solo travel Archives • The Bliss Movement

Exploring the Hippie Town of Byron Bay, Australia

A beach town with a chilled out, hippie vibe right next to the sea seemed like a good place for the first stop in my trip up Australia's east coast. Deemed everything from a gypsy's paradise to a town of lost souls, Byron Bay is one of those places where you plan to stay for a couple of days and find yourself still there weeks later.With only five days to experience the town, I booked my stay as close to the beach as I could possibly get - a hostel called Backpackers Inn on the Beach - which was just a two minute stroll down a sandy trail to the beac[...]

Australia, Guides + Itineraries, Travel

Margaret River: 2 Days In Western Australia’s Wine Region

If you've ever come to Perth you'll have heard of Margaret River, Western Australia's wine region - a popular place for locals and tourists to visit for a getaway when in need of a break from city life. With vineyards around every corner, quaint small towns and beautiful scenery of everything from rolling farmland to forests to the sea, Margaret River has a little something for everyone.If you have a weekend to spare, I'd recommend staying one night in Margaret River and one night in Dunsborough. Margaret River itself is a great place if your main f[...]

Ecuador, South America, Travel

Banos: The Ecuadorian Adventure Town

The journey crossing the border from Colombia to Ecuador by bus - despite making me really nervous to do alone - ended up being a breeze. After spending a night in a hotel on the border of Colombia, I hailed a taxi to the border and before I knew it, I was walking across a bridge; out of one country and into another in under two minutes. A little chit chat with immigration officials, passport stamped and it was sorted. Soon enough, I was on a bus out of there. Sometimes I wind up in countries or cities without really knowing why I want to go there in the first p[...]

Colombia, South America, Travel

The Best Day Trip From Medellin: Guatape and La Piedra

The main reason people choose to jump on a 2 hour bus journey from bustling Medellin to the colorful pueblo of Guatape is for it's main tourist attraction: La Piedra del Penol - "the stone of El Penol" or "the rock of Guatape". Towering 1263ft. above the ground and 7005ft. above sea level, La Piedra is truly enormous. After putting off my visit to La Piedra for a solid week (Medellin has great nightlife that I couldn't help but experience for myself. Unfortunately, this meant that I continued to be too tired for the prospect of climbing up 740 stairs the next m[...]

Guides + Itineraries, Travel, United States

The Road To Hana: A 1-Day Adventure

The Road to Hana is one of those activities that everyone insists you need to do if you’re ever in Maui. With 64 miles of road from Kahului to the small town of Hana, you’re in for a long stretch of hairpin turns, narrow roads, one-lane bridges and impeccable views of the scenery along the way. From the lush jungle to the coastal waters, your eyes will be delighted no matter what direction you’re looking. While the road to Hana is best enjoyed over a couple of days, we only had a single day to explore. You have two options for experiencing the road to Ha[...]

Solo Travel, Travel

4 Solo Travel Fears And Why You Shouldn’t Let Them Stop You

If you had asked me seven years ago if I would ever get on a plane, fly across the world and proceed to backpack around without much of a plan, I would have called you crazy. I wouldn't have given solo travel a fleeting thought. Hell, I wouldn’t have even gone into my local Walmart alone and don’t even think about asking me to sit and have a coffee all by myself! Being all on my own was easily one of my biggest solo travel fears. Now, I tell my friends that they’re crazy not to. I get that it is a scary feeling to take such a huge leap of faith in yourself[...]

Solo Travel, Travel

10 Safety Tips for Solo Travelers in Any Country

I can’t count the number of times people have warned me not to go somewhere for fear that I will be kidnapped and sold into the sex trade a la Hostel, mugged, drugged, scammed or worse. In reality, these are things that happen all over the world, regardless of how nice you think the city you live in might be but our (or our family’s) apprehension might be a little higher when we announce that we’re about to trek off across the globe. And truth be told, the safety tips for solo travelers that I'm going to share today are probably things that you have done at[...]

Budget Travel, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Travel More: 5 Steps to Afford More Adventure In Your Life

There is a misconception that traveling can only be for the top 2% of the world - that you need to have a lot of money or that travel is expensive in itself. I absolutely hate being asked how I afford to travel so much. Not because I don't like talking about money (I do), but because the people who are asking usually aren't the ones who are actually interested in making it happen for themselves. The question usually comes from people who say it as a backhanded compliment. I will say that no, it's not available to everyone but for the average middle-class person, i[...]

Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Packing Tips: 5 Tips for the Over-Packer

My first trip of the year is coming up in exactly one week so you can bet I've been itching to pack for the last month! Unfortunately, I think there is such a thing as packing too early and have had to practice restraint. I made it until this past Thursday and couldn't take it anymore - in a heart-racing frenzy I pulled out my summer clothes and the packing began! If you've ever gone on a long trip or even a one week holiday, you'll understand me when I say that packing is a skill that is best when practiced to perfection. While there is a huge difference in packi[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

8 Reasons Barbados Should Be Your Next Winter Vacay

Recently dubbed the Caribbean Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal, Barbados is, without a doubt, the next trip you need to book. Like, yesterday. Barbados is known for its white, sandy beaches and being the birthplace of Rihanna. It’s the place where high-profile people such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Cowell, Elton John and many others jet off to for their holidays in the sun. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this destination is only for the well-to-do. That’s far from the truth. Barbados is the perfect getaway for travelers of any a[...]

Alberta, Canada

A Visual Journey Through the Rocky Mountains, Part 2

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Personal Development, Travel

A World of Possibility

Sorry for being such an inconsistent blogger lately I find it difficult to write engaging posts for you when I'm home, spending most of my time working and saving for the next adventure (and it's a big adventure). But being home and surrounded by family and friends brings with it a little bit of enlightenment, so I'll likely be sharing some of that with you lately with more reflection posts rather than actual travel posts. It's a funny moment when you realize how differently you view the progression of your life compared to those around you. It's exciting to th[...]