Solo Female Travel Story: How I Left Everything Behind for a Life of Adventure

The Truest Sentence I Know: How Rock Bottom Became My Runway to Adventure

Ernest Hemingway once said, “Start with the truest sentence you know.” So I’ll do just that.

The idea started quietly—like a whisper I couldn’t ignore. The dream of traveling the world alone. Of chasing sunsets rather than settling. I was inspired by the likes of Eat, Pray, Love, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Beyond Borders. I didn’t just want to watch women transform their lives—I needed to become one of them.

After years of trying to squeeze myself into the suburban mold, I was suffocating. The so-called American Dream? It felt more like a life sentence: cookie-cutter neighborhoods, back-to-back errands, and a nagging sense that I was meant for something else.

My soul cried: I want more. I want different. I want extraordinary. I want wild. I want adventure. Adventure is what I got.

Amber

The Moment It All Fell Apart (and Began)

September 2021 – Franklin, Tennessee

As I prepared to leave a dead-end relationship that had been dragging me into financial ruin, I found myself trembling beside a quiet stream in the Smoky Mountains. I should have felt calm. I should have felt peace. Instead, I felt like I was imploding. My relationship was a mess, my anxiety was peaking, and the silence from my partner felt louder than a scream. It hit me: I had become a stranger to myself. Serial dating had masked deeper wounds—I wasn’t in love; I was surviving trauma. And here I was again, shackled to a man who treated me like I was disposable. But worse? I was letting him.

I opened up to a coworker, Dee—cool mom, truth-teller, and accidental life coach. As we strolled down a path in the Smokies, I cracked open: “I want out. I want to travel the world alone. I just want to feel alive again.” Dee didn’t flinch. She listened, nodded, and planted a seed: “Have you heard of house-sitting?” That night, I signed up for TrustedHousesitters and two other similar platforms. No plan, no map—just courage and Wi-Fi. But it was a start. That simple act became the gateway to a life I didn’t just dream about—but finally claimed.

I hope that by sharing my story, it inspires you to courageously pursue your own dreams, however “far-fetched” they may seem. You have those inklings for a reason. Don’t ignore them. With courage and action, the deepest desires of your heart can become your reality. You just have to be willing to go for it. Live courageously.

From Heartbreak in Hawaii to Husky Drama in Alaska

December 2021 – Honolulu, Hawaii

Tears streaming, I ended the relationship—for good this time. “We’re done,” I said, slamming the SUV door and walking away. Was I hysterical? Sure. Was it messy? Absolutely. But it was also the moment I reclaimed my power. I closed the door of my SUV as I closed the conversation with my now ex, and walked into a bar to meet the next.  Admittedly, I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing to do—but this girl needed an out.

He was handsome, from New Zealand, and the perfect distraction to keep me away from the last guy. Judge me all you want, I was desperate to escape.

Taking advantage of the isolation demanded by COVID, I found myself browsing TrustedHousesitters landed my first house-sitting gig in Alaska for New Year’s.

Ten days. The Alaskan wilderness. Four fur babies in need of affection. I’m in!

On thing was, I wasn’t going along… The kiwi was alone for christmas and a girlfriend’s family caught COVID so I invited them. 

Excited to get into the snow, the Kiwi grabbed his snowboard and began going on practice runs down the driveway hill. While playing with the dog, he accidentally nicked the husky with his snowboard and we ended up at the vet end of day one. Talk about a strong start.

So, no, it wasn’t glamorous. But it was real. And underneath the chaos, I felt it: This is it. This is what I’m meant to do.

Over the next week, I found myself sleeping next to her in case she needed medication or a bathroom break. Navigating a 5-story log cabin post-surgery would have been next to impossible with her injured leg, but she seemed perky and keen to keep playing in the snow. Her vet must have given her the good stuff.

As she healed, we took shifts to look after the animals. I was able to snowboard, take in stunning mountain views, and explore Alaska. Nothing like hot cocoa and the crunch of snow under your boots to make Christmas come alive. My soul soaked up ever part of it.

Learning to Fly Solo

Two things came out of my first house sit:

1. Never will I EVER bring a dude with me AGAIN.
2. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO.

Arriving back in Honolulu January 5, I quickly applied for and landed multiple housesitting gigs. Next up, a full month in Whitehorse, Yukon, chasing the aurora borealis.

Twice I had chased them—once in northern Sweden and just a month before in Alaska. But alas, to no avail. Something in my bones told me: Amber, this experience, seeing the aurora borealis… You’re going to see them when you’re alone.

So I sublet my apartment, packed my bags, and bought a one-way ticket to Canada.

Having only lived as far north as Connecticut back in 2008, I had no real experience in the snow. Yet, there I was—naively or courageously—packing my bags, subleasing my apartment, and purchasing a one-way plane ticket to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

Swapping Sun for Snowstorms—And Landing Dinner with Santa (Sort Of)

February 2022 – Whitehorse, Yukon Canada 

As I boarded my flight with two carry-ons and zero regrets, I sat next to a man who looked exactly like Santa Claus. Burly, bearded, and blissfully asleep. Thirty minutes before landing, he woke up and we started talking.

When I told him I left Hawaii for the Yukon on purpose, he blinked twice.

Turns out, he wasn’t just Santa—he was the CEO of a major Canadian construction firm. Impressed or intrigued (or both), he invited me to dinner.
“My assistant’s your age and she’s into those lights too. Come meet her, maybe swap stories.”

It was spontaneous. Unexpected. And exactly what this journey was all about: connection, courage, and saying “yes” to what your heart is pulling you toward.—even if it doesn’t look the way you imagined.
Just like this story about learning what happens when you finally meet your heroes, it reminded me: the magic lies not in the plan, but in what unfolds when you drop the script.

The Takeaway: It’s Not Too Late

I share my story not because I have it all figured out—but because maybe you don’t either.

Maybe you’re sitting in your own version of suburbia, in a relationship that drains you, or a routine that leaves your soul untouched. Maybe you’re craving more—but you’re scared to leap.

Let this be your sign: Leap anyway.
Your desires exist for a reason. Don’t bury them beneath fear or doubt.
Start messy. Start scared. Just start.

You don’t need permission.
You just need courage.
And trust me—once you taste freedom, there’s no going back.

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Amber is a solo traveler, adventurer, and storyteller who swapped stability for the thrill of the unknown. She believes that living courageously isn’t a luxury—it’s a responsibility to your soul.

Want to follow Amber’s journey? Reach out to her @the.amber.jade

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