solo
Every year, I leave my home — and my kids — behind for a short time to travel to Japan alone. The distance, both geographic and cultural, gives me enough space and time to live authentically: to be the curious explorer, the immersion-based language learner, and the person I am…
I used to love coming home from vacation.The way the plane would swoop over London’s skyscrapers and the River Thames before landing at Heathrow. Returning to my favorite places, people, and my job. Until one day, I burst into tears on a flight home from Italy.When I turned 30, I…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cassi Zheng, 31, the founder of Aurawell, an aromatherapy brand. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.As a brand director at a sports-drink startup in Shanghai, I spoke to more than 30 people a day — from members of…
When my boyfriend and I first met in Portugal, we were both traveling alone. He had just switched to a remote job so he could explore new places, and I was a year into a 10-country solo trip.From the beginning of our relationship, I knew I didn’t want to give…
I’m 46 years old and in the last 12 months, I’ve done two things solo for the first time. I had a drink alone at our local cocktail bar and saw a movie with just myself for company.I’m a mom/stepmom of five, and I’m married to my best friend. I…
For 22 years, I was a military wife, putting aside my needs to support my husband’s career — all for the promise that after retirement, when our children were grown, we’d travel the world together.In 2018, retirement finally came, and not long after, our nearly 25-year marriage crumbled. When his…
