Kate is the woman behind Adventurous Kate’s Solo Female Travel Blog, a site dedicated to empowering and encouraging people to take the plunge and travel solo.
Kate, thanks so much for talking to Gap Daemon. For those who don’t know you, could you briefly introduce yourself, explain what Adventurous Kate is all about and give us a quick update on where you’re at right now?
Greetings, all! I’m Kate McCulley and in fall 2010 I quit my job to backpack south-east Asia solo for seven months. During that time, I drank snake blood, motorbiked the Bolaven Plateau alone, spent 15 days in the death trap of Vang Vieng and survived a harrowing shipwreck in Indonesia.
It’s been a year and I’m still travelling the world, now as a digital nomad. These days I’ve based myself in Europe and am working on developing more online businesses so that I can continue my gypsy lifestyle indefinitely.
Out of all of your adventures, what have been your favourites and what destinations can you not wait to visit again?
This is always a difficult question – I feel like choosing my favourite destination is like choosing my favourite kid!
A few of my favourites include the wild Thai island of Koh Lanta, the funky backpacker beach town of Sihanoukville, Cambodia, just about anywhere in Italy or France, and the cities of Paris, Bangkok, Las Vegas and Buenos Aires, for starters. Most recently, I fell in love with the Tirol region of Austria and its capital, Innsbruck.
What would be your dream destination and what places, if any, are you not too fussed about visiting?
New Zealand has been on my mind quite a bit lately, and I hope to visit this winter if at all possible. As a winter-phobe, I have no desire to visit Siberia in January!
Last year you began your travels around south-east Asia solo. What were the biggest challenges of this trip and what were the most rewarding experiences?
While on my Asia trip last March, I was shipwrecked off the coast of Komodo Island in Indonesia. It was an extremely traumatic event and I lost nearly everything.
Recovering from it, replenishing my items and resuming my travel was an enormous challenge. But knowing that I got through that on my own and deciding to continue travelling gave me strength and actually turned it into a rewarding experience.
What advice do you have for those who want to travel solo but afraid to take the leap?
Know this: when travelling solo, especially backpacking solo, you are very rarely alone. I made some fantastic friends and travelled around with them for weeks at a time. I spent very, very little time alone – and usually only did so when I forced myself to be alone!
What things should solo travellers be careful about? What, from your experience, are the main advantages of travelling solo?
When you travel solo, the independence is intoxicating. I love getting to do whatever I want, whenever I want – and I especially get a rush when changing plans at the last minute to go somewhere new in the matter of hours!
Also, when you travel solo, it’s so easy to meet new people without making much effort – people are far more likely to chat up a solo traveller than a couple, for example. If you’re ever in doubt, go hang out in the hostel bar during happy hour. You’ll make a ton of friends.
In your opinion is it easier to travel solo as a woman or a man? What are the differences?
In most instances, I would say that it’s about equal. However, I’ve never travelled in a region where there is a chasm in gender equality – parts of the Middle East, for example – and in those regions, I’m sure it would be easier to be a man.
But women have lots of advantages – we can play dumb, we can cry, and most significantly, we can befriend other women and families more easily than men can.
You’re quite ingrained with the online travel community through your blog and social media. How has this helped you with your travels, specifically when travelling solo?
Social media is an excellent way to meet people abroad. I met countless friends through Twitter; one of my readers even hosted me at her apartment in Singapore! A lot of that is because I have a sizable social media audience from my site. But for most people, I would suggest getting involved with CouchSurfing. It’s one of my favourite ways to meet people abroad, and whenever you log in in a new city, you’ll find people up for grabbing a coffee or a beer!
Take a look at another of our great interviews, this time from an avid CouchSurfer...
How to you get over loneliness on the road? Particularly when you’re travelling solo?
I’m introverted by nature – while I love meeting people, and God knows I love a good party, I need to be alone when I’m feeling blue. When loneliness creeps in, I prefer to ride it out in solitude: relaxing with a book, or goofing off on the Internet all day. Doing nothing, essentially. I do that until I’m feeling normal again.
Once I’m feeling better and ready to hang out with people again, finding friends is simple: I chat with people around the hostel and once I meet someone nice, I suggest we go out for beers. I usually end up with a motley crew of 4-5 people by the time we leave!
Do you have any great savings tips for travellers looking to save money for a trip?
Start a savings account exclusively for travel. Find out how much money you need to live, and the moment you receive your paycheck, put the remainder in your travel account. Do not touch this account! In time, your travel savings will add up rapidly.
Finally do you have any last words that you’d like to say to the Gap Daemon community?
Solo travel isn’t as scary or as difficult or as expensive as you think! You never know how much you might like it.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and good luck with your travels!
Take a look at our guide to solo, female and LGBT travel.
