Feeling Lost After a Major Life Change? Here’s How Solo Travel Helped Me Rebuild My Life

There’s something deeply freeing about waking up in a place where few people know your name.

When I began prioritizing my solo travels, I wasn’t chasing adventure — I was chasing myself. I was recovering from stage 4 cancer (diagnosed in my 30's), physically scarred, emotionally drained, and mentally honestly still processing the whirlwind of hard-hitting treatment that came at me so fast. Everything familiar had changed. My body. My priorities. My tolerance for playing small. I didn’t want to return to “normal” — because that version of life no longer fit me.

So, I packed a bag and planned travels. Alone.

What I found out there exploring wasn’t just beautiful news sights, or inspiration — though I found those too. What I discovered was healing.

And if you’re reading this because you’ve been through something, I want you to know: solo travel might be the best bridge you can cross to get back to you.

🌿 Why Travel After Trauma?

Let’s be real. Few will talk about what happens after the hard thing. After the divorce. After the diagnosis. After the loss of your spouse or other close loved one. People expect you to bounce back, move on, and smile again — like you didn’t just survive a storm that changed you forever.

But healing is not linear. It’s messy, sacred work.

Solo travel — even something as simple as a weekend road trip or a solo cabin stay — can create the perfect container for that healing. Why? Because it gives you:

• Space to breathe
• Time to think (or not think)
• Freedom from your regular roles and expectations
• A new environment to see things differently

Travel can’t fix everything. But it can unstick you. It can give you momentum when you feel paralyzed. It can whisper truths you forget to listen to with others' voices in your ear.

💛 How Travel Helped Me Rebuild

Here’s what changed for me — and what might change for you, too:

1. I reclaimed my identity.

After cancer, I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror with my totally bald head and gaunt coloring. I felt like a shadow of who I used to be. But traveling solo gave me back a sense of my prior vibrant self. I was no longer just a patient or survivor to those around me who knew of my cancer — I was an explorer, a woman with curiosity, a soul in motion.

2. I rediscovered happiness.

When was the last time you felt pure happiness that wasn’t tied to someone else’s needs? The simple joy of discovering new treasures at a market, tasting a new food, hearing your own hearty laughter echo outside as the sun goes down? Travel reminded me that I was still here. And that joy was waiting for me to rediscover it and make it a regular part of my life vs. a rare visitor.

3. I learned how strong I really am.

Solo travel forces you to rely on yourself — and realize that you’re capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. Every flight, every bus ride, every "I figured it out" moment slowly stitched confidence back into my bones. You solve the problems others present to you at home, whether that's the problems of family, work, and your friends. You can solve issues you encounter traveling on your own, and you'll feel especially confident after we speak in a solo coaching session that's wholly devoted to you!

✈️ Tips for Women Traveling Solo After Trauma

If you're thinking about solo travel as a healing practice, here are a few key things I’ve learned:

• Start small — You don’t need to book a trip across the world. Try a weekend solo stay close to home. A slow start still counts.
• Set an intention — Before you leave, ask yourself: What do I want this trip to help me release, remember, or reclaim? This is extremely powerful!
• Prioritize comfort and safety — Choose destinations where you feel safe and can move at your own pace. No pressure to do “everything.”
• Bring a journal (or talk to yourself!) — Reflection is part of the healing. Let your thoughts out in writing or voice memos.
• Leave room for emotions — You might cry. You might laugh until your stomach hurts. Let it all happen. Healing is a full-body process, and I've always felt better letting the emotions out and feeling what I'm feeling vs. trying to suppress sadness or pain. When I've forced it down in the past, it bubbles back up later anyways!

👣 One Step at a Time

Solo travel didn’t erase my scars. But it taught me to honor them. To walk beside my pain and not try to run from it. To trust that I could move forward, even when I didn’t know the final destination.

And maybe, just maybe — that’s all healing really is.

So if you’re standing on the edge of change, unsure whether to leap, I’m here to say: You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need to take the first step.

💌 Ready to Take Your First Step?

I created a helpful guide called “Joy's Solo Travel Secrets” — filled with practical tips, mindset tools, and empowering advice for your first (or next) solo trip.

👉 Click here to download it now

And if you’re part of any groups, retreats, women's conferences, or events looking for an inspiring speaker on solo travel, healing, and living life fully after facing unexpected adversity — I’d love to meet you and share more encouragement and inspiration.

👉 Click here to book me as a speaker

You are not broken. You are becoming.
And your life is waiting for you. But don't wait too long to get busy living. We all know just how quickly things can change with a diagnosis, car accident, or heart attack.

I'm here to help you,
Joy

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