Rosie Green is an award-winning journalist, podcast host and relationships expert who’s written extensively about life after heartbreak, including her bestselling self-help memoir, How To Heal A Broken Heart.
Travelling to soothe heartbreak has long been a thing – think of Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz in The Holiday or Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. Why? New surroundings prompt a new perspective. Time spent passing through unfamiliar landscapes allows for vital thinking space, and exploring unknown cities and meeting different people nourishes the soul.
This time four years ago, I was reeling from the implosion of my 15-year marriage. Sad and exhausted, I wanted to wrestle control of my emotions. I needed to feel positive, I needed sunshine, I needed a break. My mojo was MIA and I wanted it back.
But equally, travel felt daunting. I was worried going away with my children would highlight the fact that someone was missing, and travelling without my kids would be guilt-inducing. Plus, I feared time alone would send me plummeting to even lower depths. There would be no-one to say, ‘Text me when you land’. But I hushed those negative thoughts and decided to embark on a summer of travel, starting with a women-only trip to Italy.
The idea of solo travel petrified me. I’d always thought it was the preserve of those forced into it by a lack of partner or friends. I quickly realised this was not the case, and that joining a small travel group – like the carefully calibrated, Women-Only group tours that Insight Vacations offers – is a brilliant way of meeting like-minded women who, like me, relish new people and experiences.
One guest was travelling to rebuild confidence after the end of a relationship, just as I was, while another wanted to recalibrate after her children had left home. We quickly made friends, and my eyes slowly opened to the positives of solo travel – the fact it was women-only really added to my sense of comfort. By the time I went home, I felt energised and markedly less fragile.
Next I decided to take the children to visit my cousin in Washington. We were all anxious and sad to be travelling as a three not a four, but my cousin’s welcome, plus the awe-inspiring scale of the US, swiftly replaced those feelings with joy and excitement.
We visited many of the city’s key sights, such as the White House, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall and very impressive zoo. We pottered around charming Georgetown, before heading to lush, green Virginia to canoe down the Shenandoah River and watch polo while eating hot dogs.
To finish the summer, I went to Greece with one of my best girlfriends. We hiked through wooded hills, admired olive groves and sat by the pool, where my friend generously allowed me to talk and talk, process my heartbreak and gain fresh perspective. We ate creamy Greek yogurt and local fruit and vegetables grown in the nutrient-rich soil of the Peloponnese. I felt revitalised by the pine-scented air and the sun on my back.
If I learned anything this year, it was how valuable spending time with other women can be. While I was travelling solo, I was never alone – this is the beauty of a Women-Only tour with Insight Vacations – a brand known for its premium, ‘Business Class’ style tour offerings. Created by women, for women, this new collection of tours has been expertly curated to help women just like me feel confident in their desire to see the world, and re-connect with themselves in the process.
With 11 expert-curated itineraries to choose from, which incorporate destinations such as Portugal, Morocco, India and beyond, these small group tours not only celebrate female friendship, but also give women the opportunity to meet female artisans, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and so much more. Standout experiences for me include dining with a renowned archaeologist in Peru and visiting a women-run winery in Italy – both MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences that are included on each Women-Only itinerary. Whether you’re with friends or family, or solo, travelling can be a fulfilling, soul-enriching experience. It allowed me to reconnect with myself. To rediscover my spark.
If you’ve experienced loss, be that of a romantic partner, a loved one, a friendship, a job or a life stage, then I urge you to pack your bags. It forces you to live in the present rather than ruminate on the past and turns a negative into a positive.
Oh, and it’s a whole lot of fun.
Visit Insight Vacations to learn more about their small group Women-Only Tours
