I am eagerly awaiting the rest of the SFT team to arrive so we can spend a week together for the first time ever.
We set the company up officially almost exactly 6 years ago on the 20th of May 2020.
The pandemic first, motherhood for Meg and Jacobo next, the impossible and constant travel plans for all and the fact that we are a globally distributed team from Australia to California, have meant that we could never meet in person all of us together until today. The only one missing one will be Gaby, who works part time and lives in El Salvador.
Look out for silly photos and videos of all of us and the chance to get to know us better.
In the meantime, go check our Instagram stories where Meg is sharing what goes behind the scenes of our last Greece sailing tour that ended today.
Next year, we will offer a Croatia sailing trip instead and you can join the waitlist to be the first to know. This will be a sailing from Trogir to Dubrovnik onboard a luxury yatch with upper deck jacuzzi and daily swim tops.
We also have our 10th anniversary Caribbean luxury sailing trip next February if traveling in style is your vibe. The entire SFT team will be there too. There are only about 10 spots left so don't wait up.
We hope we can return to Greece one day, but have no immediate plans.
Have you listened to this week's episode of the Solo Female Travelers podcast? This has been the most popular episode to date, with a few hundreds of you listening to it in the first 24h.
It's a fun and honest conversation between me and Meg about packing that is full of banter and good hearted jokes.
I tease her on her crazy overpacking (she has gotten better, wink-wink) and she makes fun of my minimalistic packing and how I almost had a heart attack when I saw her come with 4 suitcases, a baby, a stroller and a backpack when she first came to Spain 2 years ago.
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Onto this week's travel tips email I wanted to share some creative travel hacks, inspired by a reel I saw from content creator Taylor Black and my own weird and wonderful hacks, many of which I wasn't even aware I did as they are part of my subconscious.
Creative hacks
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Here are some of the funkiest travel hacks:
- See the map above? Hoodmaps is a cool if racist map resource made by local developers that makes fun of neighbourhoods of cities around the world. It is an exaggeration of the realities on the ground, and a very stereotypical way of describing them, and is often very racist and rude, but also quite true to reality. If you are looking for an area in a city and want to know who lives there and what to expect, this map will tell you where tourists are, what areas are cool, what areas are dangerous, where immigrants live, where the wealthy parts of town are, etc. It is incredibly correct, but also has no filter so it is offensive. If you look at Barcelona above, it will tell you where the posh people live (pijos) where prostitution is most common, etc. So take it with a pinch of salt.
- Taking free hotel shuttles to nearby hotels to the one you're staying at and then an Uber to yours. I haven't done this to save money, but because I couldn't get a taxi from the airport and the queue was super long, so I figured I would get closer and then the hotel concierge would help me get a taxi if it was difficult. But it also works to save money.
- Splitting your clothes between you and your travel partner, half on each suitcase, so if one gets lost you at least have half the clothes. I actually did this in Malta, on the way there, but it was not an intentional decision just a practical one. After the airline lost my suitcase completely, I thought about doing it next time. Or coming with 2 carry ons instead of one larger suitcase so I can take one on the plane and halve at least half of my clothes.
- If you cannot find a public toilet, hotels always have one in the lobby and will rarely ask if you are a guest. I have walked into many and asked reception where the toilet is without issues.
- If you can choose, you should always fly with the first flight of the day not the last, delays are much more likelier on the last flights which have accumulated the delays of the day. If you have a short layover, I would also only do that on early flights for the same reason, and not have a 6pm flight somewhere that then has a short connection.
- I keep all the business class amenity bags I get and donate them to charity once a year. I do the same with shampoo / body wash pots that I open and only use a bit of. I avoid using individual amenities at hotels because of the wastage but if for whatever reason I have to, I take them with me because I know they otherwise simply get thrown away.
- If you are traveling in Europe with your suitcase, where city centres are full of stairs, cobblestone streets and inaccessible areas, use Google maps with the wheelchair option so it takes you through the path that has elevators or escalators.
- I use toilets in tucked away areas of the airport and not the ones in the most transited parts which are often filthy as they get much more foot fold than those at the end of the terminal, by the last gate, etc. If I see a queue, I also immediately pass and go to the next. Airports have lots of toilets so you will find the next one a few steps away.
- I book hotels for my family's trips and get the loyalty points for this. Because I have status, they get better rates and amenities like room upgrades, free breakfast or welcome drinks, and I get the points. Everyone wins.
- You know I pack my suitcase like a bookshelf, but I also pack by activity = outfit. I look at what I plan to do and pack outfit for that only. Then have an extra travel outfit I will wear on the plane, and a comfy indoor outfit to wear at the hotel.
- When using Airbnb, many properties nowadays are managed by real state management companies and not by the owners. You can find the name of the management company via Airbnb and book direct. You can negotiate the price with them directly, save the Airbnb fees and they may be able to offer you an alternative property not listen that is better / cheaper / more convenient. These companies have to follow local regulations and may also require a contract etc. which is the same if not better than the Airbnb policy. You don't get the immediate customer service you get with Airbnb, but it may actually be better. I did this in Malta.
- Noise cancelling headsets have been a game changer for me at airports. I can easily switch off and work even in the most crowded and noisiest of places, a skill I developed from so many hours in airports, but I realised the extra stimulation and overwhelm was negatively affecting my nervous system without me realising. The moment I started wearing my Bose noise cancelling headsets, this changed dramatically. I now have a much calmer travel experience and board planes more relaxed which means I can more easily fall asleep and arrive rested. I can't believe I didn't buy them before. I have the white smoke colored one (great color description btw).
- I have status with Star Alliance and usually fly with one of the airlines but if I have a long connection or one that is at an ungodly hour, I will look at the prices of lounge access. Airport food and drinks are expensive and it could be cheaper to pay for the lounge than to buy them separately, and you get a place tor eat, drink, work, and sleep (some have sleep capsules or quiet spaces).
- Using your student ID for bookings and getting discounts is something my partner does all the time. To be fair, he is a student, only an older one, and is trying to get his computer programming degree, so it's true, but if you are taking any course that makes you a student, it could work.
- Most museums in Europe have a free day every month, typically a Sunday. You still have to buy tickets because the capacity is controlled, but you get to go in for free.
- When I was a student in exchange in Canada, we spent the last 3 weeks traveling in the US. We had little money left so we at at McDonald's more times than I'd like to admit because they had lots of promotions for cheaper items at lunch time, and took Greyhound buses for overnight travel, slept in them and saved on hotel nights. This also works in Europe where there are buses covering most of the continent. Book a Flixbus overnight ticket and arrive at your new destination in the morning without having to spend on a hotel.
- I always keep a tiny bottle of orange blossom or tea tree oil in my handbag to put under my nose in case of a really strong smell in the plane or when I travel. Others won't usually smell this because it is right under my nose.
- Fly to a nearby airport to your final destination and then take a train or bus for the last stretch can save a ton. In Europe, this is very useful because cities are nearby. For example, flying to Vienna could be expensive, but Bratislava is only a 2h train ride away. Or fly to Geneva instead of Zurich, or Valencia instead of Barcelona, and so on.
Have you got any other unusual, creative travel hacks to share? Hit reply and let me know.
= Trip is confirmed 
= SOLD OUT 
= I or Meg will co-host these trips
Cuba: 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan, 2027 (New Year's Eve) >> 
Bali: 
Oaxaca: 11 to 17 Oct || 8 – 14 Nov || 29 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan 2027 >> 
Japan: 
Iceland: 
Xmas markets: 
Georgia: 
Armenia: 
Croatia & Montenegro: 
Scotland: 
Australia: 
Barcelona & Beyond: 
Greek islands sailing trip: 
Morocco: 
Tuscany: 
Tanzania Value safari + Zanzibar: 
Egypt: 
Tanzania Luxe safari + Zanzibar: 
Galapagos sailing: 
Antarctica: 
Caribbean island hopping: 
Kilimanjaro: 
Swedish Arctic: 
Ecuador & The Galapagos: 
Madagascar: Tags: Solo Females Travellers