gotta say, one part was that I just wanted to get out of the rain. Um, you know, I was tired of being in the rainy Pacific Northwest, which is which is where I'm from, it's where I live now, and it's beautiful, of course. But um, and I was younger and I was restless and wanted to see the world, you know, that was part of it too. The language thing, I just I don't know why I was so stuck on that. I really didn't have much of a reason other than, you know, it obviously opened all kinds of doors. In fact, I don't know that I would have started Bold Spirit all these years later had I not learned Spanish because it just opened up a whole new life for me eventually. So, Costa Rica, I was a student at that point, but then, you know, I did end up working in Guatemala, and then of course I worked while I was in Barcelona. I worked as a journalist for a while in Barcelona, and I would write about interesting travel experiences that I had. So one of them was doing the Camino de Santiago. Some of you probably have heard of that. It's a pilgrimage trail that mostly cuts across Spain. That's the best known path. It's called the French way. Anyways, I did part of that, and then I wrote a story about it for a magazine. And it was quite important and transformational. And I've I honestly I've never had another travel experience quite like the Camino. I think that's why it is quite popular and people love it, and they kind of get into it, and then they go back year after year and do other trails on the Camino because it's so special. So I did that, and then, you know, years later when I started Bold Spirit, that was one of the first trips that we offered was the Camino.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Because you were familiar with it, obviously.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Exactly. And it had been this really important travel moment for me, and I knew I wanted to share it with other women. We take people to Costa Rica. Well, you know, that's because Costa Rica has a special place in my heart. I I lived there for quite a while. So it when I first started, it was places I knew and places I really wanted to share with other women travelers.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

That's fascinating. And I love that you had said that the Camino was one of your first sort of really impactful travel experiences. I have a girlfriend that's going in about three weeks, and my other girlfriend went about three years ago, and so she's been inspired by her and yeah, just recently retired and decided she's just gonna take herself and go have a a time to learn about who she is again in this new chapter. So, what was the most impactful thing that you found about being on the camino? What was that for you?

Building Bold Spirit And Women’s Community

SPEAKER_00 10:05

You are in Spain for the most part. It starts in different places, but most of the walking usually takes place in Spain. Um, but it doesn't, it feels like something else, it's its own bubble because there are people from all over the world on the Camino, from Japan, from Australia, from you know, other places in Europe. So you're walking along and you're in the Spanish culture, um Galician culture, but at the same time you're interacting with all these other cultures, and it's just kind of unusual to have all these different people from all these different countries walking the same path at the same time and sharing their stories. And the nature of the Camino is that you're just you're walking so much that you're gonna start talking to people because you know, people are friendly, and frankly, you're seeing each other all the time. It's a slow, it's slow travel. You're just on your own two feet. So um, you're going to get to know people, and I think it's really unique in that way. Um, I haven't ever been on any uh another trip where I met so many different uh people, all with a similar goal. To re kind of piggyback on what you said about your friend thinking about, well, what what am I doing now in my life? You know, a new chapter. You see that quite a bit on the Camino. You see people seeking it out because they want some sort of answer or they they want time to think and be with themselves and their thoughts, you know. Uh, so that could be a new chapter because of retirement, or sometimes it's something like divorce, or just starting a different job, leaving a job, starting something new, empty nesting, of course, a loss of a loved one. But it and some people just do it for the fun of doing the Camino and they want something active and you know, challenge themselves themselves physically. But often it calls to a certain kind of person who wants that introspection and um a chance the spiritual aspect of it. And I don't mean necessarily Catholicism, although it is a Catholic pilgrimage trail. The majority of people on it are not Catholic. Certainly some are, but it's really people of all faiths are walking the Camino.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Yeah, that's wonderful. I love that. And I think my audience certainly can a lot of my audience is in probably one of those demographics that you just just spoke about. So I think it's really interesting, and so that's a a good starting point for sure. But obviously that continued into more and doing more travel. So tell me a little bit more about how your business evolved from that place.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Yes, well, we we just do uh small group, all women trips. So we started with the Camino, and I think we started with um Italy, and then we've just been build, I say we because I have a small team, we've just been building uh ever since. And actually, as you and I are are recording this, um, we have a group in Iceland right now, and they're going to an ice cave and you know, all kinds of cool stuff. Again, a place that I've I visited a couple times as a journalist, as a matter of fact, and just really loved it. And so definitely wanted to offer Iceland. Um, and what has developed over the years is, and it was always the intention to connect women through adventure, but the the community-building part has become more and more important to me. Um, most of the women on our trips, they come alone. Sometimes they'll come with a friend, but mostly they come alone. And so recognizing that it's really kind of frightening to go on a trip by yourself, especially if you've never done it before with a bunch of people whom you've never met. And all the old stuff that, you know, maybe is from childhood, comes up where am I going to fit in? Um, what's it gonna be like? You know, what will the other women be like? That that comes up. Uh one of the questions I get most is uh what's the age range? Once a week, somebody will ask me that. But I guess my point is that there are so many of us out there who want to travel solo. We want to women who want to travel alone. For whatever reason, we're not gonna go with our friends or the our spouse or whoever, um, and we're ready to go. And there's there's a lot of us out there, and so joining a group is a great way to build community with other women who also want to do this. You might have tons of friends back home, and none of them want to go and walk the Camino with you or go to Iceland or hike in the highlands of Scotland. That's something else we do. They don't want to do that. But guess what? There's a bunch of other people who do. So building this community of um like-minded women travelers who hopefully will stay in touch after the trip and you know, guests will be able to get together later. Maybe they do a different trip or they go and see each other if they live in different states and do small trips together or small hikes, that's really what's most important to me. Um, it's what makes me happiest is when when that happens.

Fears, First Trips, And Travel Classes

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Yeah, you know, that's such an awesome thing because I think for a lot of us when we get to this place in life, you know, there is a lot of transition. And certainly you do have, you know, that those moments where somebody you know has lost a spouse, or there's so much transition. But having said that, what a beautiful blessing to be able to connect with other women that are in the same space as you and can build lifetime friendships.

SPEAKER_00 15:54

Exactly, yeah. And I would say most of the women who come on our trips are between the age of maybe 45, 50 to 70, 75. So some shared experiences there that these women have. And I I've seen lots of friendships come out of our trips and many guests who come multiple times on multiple trips, we love them. And uh it it speaks to I think how wonderful the guides are, first of all, because we employ um wonderful women tour leaders, and that's important too, this that we're we're supporting each other. So it's not just the fact that this is a woman-owned-owned business, it's also the the women who are leading the tours in Italy and Iceland right now, and um, you know, the women drivers and uh restaurant owners. So it's actually participating in a trip like this is uplifting women in tourism all over the world. Uh so that's part of it too. It's uh it's many, many layered.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

I love that. That's like a mission unto itself to connect women and to be able to support women and to be able to bring business to women-owned, you know, establishments. That's fantastic. I love that on so many levels. So let's dig into maybe what are some of the obstacles that you find that people come up with for not doing solo travel? Like what are some of the things? Do you have to work through stuff with people sometimes? Like, do you get a lot of questions?

SPEAKER_00 17:29

I think so. Yeah, I think it's normal. And I'm like that too. If I'm haven't done something before, and then I do a lot of research, that helps me. That's one of the ways that I can prepare for something um new. So I love talking to people on the phone, especially if it's their first trip. We we have travelers who have been to many countries and are very experienced, and they are coming with us because they would like to have community, you know, meet some new friends, and also have somebody take care of logistics for them, which is a big part of it. But we also have people who I just spoke to somebody the other day. She's never been out of the country on her own, and I think it was going to be her first trip to Europe. And it's daunting. If once you do it, it's like, oh, okay, I can do this, you know, I can do this again. But you don't know what you don't know. So um, yeah, I get a lot of questions. Um, and we also offer classes about travel pretty frequently. So some of them are free, some of them are we we charge a ticket depending on what they are. We just did one the other day that was not so much travel, but it was with a woman who she's quite inspiring. People should look uh can contact me if they'd like to see the replay. But um, she is an American and she moved to Portugal and uh four years ago and alone, single woman, she's retired, and we had a class all about how she moved to Portugal and what that was like, and you can imagine there were a lot of questions. So uh she's next level. There's a jump between, you know, doing your first solo trip and then moving to Portugal on your own.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

But 100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

As we were talking, she mentioned that she didn't go on her first solo trip abroad until she was over 40.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Wow.

Packing Smarter And Planning For Safety

SPEAKER_00 19:23

And now she is a world traveler and lives on her own, you know, moved to Portugal. So, anyhow, we do a lot of those classes. I do one that's called Pack Like a Pro. Great for any traveler who overpacks, and or maybe you just want some tips on great gear, how to do a capsule wardrobe, uh luggage. So that's great.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

I love that. And it's really, I mean, we could probably have two or three podcast episodes just covering all of it. But let's let's dig into maybe some tips on what would be your top five packing tips for people that have never really done this on their own, but they now have to go, okay, I have to really be a little bit mindful of what I'm gonna put in my suitcase and what I'm gonna bring with me.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Right. Well, first of all, you want to check and see how much weight you can actually bring. And usually it's 50 pounds if you're traveling from North America, but well, I would say I love the the idea of the capsule wardrobe, which I've got to admit that I came too late in life, but now I it's one of the ways that I pack. So for those who don't know what that is, it's basically you choose one or two colors. So I always do black and white. So if you see pictures of me traveling, I'm probably wearing something black and white. I love that too. So you you all black pants, and then you've got uh a few shirts, and everything that you have can go with everything else, and then you have a couple of scarves, those don't take up too much space, and so that lets you bring um fewer items but have several outfits, and then I would say break in your shoes. Mostly we go to Europe, so I'm that's kind of the lens through which I'm looking at this for packing. So people think, you know, I'm gonna wear my really cute shoes for my spring trip to Europe. Great idea, but make sure you've broken those in big time before you leave.

SPEAKER_02 21:23

You're gonna be doing a lot of walking.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

Yeah, and I would that's another tip is if you don't walk much at home, then the month before you're going to go on your trip, or maybe even two months, start walking, put your Fitbit on, and you know, do five miles a couple times a week. How does that feel? Because in Europe you can easily do 20,000 steps in a day without even trying, right? Because it's just so walkable. It depends on where you're gonna be. I'm thinking European cities, right? Let's say you're going to Rome or Barcelona. That's that's an easy uh goal to accomplish, 20,000 steps. So if you're not used to that, then do a bit of training and wear the shoes that you're going to wear while you're on your trip.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

That's a great tip. I love that because yeah, I think being comfortable on your feet is probably the most important thing for being able to enjoy your surroundings, right?

SPEAKER_00 22:17

Yes, absolutely. And having the right shoes for uneven surface ways. I'm just thinking, so one of the trips we go on is the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and we visit an archaeological site. We do this in Sicily as well and in Greece. Archaeological sites are uneven andor cobblestone, so you want to have the right shoes for that. You're not just wearing some kind of flip-flops. So look into what your itinerary is and make sure you have the right gear. Of course, we always give everybody a packing list before our trips. The other thing would be to split up your money and your credit cards. So don't put all your eggs in one basket. If you're and I always take out cash before a trip. So if you're going to the Amalfi Coast, then you would let's say you take out 300 euros, split it in half. So if something happens to your purse, you still have backup money, you still have a backup debit card. You're not, you know, completely out of luck.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

I think right.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Yeah, I mean it makes sense, right? Um, and same thing with your important documents. You want to make a copy or take pictures of those, uh, so that if something were to happen, you're separated from them for whatever reason. You have A copy. I also say beware of putting everything on your phone because we all rely so much on our phones these days. You got your Apple Pay and your all your plane tickets are on there, and maybe you've booked some activities, all those tickets are on there. I had a woman who accidentally dropped it in a toilet, didn't work for the rest of her vacation. Oh no. Um and then that's that.

SPEAKER_02 23:54

Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Awfully complicated trip.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Right. So have a backup. Where else can you put those documents? Maybe you go old school and print some important items off, you know?

SPEAKER_02 24:09

What I love about what you do with people and these tips that you're giving us is because I've actually never been to Europe, and that's definitely on the top of my bucket list. But the interesting thing is I think the first time you go anywhere, I remember when I even went to an all-inclusive for the very first time. The first time I went, I I found that there was just so many things I didn't know until about a week in. And then I was like, oh, I wish I wish somebody'd give me like a cheat sheet. When you go, you gotta find the board that has all the stuff and you know, all the little things. And then I was like, I should I could write a, you know, a a little, you know, thing on how to do it more effectively so you don't waste so much time. And I would imagine it's very similar with what you do because when people go with someone who's done it before, you're not bumbling around trying to find where the best restaurant is, or you've got all of that extra knowledge that just sort of fast tracks you to doing the trip in a way that's more efficient and more enjoyable.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

Absolutely. And many of us are very busy. I'm sure many of your listeners in midlife, they've got jobs, they've maybe have kids, they're taking care of their parents or whatever. People have a lot going on. And sometimes it's really fun to plan a trip, and sometimes it's like I cannot do one more thing. I cannot do all the research for this. So just hire somebody to do it, and maybe that looks like coming on a trip with us and we're gonna take care of you. Or maybe you hire a travel advisor and they take care of it for you. You don't have to do it all yourself. And like a lot of things in life, it can be really advantageous to hire an expert.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Because the whole point is it's supposed to be an enjoyable experience, and I would imagine, you know, there's probably been times where people have gone on and, you know, they think it's going to be an adventure and it ends up being rather complicated, or they do something that was probably taboo, or maybe they didn't know to go not to go to that part of town or whatever that is. And then it changes the whole dynamic of their experience.

Best First Destinations And Trip Styles

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yeah, and I think that's important and as solo women travelers too. It is important to think about what part of town you're going to stay in. I do a lot of research about that when I'm about going on going to a new place, if I'm staying in a big city, uh, and that's hours of my time trying to figure out will this be safe, will I be able to walk, how will I feel in this area or this hotel. So having somebody who's already figured all that out for you makes a difference if you're going to Rome or Naples or um Madrid or whatever. We we sometimes have groups of friends. Like I said, it's not very often. Mostly it's solo women travelers, but I've had this a couple of times. And if you've ever tried to travel with your whole family or with a group of close friends, it sounds like a lot of fun, and it can be. Somebody is doing all the planning. And that somebody may or may not be resentful at the end of the day. Um, and then you've got to get everybody to say, you know, well, I want to go out to this restaurant or I want to do this activity, and everybody, you got to get everybody on board herding cats. So when you go on an organized trip, there's no, there's no, you know, you don't need to go over it a million times because it's already the itinerary is already set. So the friend groups who we've had have really liked that because they just show up and they're taken care of. Their whole group is taken care of. Of course, if people don't want to do all the activities they don't have to, mostly they do, but um I think it reduces conflict and stress.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

I agree because I think, you know, I I just saw a post actually on social media somewhere and it had the five types of friends who travel, and there's always one who's the planner and one who's you know needs to nap a lot and like all the different personalities because everybody's idea of what's relaxing or what's adventurous is very different.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

Absolutely, right. Somebody wants to go to the market, somebody else just wants to chill by the pool.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

So you sign up for a group trip and it's like, well, this is what we're doing, and there's a little bit of everything, you know, built in so that it's attractive for most people. And it's been real successful. Um I we had a group that they were celebrating thirty years of friendship. And I thought that was such a beautiful idea. They first of all, that they've been friends for so long and still, you know, really close, and that they would book a trip specifically to celebrate each other and how much they love each other.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

I love that. I love that so much. So of all the trips that you have taken, like just give us your top five destinations that you would suggest people look at first if they've never tackled travel solo or even leaving the country for that matter.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Well, um, it kind of depends on what you want. Like as we were saying, do you want a beach trip or do you want something that's, you know, very adventurous where you're hiking and you're you know out in the wilderness kind of thing? So there's there's that question. But I think if it's your first trip abroad, um, as far as the trips that we offer, I've seen that the Amalfi Coast trip is quite popular, as is I would say Portugal would be another one that's really good. I like these trips because you can, if you're a new traveler, you can fly directly to the destination and we're going to pick you up. So, for example, with Portugal, you fly to Lisbon and we're gonna pick you up there, and it's the logistics are really easy. So I would say, yeah, Portugal is a great place to start. It's sunny, it's people are friendly, people in the big cities speak English. If you're worried about language, of course, uh Scotland would be a great option. We do a hiking trip in Scotland. People have to be pretty fit for that. But I I think you know, Costa Rica is good because it's you're not dealing with jet lag. So that's something going over to Europe, you're going to have most people are gonna have jet lag. There's a few lucky ones out there who they don't get jet lag.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Yeah, I don't think I've ever had jet lag, but I'm I'm looking forward to maybe having some one day.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

You're gonna be having jet lag, Marty, pretty soon. Where do you want to go first?

SPEAKER_02 32:27

Well, Italy's on the top of my bucket list for sure, but I've heard so many good things about Portugal, and I'm more of the interest of just being in sort of the small towns with the locals and just yeah, and I'm a wine rep too, so I'm always really interested in particular countries that have great wine and the the way they do it differently than the way we do here. So that's that's a neat thing for me too.

SPEAKER_00 32:50

Well that would be the Portugal could be quite interesting in that respect for you too, then, because their wines are in the north, they have the the wine region up there, and you've got the Vino Verde. But of course Italy. I don't know, that's a toss-up right there. I'm not sure.

unknown 33:07

I know.

SPEAKER_00 33:07

I know the wrong go over and do a week in one place and a week in the other.

SPEAKER_02 33:13

There you go. Well, that's awesome. I appreciate that. Well, tell us um what kind of trips do you have coming up for solo travelers and maybe give us a couple of different options for all the different personalities. So somebody that maybe wants maybe wants something a little more adventurous or a little bit more they're fitter and they want something like that, or maybe a little more laid back on the beach, and then maybe, you know, a little bit more exploring.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

Oh, I like this. It's like match the personality type. So if you are somebody who's quite fit and you want a active vacation, um, I would say come do the camino with us in September of this year. We do we'll do it next year too in 2027, but we're going to be doing the classic French way. So that's the way that you've seen in the movies. Um, if you read a book about the Camino, it's probably about the French way. It's really beautiful and has a lot of services, which makes it attractive to people. So we're doing that in September. You're gonna have to walk about 10 miles a day, but it's only for seven days. And then we also do a hiking trip in, they're both in September. Why? Because it's really good, good weather for hiking. Um, we don't want to be too hot when we're hiking. We also go to Scotland at that time and we hike in the wilderness in the highlands. It's more rugged hiking, whereas Camino is more walking. And we do something where we do a cold plunge into a lake, which is called a lock, and then we go into a sauna, and it's just a really cool trip. It's so beautiful. It's a lot like where we live, Marnie, up in the Pacific Northwest. It's okay. Yeah, the landscape's very similar. Mm-hmm and the weather. Nice. And then if you are somebody who loves the beach and water and you want to go swimming and that vibe, then I would say come to the Greek Islands. We go to Athens, which is obviously the mainland, but we also go to Naxos and to Santorini. That's in September. So lots of options to swim there and also um history, of course. And the Amalfi coast in Italy is also on the water. And as a matter of fact, we go to an island. Hopefully, people have heard of this island, although most people have, and it's called Ischia, and it's right next to the island of Capri. Most people have heard of Capri. Yeah. Um, Ischia is covered with thermal spas, natural thermal water that's bubbling up. And so we spend the whole day at a beautiful spa on the beach on an island. It's really cool.

Where To Find Bold Spirit Travel

SPEAKER_02 35:55

Is it like a hot springs of sorts?

SPEAKER_00 35:57

It's a hot springs, but much more elevated than like your hot springs in the woods kind of thing. This is a resort with, I don't know, they must have 10 or 15 pools of varying temperatures. They have a wine grotto and a bistro and a private beach with sun loungers. It's quite um luxurious.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

That sounds like it's gonna be on the top of my list for sure.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

It's a highlight for a lot of our guests and for me. I love that place. Um, and then if you love wine and food and culture, I would say Portugal. So maybe for the woman traveler who loves a city, loves some great shopping, and also history and art wine. And wine.

SPEAKER_02 36:43

Yes, and wine. Wine and art and food, they just kind of go together, right?

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Yeah, so that's more of an active um cultural city escape. Although we do go to some small villages, whereas I would say the Greek islands, it's more laid back. With a little dose of Athens. Athens is a big city, so you know, you got a little bit of everything in there.

SPEAKER_02 37:06

That's awesome. Well, thank you for sharing some of your wisdom today. My goodness, I think uh I think it sounds like the most perfect job in the whole wide world, and uh, I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner.

SPEAKER_00 37:19

It's it's a pretty fun job, and getting to work with our guests and and our wonderful guides is is a gift, and I'm often just blown away by how how amazing people are. You never know what their stories are, and I love learning about our guests and being inspired and learning from our guides.

SPEAKER_02 37:39

Yeah, and I would imagine, probably, especially if you're seeing some travelers come back year after year, how great those friendships are and how wonderful it is to be a part of everyone's life and their happiness excursions.

SPEAKER_00 37:53

Yes, exactly. Getting to be part of something that um enriches people's lives and and and seeing this trajectory for some where you know I a client who has never left the country and then I talked to her three years later and she's been to 25 countries, you know, just seeing that change is really fun for me.

SPEAKER_02 38:18

Oh, I bet. I bet oh that's good. Well, hopefully I'll be one of those people. I see it for you. Yeah, I have to get out there for sure. But no, it's been so great. So if you before we wrap up, please do tell us where people can connect with you on the socials and on your website, and I will put all those links in the show notes as well.

SPEAKER_00 38:37

Yes, um, find us over at boldspirit travel.com and we're also on Instagram and Facebook. I'm here in, as I said, in the Pacific Northwest, so in that time zone, and I love talking to people on the phone, so don't hesitate to call if you have questions or just want to know more about what it's like to travel with a group for the first time. Thanks so much for having me on. Really appreciate it.