SOLO TRAVEL | GRRRL TRAVELER

Is being a female solo traveler easy? …Not!

Filed under Inspiration, SOLO TRAVEL by Christine Ka'aloa on May 14, 2012 at 8:00 am {12 comments}

: Is going Solo easy for women? (Ladakh, India)

You are very brave. I could never do what you do– traveling on your own…

[ HAhhh, here we go again… ]

How do you do it?

[ Well, you think this is a vacation? ]

No, I need to go with my husband. He always arranges and schedules things. I wouldn’t know what to do if I had to travel on my own…

[ Honey, you'd be surprised what you can do on your own if you had to or really wanted to. ]

If I didn’t have my husband, I wouldn’t go anywhere.

[ ...or, you could choose that option too. ]

Shweta was an intelligent and forward Indian wife and university professor in her 30′s, vacationing with her husband in Ladakh, India. We were sharing a truck through the icy slopes of Nubra Valley and I was being bombarded with the questions that many females ask about solo travel, when they’re standing on the opposite side of it. As Shweta listened to my answers, her eyes drew a hallowed aura over me– a mixture of admiration, awe, horror and …pity.

There’s a mystique around female solo travelers. We’re considered an anomaly and yet, our numbers are growing. These days, I meet all types of journeying women, from
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Are you a street-smart traveler or just travel-jaded?

Filed under Cambodia, I Survived! by Christine Ka'aloa on April 30, 2012 at 6:04 am {26 comments}

: Streetwise or travel-jaded?

Street wise.

Been-there and done-that.

Old hat.

After traveling in Asia over the course of a year, there were two things I felt I had become proficient at: haggling and avoiding scams.

If I sensed a scam, my windows rolled up and my auto pilot kicked into a prickly cold shoulder with a ‘Don’t fuck with me‘ attitude. In a negotiating situation, I’d never trust the first price up front. Assuming the dealer was trying to score a few extra bucks, due to the “tourist” sign blazing on my head, I’d shoot for lower or walk away… and keep walking.

Did I forget how to have fun at these times? Maybe so. But as a solo female traveler looking out for my own back, I’d learned to cultivate street smarts.

Then again, maybe you’d call me …travel- jaded. (more…)

Why should you be a ‘Yes’ Wo/man?

Filed under Features Slide, Inspiration by Christine Ka'aloa on March 4, 2012 at 7:43 pm {19 comments}

: Jim Carrey’s film Yes Man

It’s scary when life imitates art.

… Even scarier when you find yourself copying something off of a Jim Carrey film and it actually works!

The Yes Man was a film with a simple concept. Take an average guy with a dull life and have him promise to spice up his lifestyle. The catch? He must say “Yes” to every opportunity, invitation, request,… Everything.

As far as films go, I’ll be honest- it limps along. But as a proverb to live by, it’s genius!

Almost three years ago, I thought that my work life in the entertainment industry was so exciting, that I didn’t need a social life. But then my work slowed and when it did, my social life took the hit, just as hard as if I had tied a noose around it. It was sad and just plain… pathetic.

So I secretly took up a quest to be a Yes Wo/man.

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Fear and Diving: Overcoming Age and Solo Birthdays on the road.

Filed under Great Outdoors, I Survived! by Christine Ka'aloa on January 13, 2012 at 12:07 pm {13 comments}

The water was flooding panic into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I blew out sharply to clear my mask.

We were pulling ourselves down by the anchor rope, descending to the ocean floor. I was at the head of the group and the second in line. Going back up was not an option.

Was there a leak in my mask?

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Long-term solo travel and three mistakes I wish I avoided

Filed under Features Slide, Interviews by Christine Ka'aloa on November 16, 2011 at 1:40 am {27 comments}

Long-term solo travel. I wouldn’t call it easy. Being homeless and living on the road is hard work!

By my sixth month, my travel enthusiasm began fluctuating. I was still thrilled by the unending travel adventure I was living; but also, starting to feel run down from shouldering the constant responsibility of it. Being it was my first attempt at such a feat however, I didn’t expect things to be 100% smooth sailing. I knew I would hit rough spots and battle demons. But had I planned better, I’ve no doubt my ride would’ve been smoother.

Here are three mistakes I wish I avoided…

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Love Letters #16-25: Where have I been in the past 7 months?

Filed under Cambodia, India by Christine Ka'aloa on September 29, 2011 at 12:04 am {3 comments}

I’ve cheated you, my dear readers. I haven’t been good at taking you with me on my travels. Sorry. So here’s an update on my travels: Where have I been after India? Without giving away all my stories just yet, here’s a summary of highlights and places I’ve been to.

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Tribase’s ‘My 7 Links’ Project

Filed under GRRRL in the News, Inspiration by Christine Ka'aloa on September 1, 2011 at 12:48 pm {7 comments}

When Megan of On my way RTW tagged me on Tripbase’s My 7 Links project, I was both, honored to be counted in as part of the travel blogging community and thrilled to be able to share some of my favorite pieces. So if you missed some of these posts the first time around, here’s your second chance! From a restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the endearing madness of honking motodops and tuk-tuks as inspirational backdrop, I write for you …My 7 links.

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Love Letter #15: Long-term travel & the challenges of blogging on the road

Filed under Inspiration, Love Letter Postcards by Christine Ka'aloa on July 20, 2011 at 11:19 am {no comments}

The goal of blogging-on-the-road is a massive beast!

Not a simple task. It’s not that the countries I’ve traveled after India weren’t as amazing, but I’ve quickly learned that it’s nearly impossible for me to take you through my journey as I’m experiencing it. So I’ve decided to detour from my chronological mission of posting only India (Look out- I may get messy!)

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Love Letter #14: When life forces you into the uncomfortable spaces of long-term travel

Filed under Interviews, Love Letter Postcards by Christine Ka'aloa on July 19, 2011 at 3:36 pm {9 comments}

Dear Love, You may be wondering what’s up with me these days.

Before I left Korea, I had planned 3 months in India… My plan: to job search for summer work. One hitch: I never planned for the ‘what if’ I never found a job by the end of my Indian summer! …