Why People Start Traveling Alone: One Traveler’s Story

What happens when a shared dream outlives the person you planned it with?

In Episode 7 of Roam Alone, I’m joined by Anne—a traveler who embodies wanderlust in its truest form. After the death of a close friend, Anne made the brave decision to take the trip they had always dreamed of together: the Amalfi Coast. What began as a tribute became the start of a lifelong solo travel journey.

From a chance encounter with a stranger in Paris to practical safety strategies that help her navigate the world solo, Anne reminds us that travel can hold both loss and beauty at the same time.

Time Stamps:

• 00:00 Introduction to Anne and her intrepid wanderlust
• 02:10 Taking her first solo trip to the Amalfi Coast as a tribute to a friend
• 12:48 A powerful encounter with a stranger at a Paris restaurant
• 26:21 Anne’s solo travel safety tips, including the famous “don’t mess with me” face

Annie's Nuggets

Rick Steves' tours

Roam Alone is hosted by Theresa Stephens.

Instagram: @theresaannstephens

Facebook: /theresastephens

Facebook: /RoamAlone

Transcript

Hi, everyone. I'm your host, Theresa Stephens, and this is Roam Alone.

Solo travel, shared stories. My guest today is Anne McReynolds. This is actually the first time

we're talking to each other over the phone. Uh, Anne came to me as a recommendation from a

mutual friend who had heard about the show, and he texted me one day and said, oh my gosh,

I've got the perfect guest for you. Every time I call her, she is on a different coast, in a different

continent, on a different, you know, part of the world. You've got to talk to her. And so please

welcome and thank you so much for joining me today.

Anne McReynolds Thank you for having me.

Theresa Stephens Absolutely. So before we get into all the solo travel that you have done, tell

us a little bit about yourself.

Anne McReynolds Well, I am, um, I want to say up front that I am a traveler rather than a

vacationer.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds I

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds know that there's a lot of people that ask me why take so many vacations?

And I don't really look at it that way. Um, my parents both had the disease of wanderlust, and

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds everyone in my family has it. So I have been thinking about travel and

thinking about places I wanted to go since I was a little girl. Um,

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds basically, I'm an introvert that presents as an extrovert, so I enjoy being in

my head and experiencing things solo. Um,

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds I, I love being with people, I love my family and being with my girlfriends,

but I think that's one of the reasons why I do so well with solo. Solo travel is because I can, I

can, I can be my own best companion.

Theresa Stephens Oh absolutely. I have found that in myself as well. Like I can you know I'm

great company and I'll, I am all

Anne McReynolds Yeah,

Theresa Stephens I need when I travel for sure.Anne McReynolds exactly. Exactly.

Theresa Stephens Yeah,

Anne McReynolds So

Theresa Stephens yeah.

Anne McReynolds when

Theresa Stephens So

Anne McReynolds you talk about

Theresa Stephens go

Anne McReynolds solo

Theresa Stephens ahead.

Anne McReynolds travel to me like when I was younger, maybe in high school or even earlier,

because back then you could just put your child on a plane by themselves. And it was it was a

different time. I traveled a lot by myself, um, domestically, from one spot to the next. Um, and

in college, I would get on a plane to visit my parents. So I don't really consider that solo travel.

That's that's just transportation to get where I want to go. Um,

Theresa Stephens I get

Anne McReynolds I

Theresa Stephens that, yes.

Anne McReynolds actually took my first solo trip in, uh, twenty thirteen.

Theresa Stephens Okay. So what prompted that solo trip?

Anne McReynolds Well, um, like I said, I'm a traveler, and I had a very close friend. Her name

was Ellie, and Ellie was a die hard New Yorker that worked really hard and made a lot of

money. And, um, she said, if you plan the trip and tell me where to show up. I will take the time

off and go with you.

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens nice.

Anne McReynolds she. She was a wonderful traveler and we went for several years, um, to a

lot of different places. And she was very interesting person. Um, but Ellie, um, had cancer and

passed away at the age of forty eight in twenty twelve.Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens I'm so sorry.

Anne McReynolds yes. And, um, so I have wonderful, wonderful memories of traveling with

her. Um, but one of the things that Ellie and I had planned on doing, um, before she passed

away was to go to Amalfi.

Theresa Stephens Um.

Anne McReynolds So, um, I decided that I was going to go to Amalfi no matter what and kind

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds of live this dream of ours by myself.

Theresa Stephens Oh. Oh. That's fantastic. So she passed away in twenty twelve. And you

Anne McReynolds Um.

Theresa Stephens went to Amalfi in twenty thirteen, right?

Anne McReynolds Well, actually, what I did was in her honor. I took a group of her friends, my

girlfriends, to

Theresa Stephens Ah.

Anne McReynolds Italy. Um, and we kind of went to some of our old haunts that I had gone to

with Ellie. And, um, it was in her honor. So the girls trip ended in Florence, and the girlfriends

left, um, from Florence. And then I got on the train and went south, um, to Naples to get myself

Theresa Stephens Oh, nice.

Anne McReynolds to the Amalfi coast

Theresa Stephens Wow.

Anne McReynolds and,

Theresa Stephens What

Anne McReynolds um.

Theresa Stephens an incredible tribute. Really?

Anne McReynolds Yes. And so, um, I was I was nervous being by myself, but I had been on

trains in Europe before. And you know what really can happen to me? The only thing I was

worried about is that Naples. I don't know if you've been to Naples, but it

Theresa Stephens IAnne McReynolds can

Theresa Stephens have

Anne McReynolds be kind

Theresa Stephens done.

Anne McReynolds of sketchy. Gritty is what I like to call it. And,

Theresa Stephens Gritty. Gritty

Anne McReynolds um.

Theresa Stephens is a is a is a cooler word, that's for sure.

Anne McReynolds Yeah. Yes. Well. and the Naples train station isn't where you want to just

spend your time.

Theresa Stephens Mhm. Mhm.

Anne McReynolds So in order to, um, I was going to a little town, um, just past Positano. I like

places that the crowds where the crowds aren't. And

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds Raiano is a wonderful, wonderful village on the sea. And everybody is at

Positano, and and there are very few, few crowds in Priano. So, um, I made a reservation, a

little family owned, uh, in that was on the side of the mountain. And,

Theresa Stephens Nice.

Anne McReynolds um, I went by train to Naples, and then I had to go get off my train and go

to the basement of the Naples train station, where I picked

Theresa Stephens Okay.

Anne McReynolds up a regional train.

Theresa Stephens Okay.

Anne McReynolds And that regional train was really yucky. And, um, it was an experience.

That's when I, got kind of nervous. I was actually in a very small train car, and it was me and

these young men that there was a big no smoking sign, and they were all smoking under the

sign.

Theresa Stephens Right?

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens Right.Anne McReynolds and I kept thinking, oh my gosh, they're going to grab my purse and push

me off this train. And no one's ever

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds going to hear from me again.

Theresa Stephens oh oh.

Anne McReynolds Oh.

Theresa Stephens I could completely understand you feeling that way, because I would feel if

they so blatantly were breaking, you know,

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens smoking laws just right underneath the sign. What else are they willing to

do?

Anne McReynolds Oh, yeah. And here's this little lady with her, her little bag, and I'm like,

Theresa Stephens Mm.

Anne McReynolds oh, so I, I got off that train and then I had to catch a bus in Sorrento.

Theresa Stephens Mm.

Anne McReynolds Well, the, the bus that I was catching broke down and

Theresa Stephens Oh my goodness.

Anne McReynolds I had to wait two hours in the sun for the next bus. And then I realized that

the Amalfi Coast bus is very crowded. And I actually had to stand on the bus straddling my my

suitcase.

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds Um,

Theresa Stephens my gosh.

Anne McReynolds and and the and so the bus winds itself around from Sorrento, winds itself

around the Amalfi Coast, and it's kind of weaving back and forth, and the road is very crowded.

And I knew that when I passed Positano that it was going to be my next stop, because the inn

where I was staying in Priano was actually, uh, on the side of the hill overlooking Priano. So it

was the first stop when you get to Priano. And

Theresa Stephens Gotcha.

Anne McReynolds I knew that it was stop number four. And so it started raining really hard.Theresa Stephens Of

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens course

Anne McReynolds I thought,

Theresa Stephens it

Anne McReynolds well,

Theresa Stephens did.

Anne McReynolds this is great that my, my stop is right in front of my end. So we pass

Positano and I stood there and and I called to the bus driver. Quatro. Quatro? Well, I don't

even know if that's foreign Italian. I know it is in Spanish. And. And he totally ignored me. We

went right by my hotel and kept

Theresa Stephens Oh my

Anne McReynolds on

Theresa Stephens goodness

Anne McReynolds going down the hill into

Theresa Stephens no.

Anne McReynolds the city of Priano.

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds Yes. So it's

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds still

Theresa Stephens my

Anne McReynolds pouring

Theresa Stephens goodness.

Anne McReynolds rain. He stops in Priano. I get off the bus. I am a drown rat. I

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds have my luggage, my little carry on luggage in my purse and my backpack

and I. I had just come from where the hotel is, so I knew where it was. So I walked up the hill

all the way in the rain to my little inn, and I finally get up there huffing and puffing, and I walkinto the inn and the owner, Luigi, wonderful soft spoken Italian man, stands up and looks at me

in horror because I was so wet and I introduced myself and I said, the bus didn't stop. I was

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds really furious.

Theresa Stephens yeah.

Anne McReynolds And and he says to me, he says to me, Miss Ann, I want you to go

upstairs to your room, take a hot shower, and then meet me on the rooftop restaurant for some

homemade lemon cake.

Theresa Stephens Oh, okay.

Anne McReynolds And I

Theresa Stephens That

Anne McReynolds said

Theresa Stephens can turn things around.

Anne McReynolds yes. So I said, okay. I followed the directions. I took a hot shower, I went

upstairs, I walk up the stairs, and it's this rooftop restaurant with sparkle lights and classical

music playing.

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds You could see the whole coast and

Theresa Stephens Wow.

Anne McReynolds you could see the storm rolling in. And Luigi hands me a cup of espresso.

And this the most wonderful lemon cake, which is really more like lemon pie.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds And he's pulled up a chair and we talked about our kids and our lives. And

he found out all about me. And it was the most wonderful experience. And I felt like I was

exactly where I was supposed to be.

Theresa Stephens Oh my goodness. That's just incredible. I mean, leading up to you getting

there and everything just not going well, especially after one of your closest friends passes

away. You have this big tribute to her. You're going off finally to the Amalfi Coast, something

that you and Elliot wanted to do forever. And then everything is going wrong. But finally you get

there. So when you arrived and before you, you know, really started talking with Luigi and

taking a shower and things turning around. What exactly was your state of mind at that point? I

mean, were you ready to just pack it in and go home? Were you was your fortitude even

stronger? How didAnne McReynolds Oh,

Theresa Stephens you feel at that time?

Anne McReynolds Teresa, it is

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds the feeling that I have frequently felt when I am traveling solo.

Theresa Stephens Um

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens hum.

Anne McReynolds I think to myself, what are you doing? Why did you think you could do this?

Theresa Stephens Um hum.

Anne McReynolds What made you think that this was going to be easy?

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds And I beat myself up and.

Theresa Stephens Um hum.

Anne McReynolds And then I always, always find out why I'm doing this.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds And I've learned something. And I've learned what not to do and what to

do. And it makes me better for the next time.

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds Um. it also helps me if you wanted to go to Priano. I now tell you. I can tell

you exactly what to do and what not to do.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds Right.

Theresa Stephens Yes, exactly.

Anne McReynolds Experience is the best teacher, and

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds it it also makes me realize that being brave doesn't. Or having courage

doesn't mean that you're particularly brave. It just means that you might be scared out of yourmind, but you just keep on going anyway.

Theresa Stephens Yes. You know, that's the one thing that I, since I started doing this podcast

that I am reminded of from just thinking of my own trips and also some, you know, travel

stories from other people that I've interviewed, which is things are always going to go wrong.

It's just the nature of life, especially when you're in a foreign place or you're in complete, you

know, brand new area that you're not familiar with, things are going to go wrong and one you

fake it till you make it and

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens don't let anybody know you're scared. And two you just, you just pivot and

you learn and you move on and you don't give up. And it ends up, you know, changing you for

the good in

Anne McReynolds Exactly.

Theresa Stephens ways you can't imagine.

Anne McReynolds And you look back and it really builds your confidence to know that you

went through, that you didn't fall apart, the life didn't end and

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds you ended up with this wonderful place that you discovered. Luigi and I

still correspond.

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds I feel like he's a friend. I've taken many people there since then. Um, and

and so nothing but positive comes from

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds it.

Theresa Stephens Oh that's incredible. What a great way to start. You know, a solo travel

experience for sure. Um,

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens yeah. And the thing you were talking about, which is, you know, you're

experiencing all of this, and then that helps when you are talking to other people about going to

the same area or trying to experience the same thing, and you've kind of turned it into a

business of sorts, because you have your own website now that talks about your experiences

and you help other people. Correct.

Anne McReynolds Yes, actually, I started my website back in, oh, I don't know, two thousand

and nine or whatever, when it was a big blog, you know, everybody was blogging.Theresa Stephens Yeah. Mhm.

Anne McReynolds It was simply a way that I could have, um, I could pass on tips about

different

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds things that I would discover to my friends, and then they would tell their

friends. And then when I started traveling more, I started putting in information about traveling.

And with the internet and Facebook and all these different, um, ways people find you, people

started asking me questions about travel. so my traveling is probably the most prominent part

of my website.

Theresa Stephens Oh, fantastic. And what is your website?

Anne McReynolds It's called Annie's Nuggets. Com.

Theresa Stephens Ah love it. And the link is going to be in the show notes by the way.

Anne McReynolds Awesome.

Theresa Stephens Um, yeah for sure. So you're talking about Luigi. And so you met Luigi

back in twenty thirteen. You still correspond

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens to this day, which is incredible. And I you know, there are so many people

that I am still in touch with. And, you know, of course Facebook helps with that. Um,

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens but people that I've met along the way and, you know, I've met them once,

haven't seen them since, but I feel like I know them still to this day. Are there other some other

unexpected friendships from some of your travels?

Anne McReynolds Well I was thinking about that and I run into so many people and when I go

back naturally they recognize you and it's it's wonderful. I have a restaurant in Paris, um,

where I, I was actually one of the very first people to go to this restaurant when they first

opened. And it's a tiny little restaurant in Paris. And, um, the owner and the chef have gotten to

know me, and they literally introduced me as their family. Um,

Theresa Stephens Oh my gosh.

Anne McReynolds and so it's so much fun to go there, and it's fun to send people there

because I feel like I'm helping my friends

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds and, and,Theresa Stephens And.

Anne McReynolds um, there is there is a story that I was going to tell you, um, when I was in

Paris, if you don't mind, if I go into this, um.

Theresa Stephens Oh, absolutely. Please do.

Anne McReynolds There was I was by myself, and I wanted to go get something to eat. So I

went to the famous cafe café de Flore, which is in Paris. It's where Hemingway used to meet

all of his friends. And, um,

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds so I walk in and, um, they sit me next to a very pretty woman. And if you

know Paris, the tables are very close to each other. You kind of can't help but strike up a

conversation.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds And so I started talking, and she was American and she was from Texas,

and she had that Texas beauty queen look about her, you know,

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds the great big smile and,

Theresa Stephens Great. Big

Anne McReynolds um,

Theresa Stephens smile. Big white teeth. Probably

Anne McReynolds exactly

Theresa Stephens a little bit. Big hair.

Anne McReynolds the Phyllis George look. Right?

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds Um, and we started talking. We compared notes about Paris. Turns out

that she brought she would bring people women for for cooking lessons to Paris. And so we

talked about traveling by ourselves and traveling with others, and, and we we talked for several

hours over our salad and and Um. So finally, when it was time to go our separate ways, we

stood up and I just felt so close to her after this time, and I just blurted out to her how much I

enjoyed talking to her, and and I said, and you're so pretty.

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds And, um, she started crying and.Theresa Stephens Really?

Anne McReynolds Yes. And I was shocked. I'm like, oh, what have I done?

Theresa Stephens Right,

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens exactly.

Anne McReynolds she,

Theresa Stephens That's supposed to be a compliment.

Anne McReynolds I know, right? And she confided in me. She said her husband had just left

her for a younger,

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds prettier woman

Theresa Stephens oh.

Anne McReynolds and that sharing our stories and telling her that she was pretty was exactly

what she needed to hear.

Theresa Stephens Oh my goodness.

Anne McReynolds Ah,

Theresa Stephens Oh!

Anne McReynolds and

Theresa Stephens That's incredible.

Anne McReynolds I know. And we hugged and went our separate ways. And I think about her

so much and I and I thought, you know, we were in the right place, right time. She needed to

hear that. I certainly enjoyed her company and loved hearing her stories. And so it was

wonderful for both of us.

Theresa Stephens Absolutely. And the thing that I have found whenever I am traveling solo,

and other people that I've talked to about this as well, is that, you know, you go on your own for

reasons that are your own, but still, I think it's natural to always be looking for connections.

Some people more than others and sometimes more than other. But but when you are just by

yourself, it. I think it's so much easier to get out of your own bubble and to make connections

with total strangers, especially when it's surrounding food, you know, food or drinks.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens It seems to be the easiest way to connect with someone and you neversee her again. But you both made an indelible impression

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens on each other.

Anne McReynolds Exactly. Exactly.

Theresa Stephens That's incredible. You know, speaking of going out and, you know,

especially around food or drinks at a restaurant or a bar, when you have done solo travel, do

you ever get uncomfortable sitting in a restaurant, looking around and where it feels like

everybody's with someone and you're not? Does that ever make you uncomfortable?

Anne McReynolds No, I you know, I have read that people do feel uncomfortable eating

alone. I don't, I, I enjoy it. I

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds usually when you're by yourself the waiters pay more attention to you. Um

Theresa Stephens True.

Anne McReynolds because you don't have anybody to talk to. So when they're just kind of

standing around waiting to do something, they engage you in conversation. And I just feel like

I, I get, uh, if they even if they're busy and I don't get their attention, I don't feel awkward at all.

Um, it's kind of nice and peaceful to

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds just have a meal on your own.

Theresa Stephens And I remember one time, and I'd mentioned this in an earlier podcast

about going to Chicago, and it was like a Friday night that I arrived and I was alone. It was like

a birthday weekend that I went, and I was sitting at the bar in a restaurant, very crowded. Lots

of people, you know, kind of noisy, definitely crowded. And I had to fight the urge to look at my

phone

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens so that I wouldn't feel alone. But I'm so glad I did. Like, I literally, I put it

down, I put it face down, and I sat alone in myself and

Anne McReynolds Ma'am.

Theresa Stephens was like, you know what? You need to get used to this and be okay with it.

And I was it took a minute. It took a minute for me to stop wondering if people were looking at

me and feeling sorry for me,

Anne McReynolds Mhm.Theresa Stephens you know that I was. And I'm like, you know what? Nobody cares.

Nobody's paying attention, you know, enjoy yourself.

Anne McReynolds Exactly, exactly.

Theresa Stephens Yeah. So I was we were talking before and there was one in particular, um,

because, you know, I'm a big hiker and I love to, you know, I love to climb mountains, but I love

to hike trails and go for long walks. And you had mentioned this was again, uh, when you

were, uh, along the Amalfi Coast that you had a full walking day. That just sounds incredible.

And this, this, again, would be something memorable for or rather, this would be something to

highly recommend to others to experience. Can you tell

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens me about, um, the cliff over the

Anne McReynolds Uh

Theresa Stephens Amalfi Coast?

Anne McReynolds I will well, first of all, just I have been to Amalfi. The Amalfi Coast, which

encompasses a lot of different towns. So I've been to the Amalfi Coast four times by myself

and twice with friends.

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds So

Theresa Stephens wow.

Anne McReynolds I know it really well. And, um, I did not stay at Luigi's in Praia. In Praia.

This time I was staying at this other inn. That was a blue and white inn. That was literally

hanging off the cliff over the water. It was

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds gorgeous

Theresa Stephens wow.

Anne McReynolds and

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds not expensive. Breakfast and dinner came with the with the hotel.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds Um, it's a small place. So I was at breakfast, and, um, this hotel is for

those that know, the Amalfi Coast. It is between Amalfi town and the town called Maori. And,Theresa Stephens Okay.

Anne McReynolds um. So I have been to Amalfi many times, but I was asking the waiter, how

do I get to Maori? and I also knew that the lemon walk, the walk of the lemons, um, started in

Mary. So I wanted

Theresa Stephens Cool.

Anne McReynolds to go there. And so he said, oh, it's a twenty mile walk along the highway,

uh, or twenty minute walk along the highway. Um, it'll be it's easy for you. So I said, great. It's

couldn't take very long at all, you know, twenty minutes.

Theresa Stephens Right?

Anne McReynolds I walked that at home all the time.

Theresa Stephens Yeah,

Anne McReynolds So

Theresa Stephens absolutely.

Anne McReynolds after.

Theresa Stephens That's nothing.

Anne McReynolds Right. I mean, so after I put on my sneakers

Theresa Stephens I have a feeling

Anne McReynolds and I.

Theresa Stephens I haven't heard this story, but I have a feeling it

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens might be a little bit longer.

Anne McReynolds So what everybody tells you on the Amalfi Coast is no matter which

direction you're going, always walk on the side of the water. If you're walking

Theresa Stephens Okay.

Anne McReynolds along the, the, um, road, the Amalfi Coast Road, which is very wavy, wavy

and has a lot of traffic, a lot of buses, a lot of Vespas. Um, and so after breakfast, I put on my

sneakers and I start out towards Maori and I'm all excited and I'm like, oh, it's me. And all these

cars are whizzing

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds by me, like very close to me, and they're passingTheresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds each other and not giving me a whole lot of room. Like they're not even

paying attention to the fact that I'm walking. And then these huge buses speed down the road,

Theresa Stephens Oh, no.

Anne McReynolds and they get so close to me that I have to lean against the railing and

Theresa Stephens Oh my

Anne McReynolds suck

Theresa Stephens gosh!

Anne McReynolds in my stomach, thinking, yeah, so they don't hit me. And all

Theresa Stephens Whoa!

Anne McReynolds I can think about is who's going to find my body if I fall into the sea?

Theresa Stephens Oh my God!

Anne McReynolds And I'm like, again, here comes the voice. What are you doing? Why

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds are you doing this? What is

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds wrong with you? So I walk the winding road. And. And when I'm not in

horror over the traffic, I turn around and look back at my little n hanging off the cliff. It's the

most beautiful sight

Theresa Stephens Mm.

Anne McReynolds with the waves hitting the rocks. And it's just the most incredible walk with

the most beautiful view you've ever seen.

Theresa Stephens Oh that's

Anne McReynolds So

Theresa Stephens incredible.

Anne McReynolds I finally, I finally just kind of, you know, keep walking. And I stopped

sucking in my stomach. And and I walk with confidence and I get to the little town of Maori.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds Well, Maori was featured when Stanley Tucci did his famous looking, Ithink it was called looking for Italy, um,

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds series. And,

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds um, when he was there, he talked about the Amalfi lemon cake being

made at this little restaurant in Maori.

Theresa Stephens Oh no

Anne McReynolds So when

Theresa Stephens way.

Anne McReynolds I. Yes. So when I get to Maori, I'm like, okay, I'm going to walk the lemon

walk, but I have to have some lemon cake,

Theresa Stephens Of course.

Anne McReynolds right.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds So I stop, I have lemon cake, I have espresso. I'm so proud of myself that I

didn't get killed on the road. And then I picked myself up and I went to the back. They said, it's

go up these stairs next to the church. So I found the stairs and I start walking up the stairs, and

I don't realize how far up the stairs it is, because you have to get up above the town in order

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds to find the lemon path.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds And so I walk, walk, walk up, up, up, up, up. And you think that you're just

going to go forever. And then finally you reach the point where it starts going vertically rather

than horizontally and

Theresa Stephens Um.

Anne McReynolds it is the most amazing. There's little houses and

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds you are way above the sea, and you're looking

Theresa Stephens I can't

Anne McReynolds outTheresa Stephens even

Anne McReynolds over

Theresa Stephens imagine.

Anne McReynolds the whole Amalfi Coast, and

Theresa Stephens Wow.

Anne McReynolds there's a lady that's sweeping her front porch that says hello to you, and

there's a man with a donkey selling lemons.

Theresa Stephens Oh. How

Anne McReynolds I mean,

Theresa Stephens incredible.

Anne McReynolds it's like a movie set. Yes.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds And so I keep on walking. I'm just taking in the most beautiful you've ever

seen. I finally get to the spot where I start going down, and I can see the little town of Minori

below

Theresa Stephens Um.

Anne McReynolds me. And I walk, walk, walk all the way down. And I'm in the charming town

of Minori. I stop and get a salad, and by this time I'm really cocky because I have totally

surprised myself.

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds And and so I was I hung out in Missouri for a little while, kind of explored

the town, and then I go to the bus stop. I get on the bus, and I take the bus back to my little inn

on the side of the hill and clean myself up. I went to dinner that night. It was the same waiter I

had that morning.

Theresa Stephens Are.

Anne McReynolds I was so proud and excited to tell him about my day and how I walked

Theresa Stephens Right?

Anne McReynolds into Missouri. Like I'm a local, and

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds I was just so proud that I actually caught the bus back by myself. I didn'thave to get a taxi and

Theresa Stephens Exactly.

Anne McReynolds it was just the most wonderful day. And again, it was one of those things

where I have that moment where I cannot understand what I'm doing or what's wrong with me

that I keep doing this.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds But it all works

Theresa Stephens And then

Anne McReynolds out

Theresa Stephens you

Anne McReynolds so

Theresa Stephens push

Anne McReynolds well.

Theresa Stephens through. You

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens push through, you know, and

Anne McReynolds Exactly.

Theresa Stephens and look what happens. Yeah. That's that's the you know, that's the lesson

that I think we can take with us long after these travels are over, which is, you know, in

whatever in your daily life that is going on. It's, you know, what? I faced hard times. I got

through them. I came out the other side even better. And it

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens goes back to that. It's that confidence that you can you can get through

anything and

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens it's yeah, it's so important.

Anne McReynolds Exactly.

Theresa Stephens So yeah. So that sounds just like the most perfect day imaginable. And

you lived it like a local would, you know,

Anne McReynolds Mhm.Theresa Stephens you didn't take cabs, you didn't go to, you know, the things that are touristy.

You did exactly what a local would do during their day, which is fantastic.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens Yeah. So one thing that I did want to ask, and because you have traveled

so extensively and I know, you know, one thing that people are always thinking about,

especially if you haven't done this before, I haven't traveled solo before. A lot of people have

safety front

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens of mind because they think it's more dangerous if you're all alone. And one

is it? Do you feel it and how do you combat it? How do you take care of yourself when you're

traveling solo?

Anne McReynolds Well, the first thing is, um, Ellie, being a New Yorker taught me to put my

New York face on

Theresa Stephens I

Anne McReynolds the

Theresa Stephens love that.

Anne McReynolds don't mess with me face.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds And I do that really well. And that's what I did in the Naples train station.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds Um, but besides that, I think that the main thing that I have been horrified

seeing, uh, tourists, that any stranger that comes up to you for any reason, you ignore them.

You don't look them in the eye and you say no, and

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds you keep on walking because

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds people will try to slap a bracelet on you. They will try to

Theresa Stephens Yes.

Anne McReynolds stop and ask you directions. They will try to tell you that you dropped some

money. They will do everything they can to distract you.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens And.

Anne McReynolds I tell people that in Europe and this may not even be correct, but I say

walking around Europe, I never feel like I'm going to be shot or stabbed. But I do know that

somebody is going to want to steal from me, and

Theresa Stephens Gotcha.

Anne McReynolds you just have to be careful with that.

Theresa Stephens Mhm. Right.

Anne McReynolds And, um. And just don't take. I just don't take chances.

Theresa Stephens Yeah, absolutely. Any other, uh, little tips or tricks that, uh, that we would

find on Annie's nuggets for solo travel in general, especially

Anne McReynolds Um.

Theresa Stephens if somebody's contemplating traveling alone, never has done it. What

would you say to them? What would be like the biggest tip you could give them?

Anne McReynolds I think the biggest tip would be, actually. After I, after I went to Amalfi by

myself, um, the next solo trip that I did, I went on a Rick Steves tour. And.

Theresa Stephens And for

Anne McReynolds Do

Theresa Stephens anybody

Anne McReynolds you know who.

Theresa Stephens who's not familiar with Rick Steves, who is that?

Anne McReynolds Okay. Rick Steves has been a a travel writer. He writes guidebooks, and

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds then he also has an extremely popular company that that provides tours.

And it's it's to Europe. He doesn't go anywhere else but Europe. But Rick Steves has a

philosophy that you get to know the country where you are and the people that you are. So

they are not luxurious tours. They

Theresa Stephens Gotcha.

Anne McReynolds are much more educational. You

Theresa Stephens Yeah.Anne McReynolds carry your own bag, you get yourself there. There's no one that picks you

up at the airport. Um, it is kind of roughing it. Um, but when you're

Theresa Stephens I

Anne McReynolds on

Theresa Stephens like

Anne McReynolds a

Theresa Stephens it.

Anne McReynolds tour, they give you a tour guide that is truly, truly like having a professor go

with you.

Theresa Stephens Oh my goodness that's incredible.

Anne McReynolds It is so. It's so great. So I went on a Rick Steves tour. My first tour solo with

them was to Sicily And, um, I had to get to, um, Palermo by myself and, um, figure out how I

was going to get to the hotel. And I did that. And I think to answer your question in a very long,

long winded way, I think if anybody is interested in pursuing solo travel, it's really good to take

a tour. It doesn't have to be a Rick Steves tour, but take a tour by yourself.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds See how you feel being your roommate, your own roommate.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds And one thing I really love about tours is they give you a just a taste of

different places.

Theresa Stephens Right. Yeah. So you're not like stuck in not stuck but you're not in one

place the whole time.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens And you know, but somebody is also not holding your hand but they're kind

of guiding you along.

Anne McReynolds Exactly. And they're telling you on your night when you're not with the

group. Here's where you. Here are some places you can go in Prague and. And here's how

you get on the train in Budapest. And they tell you how to survive in that city, so

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds that

Theresa Stephens wow.Anne McReynolds if you want to go back to it, you feel much more comfortable.

Theresa Stephens Um.

Anne McReynolds So from my Rick Steves tours that I've taken, I think I've taken four by

myself.

Theresa Stephens Wow.

Anne McReynolds Um, I have a whole list, a bucket list of places I want to go back to that

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds I would feel like Budapest. I, I was only there two days with the Rick

Steves tour. I could go spend a week there and

Theresa Stephens Um

Anne McReynolds I know

Theresa Stephens hum.

Anne McReynolds where to stay. I would feel very comfortable going there by myself, and

they gave me enough background in history that I want to learn more about it.

Theresa Stephens Right. Yeah. That's incredible.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens So on.

Anne McReynolds And,

Theresa Stephens On. Go ahead.

Anne McReynolds um, well, I was going to say there's several places Slovenia, Croatia, um,

all the, all the former Yugoslavia countries. I love them and I really got a taste of those from the

Rick Steves tours, and now I'm very comfortable going there by myself.

Theresa Stephens That's incredible. I was going to ask, of all the places you've been, what

what surprised you the most? What was the most unusual place? You weren't sure if you were

going to enjoy it or if you were going to be comfortable? And then it turned out to be amazing. I

know it's probably hard to narrow it down to one. How about two

Anne McReynolds Um,

Theresa Stephens or three?

Anne McReynolds no. No, because the only because I don't really have places that I didn't

think I was going to like,Theresa Stephens Okay,

Anne McReynolds um,

Theresa Stephens that's a good point.

Anne McReynolds I'm usually very excited about where I'm going because I do a lot of

research and I find out a lot about it beforehand. And so I know the questions to ask. And so I

really just feel like it's a part of my education. But, um,

Theresa Stephens Oh that's good.

Anne McReynolds but probably. And you'll laugh when I say this. Okay. Um, I have a problem

with Rome.

Theresa Stephens Oh, really?

Anne McReynolds Yes,

Theresa Stephens Okay,

Anne McReynolds and I

Theresa Stephens I

Anne McReynolds know

Theresa Stephens need

Anne McReynolds Rome

Theresa Stephens more information.

Anne McReynolds is. I know Rome is everyone's. You know, they love Rome and

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds Rome. Rome is a wonderful city. But my favorite city on earth is Paris.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds I know it like it's my hometown.

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds And I love so much about Paris and the French people. And I am still

trying to forgive Rome for not being Paris.

Theresa Stephens That's

Anne McReynolds So.Theresa Stephens a great way to a great way to phrase it.

Anne McReynolds So I planned a trip, a solo trip.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds It was kind of the reconciliation trip with Rome. I'm going to go spend a

week in Rome by myself.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds I'm going to do a deep dive. I. I took a Vespa tour. I did

Theresa Stephens Oh,

Anne McReynolds walking

Theresa Stephens cool.

Anne McReynolds tours, I did a food tour, I stayed in. I like to stay in different hotels because

it gives me a different viewpoint about different parts of the city. So I

Theresa Stephens Absolutely.

Anne McReynolds stayed in, I think, two or three different hotels, and let's just say I have

come to an understanding with Rome. I like it now. I just don't love it.

Theresa Stephens Gotcha.

Anne McReynolds And my, my

Theresa Stephens It's not

Anne McReynolds analogy,

Theresa Stephens Paris.

Anne McReynolds it's not Paris and my my description. Hopefully your audience is old

enough to understand this. Um, my description is that Paris is Paul McCartney and Rome is

Mick Jagger.

Theresa Stephens Ah, I get that. I get that for sure.

Anne McReynolds I've never been a mick Jagger fan, but I certainly

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds appreciate him and his music.

Theresa Stephens Exactly. Yeah. You're just beetles over stones. I mean, what can

Anne McReynolds Exactly,Theresa Stephens you say?

Anne McReynolds exactly. So if you're a stones fan and you like things being kind of rock and

roll, you'll probably love Rome. I like things that are nice and neat, and people follow the rules.

And I know what's expected of me. In Rome, there's graffiti everywhere and people are

hanging their underwear out the window. And

Theresa Stephens What?

Anne McReynolds it's it. Nobody follows the rules and all that. In Paris, they follow the rules.

And I know what those rules are, so I'm more comfortable there.

Theresa Stephens I get that, I get that for sure. So on average in a year, how many? Well

combined, I guess. Solo travel and travel with friends or family. How many trips a year do you

take?

Anne McReynolds Oh, that's a bad question to ask me. I was actually I actually in anticipation

of this, I actually sat down and wrote down all my trips and figured out which ones

Theresa Stephens Oh, wow.

Anne McReynolds were solo and which weren't. I probably.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds And and don't call me a spoiled brat, but I probably go on three trips to

Europe a year.

Theresa Stephens Oh that's incredible.

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens That's

Anne McReynolds usually

Theresa Stephens wonderful.

Anne McReynolds the combined is maybe six weeks to two months.

Theresa Stephens Nice.

Anne McReynolds My husband

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds would probably say three months, and if I added it up, he'd probably be

closer to that. But, um, but let me explain something. I

Theresa Stephens Mhm.Anne McReynolds am not a five star girl and

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds I can go to Europe pretty inexpensively.

Theresa Stephens I love it.

Anne McReynolds And, um, that's one thing my research has done is kind of taught me I like

three stars. Hotels that behave like four stars.

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens yes.

Anne McReynolds I can seek out these places that maybe are not, um, as well known. And,

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds um, I have little ins that have that. I love the people that work there, and

it's like family. So I don't really stay in big, expensive places.

Theresa Stephens That's incredible. And do you, you put all of this information on your

website. Because I want to do a deep dive into, into all these places that you're talking about,

especially

Anne McReynolds Well,

Theresa Stephens the in, in

Anne McReynolds I

Theresa Stephens the Amalfi.

Anne McReynolds am actually okay. So I started on my website with really focusing on Paris.

So I have several articles about Paris and travel in general. I'm working on an article that I'm

probably going to publish this month called um, go here instead of there

Theresa Stephens Oh I like that.

Anne McReynolds because I don't like crowds. So I'm

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds seeking out places that people can go that aren't the most popular.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds Um,Theresa Stephens But

Anne McReynolds and

Theresa Stephens still,

Anne McReynolds so.

Theresa Stephens but still offer either gorgeous views or are wonderful

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens food or

Anne McReynolds Yes,

Theresa Stephens just beautiful terrain.

Anne McReynolds exactly. For example, Slovenia, um, Ljubljana, Slovenia is one of my

favorite cities.

Theresa Stephens Hmm.

Anne McReynolds And I would go there over Vienna.

Theresa Stephens Oh, wow.

Anne McReynolds Vienna is more well known. Ljubljana is absolutely gorgeous, and the

lifestyle is wonderful. And and it's got the Alps right, the Julian Alps right there and

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds but but every everybody I ask, have you ever been to Slovenia? No. Never

even heard of it.

Theresa Stephens Right. And wouldn't. Because it's not, you know, it's not one of the Western

Europe countries that

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens a lot of Americans will, you know, frequent. And so and

Anne McReynolds Exactly.

Theresa Stephens so I'm sure Slovenia would be a lot more affordable also to visit because

Anne McReynolds Absolutely.

Theresa Stephens of that. Yeah.

Anne McReynolds Absolutely. Absolutely.Theresa Stephens That's incredible. So I'm curious, if you don't mind me asking, you

mentioned

Anne McReynolds Um.

Theresa Stephens your And your husband. How does he feel about solo travel? Supportive

or. No.

Anne McReynolds He is so supportive, and

Theresa Stephens No.

Anne McReynolds I must say that he gets a lot of a lot of slack over it because

Theresa Stephens Hmm.

Anne McReynolds he has guy friends that are like, why do you let your wife go to to Europe

by herself?

Theresa Stephens Ah. Let her.

Anne McReynolds Let us know. And we laugh about that. Letting me do it.

Theresa Stephens Hmm.

Anne McReynolds He knows this is

Theresa Stephens Oh.

Anne McReynolds my passion. It was my parents passion. You kind of can't get it out of me.

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds And it makes me so happy. And I'm so excited to to learn what I learn

when I'm on the trip. To me, it's like going back to school. It's.

Theresa Stephens Oh, absolutely.

Anne McReynolds And and so he has had we went to a dinner party one night, and the host

actually pulled him aside and said, I don't think you should let your wife go to Paris by herself.

Theresa Stephens Ah! Oh my

Anne McReynolds And

Theresa Stephens God.

Anne McReynolds yes. And my husband was

Theresa Stephens What?

Anne McReynolds wasTheresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds like, how do you expect me to stop her?

Theresa Stephens Right. Did this host. Did this host have a reason for saying that? Like, what

was wrong with you going alone?

Anne McReynolds I don't

Theresa Stephens Did they

Anne McReynolds know.

Theresa Stephens say. Or is it just just, you know, unseemly because you're not going

Anne McReynolds Yes,

Theresa Stephens with your husband

Anne McReynolds that's exactly

Theresa Stephens to Paris?

Anne McReynolds it. That's exactly

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds it.

Theresa Stephens my God.

Anne McReynolds That's exactly it.

Theresa Stephens Oh. You know,

Anne McReynolds It's

Theresa Stephens so I

Anne McReynolds bizarre.

Theresa Stephens interviewed, um, right. I interviewed a woman named Kristen a few weeks

back, and she she goes on solo travel, or she does some solo travel alone, and so does her

husband. Of course, they, you know, go on trips, you know, together. But she was talking about

how great it is for their marriage when they do travel solo because they get to miss each other.

They get to come

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens back and have new stories because they've been together for many, many

years.Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens And when you live with someone day in and day out, you kind of, you

know, you don't have a whole lot of stories left to tell. And so

Anne McReynolds Mhm.

Theresa Stephens this is something new and exciting that they bring to the marriage.

Anne McReynolds Well also my husband is a vacationer so it

Theresa Stephens I

Anne McReynolds is very

Theresa Stephens see.

Anne McReynolds hard

Theresa Stephens Ah we

Anne McReynolds on.

Theresa Stephens go back to that. Mhm.

Anne McReynolds Yes. It's very hard on him to travel with me because I am constantly pulling

us into the traveler mode.

Theresa Stephens Right.

Anne McReynolds And he wants

Theresa Stephens Yeah.

Anne McReynolds to be in the vacationer mode.

Theresa Stephens I get that and that is important. You know that is a very important

distinction. Do you want to travel or do you want to vacation. And if you're, you know you and

your companion are not on the same page, it can be unpleasant for both.

Anne McReynolds Exactly. And he he goes with me and he does the things I want it to do.

But he he laughs because we'll be I'll sign us up for a walking tour, for example. And I love

learning about what they're talking about. So he says, Annie, you put on your glasses and you

go to the very front like you're the teacher's pet. And and you hang on every word that

Theresa Stephens I

Anne McReynolds they're

Theresa Stephens love

Anne McReynolds saying,Theresa Stephens it.

Anne McReynolds and and it's true and it's not. I mean, it's not that he's not interested. Um,

it's just he's not as interested as I am in the in the same way.

Theresa Stephens Exactly. And it's just not what he's passionate about in that way. You know,

probably

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens like an all inclusive at a at a beach resort

Anne McReynolds Bingo.

Theresa Stephens would probably. Yeah. Be perfect for him.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens And that's

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens the thing with solo travel that I love, is that when I go, I'm on my own

schedule and I'm going to do exactly what I want. There's no compromise. I can eat

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens what I want, where I want, walk around all day or sleep all day.

Anne McReynolds Exactly.

Theresa Stephens And

Anne McReynolds And if

Theresa Stephens that's.

Anne McReynolds I want to put on my glasses and and sit right in front of the tour guide, then

that's fine.

Theresa Stephens Exactly,

Anne McReynolds Mm.

Theresa Stephens exactly. So do you have anything in the near future planned or. Excuse

me. Let me reword that. What do you have in the near future planned as far as solo travel?

Anne McReynolds Well, okay. Um, I don't I am probably going to spend the month of August

in Paris because I have found, surprisingly, that August, to me, is the best month to go.

Theresa Stephens Really?Anne McReynolds Uh, the first two weeks of August, Paris practically shuts down because

everybody goes on vacation during August.

Theresa Stephens Mhm. Mhm.

Anne McReynolds And so there's a lot of restaurants that close up. There's stores that are

closed, but I like it being desolate. So I like the hotels are cheaper. The restaurants that are

open are excited to have you. You don't have to make a reservation. And actually the the last

three years I've been there, the last two weeks of August and it's been in the mid seventies, so

Theresa Stephens Oh

Anne McReynolds it's

Theresa Stephens wow.

Anne McReynolds gorgeous weather

Theresa Stephens Mhm.

Anne McReynolds and you don't have the crowds that start coming again in September. So

Theresa Stephens Gotcha.

Anne McReynolds I will probably do that. I am, uh, it's not solo travel necessarily, because I'm

taking my two teenage granddaughters, um, on one of the Rick Steves tours this summer.

Theresa Stephens Oh fantastic. Give them

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens a taste of it.

Anne McReynolds I'm sorry.

Theresa Stephens I say give them a taste of it. That's fantastic.

Anne McReynolds Absolutely. I took their, um, their older sister three years ago. Um, and I, I

just figure if they have my blood, they probably need to, um, need to explore and see if they

have the wanderlust like I do.

Theresa Stephens Absolutely inspiring. The next generation.

Anne McReynolds Yes.

Theresa Stephens Ah that's fantastic. And thank you so, so much for coming on today. It was

incredible to talk with you. I'm definitely going to click on your website and I'm going to put that

in the show notes. So everyone can do that as well and

Anne McReynolds ThankTheresa Stephens get

Anne McReynolds you.

Theresa Stephens all your tips. Yeah, it's been fantastic talking with you. And I know that

we've talked about many, many stories, more stories that you have to share. So I'd love to

have you back on again for another round of

Anne McReynolds I

Theresa Stephens Annie's

Anne McReynolds would love

Theresa Stephens Nuggets

Anne McReynolds to.

Theresa Stephens for sure.

Anne McReynolds Thank you so much, Theresa. It's really been a pleasure.

Theresa Stephens Thank you so much.