As I researched adventure travel for this column, I found myself reminiscing about my post-college treks through Europe and northern Africa using only a guidebook. My kids are amazed that it is possible to step outside of the house without your cell phone, let alone traipse across foreign borders.
Nowadays you can travel solo or in groups, hire guides and drivers, read reviews from other travelers, plan an exact itinerary or see where the winds take you. Whether you are an adventurer seeking zip-lines and rough rapids or a wellness lover craving restorative yoga in a remote location, there are a multitude of opportunities awaiting you.
I connected with some fellow travelers to ask what stories and lessons they have learned along the way.
Melanie Hankinson
Melanie Hankinson, took a few weeks off between leaving her job and starting her own business. She achieved a long-term goal by traveling solo to Egypt, Israel and Palestine for 20 days.
Hankinson’s adventure began in Cairo where she had a driver to handle Egypt’s chaotic roads where three rows of vehicles are crammed into two lanes and accidents are common. He picked her up in the morning and dropped her at her hotel at night. She explored Alexandria and then took a six-hour drive to see the White Desert National Park where she slept in a tent.
Hankinson took a flight to Luxor and spent time in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during Holocaust Remembrance Day. She stayed at a hostel in order to take a specific educational tour.
In a very small group, Hankinson spent the morning with an Israeli Jew and the afternoon with a Palestinian Arab who both offered different perspectives on living there and conflict between the groups.
When it comes to being a visitor in these countries, Hankinson notes that full robes and a head covering are necessary at the mosques, and Egypt in general is less expensive to visit compared to Israel.
One day, Hankinson hopes to continue her travels and visit Turkey, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
As an experienced solo traveler, Hankinson felt safe the entire trip.
“It was my best vacation ever, but there are no more tents or hostels in my future,” Hankinson says.
Joan McNally says her life is one big adventure right now. She grew up traveling but has really embraced new experiences and different cultures over the last five years.
Her first trip after the COVID-19 pandemic was a three-week cruise to the sub-Antarctic by herself and the opportunity for incredible iceberg-type scenery plus penguins, whales, leopard seals and albatross. She has bragging rights for crossing the dreaded Drake Passage and recommends a patch behind the ear or another form of seasickness medication.
McNally has met many new friends through Modern Elder Academy, MEA, which offers workshops to help people in midlife find clarity, inspiration and fulfillment. Some classes are online while others are located all around the world. She has done three yoga retreats; one in Guatemala and two in India. She also spent a month in India traveling with a friend.
“I used an Indian travel agent to customize my itinerary that time but I usually use a U.S. travel agent to help with the details,” says McNally.
Soon she is off to Baja Sur, Mexico, for a Made for Joy retreat. It will be part eco-adventure and part journey of self-discovery and finding the joy within. McNally will get a chance to witness up close the majestic migratory gray whales and also swim with whale sharks and baby sea lions in the Sea of Cortez.
“You are only given one life, so say yes to life!” she says.
Baylie Street and Vanessa Robinson
Baylie Street and Vanessa Robinson have been best friends since attending Dublin Scioto High School and graduating in 2015. Together, they are living their dream of sharing their favorite destinations with other women who might be intimidated to travel on their own.
Street had a knack for finding cheap flights and great deals and sharing them with friends first and then posting them on Facebook. She gained a strong following and the girls founded their tour operating company, Sun Gate, in 2019. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit and travel was put on hold, however, it gave them a chance to establish an even increase their following on social media. They started the Midwest Girls on the Go Facebook page in 2021 which now has more than 26,000 members.
Street and Robinson host and organize trips to several unique places including Peru, Albania, Egypt and Tanzania for safaris, with 17 adventures planned through September.
For these trips, Street and Robinson keep their groups between eight and 14 clients for an intimate experience. Trips are for women only, ages 18-80 or beyond as long as they can handle the physical activity.
“We love to watch women get out of their comfort zones and grow,” says Robinson.
Many women travel solo and meeting new people and sharing a room is part of the experience. Clients fill out a Google form with sleeping habits, etc. so Street and Robinson can match them up with other participants. Attendees have a zoom info session before departing so they can meet one another online and ask questions about the trip.
Street and Robinson also love that their travel helps small businesses all over the world. They help their clients to see the big sites while also experiencing the local culture and learning how to be travelers and not just tourists.
Future trip locations include Vietnam, Nepal and Bhutan, and they are always expanding their offerings and adding on new locations.
“We never get tired of visiting the same locations because now we have families all over the world,” Street says. Trips are different every time as we introduce new places to new people. It’s like giving them a present and having the opportunity to watch them open it.”
Colleen D’Angelo is a Dublin Life columnist and freelance writer who has lived in Dublin for 27 years. You can find her on the pickleball court, in the yoga studio or on an airplane to international destinations. Contact her at colleendangelo1@gmail.com.
