Hello! I'm Carolyne

About Carolyne

…. I love to travel, whether it is with friends, a group, my family or all by myself. I usually do my best to travel safely and wisely, and I have found the world to be a place full of helpful, kind people and future new friends.

…. I am a Taurus and therefore I should be a homebody, but astrologers tell me that my particular birthdate is the sign of the “Traveling Taurus.” I agree with that. I feel at home almost anywhere. I like having a home base – after all, I need somewhere to store the trinkets and souvenirs I gather when traveling – but I can nest happily in any bed and breakfast, hotel, timeshare, or cruise ship cabin and feel at home.

…. I retired from two careers and then started my own business. I was a junior high/high school teacher for eleven years and then taught teachers for twenty-five years at Southern Oregon State College. I was also in the Army Reserve for thirty years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.

After I retired, I started a business called Help-U-Write. I do editing, proof-reading and consulting on all sorts of writing projects from website copy to non-fiction to novels. I am currently working on a middle grade science fantasy of my own. I guess I never really retired – I just changed careers. The advantage of my new career is that I can do it from almost anywhere.

…. I have been a widow since 1991, so I sometimes travel with friends or family or with an interest group, but I also often travel alone. Some people my age say, “Oh, I’d never be able to travel alone,” but once you try it, I think you’d like it. There is a freedom and a sense of adventure that comes with being on your own that is very empowering. And in my experience, people – especially in foreign lands – are very helpful and welcoming.

…. Next to traveling, my favorite thing to do is to plan travel. Once I have a destination and dates in mind, I start researching where to go and what to see. Most places have online listings of hotels, B and B’s, and timeshares. I seldom stay at the well-known chain hotels unless I am going to a conference where it is more fun to stay near the “action.” I decide if I am going to drive (never on the wrong side of the road) or if I can take local buses. I look up the local calendar to see if I am going to be lucky enough to be there during a festival, art show, concert or special holiday. I make a plan of what I think I’m going to do each day, and THEN when I get there, unless I have already purchased tickets for some event, I let serendipity have its way!!

… I started this website because I have 50+ years of travel experience that I’d love to share. I’d like to tell you some of my stories and offer you suggestions of what you might like to experience or see in some of my favorite places. I’m writing about my travels because I hope you might enjoy my tales or use one of my tips or just recognize a similar feeling of being in a new-to-you place.

… I also started it because so many older single women (and some men) have said to me that they wish they could be brave enough to travel alone or to find someone to travel with, but they don’t know how. I hope to suggest a variety of ways you can do just that, and I invite other readers to chime in.

…I know there are a lot of women travelers out there who are even braver and far more physically fit than I am because I’ve met quite a few of them. I’d love to hear about your adventures and ideas too. But much of this website will be devoted to those of us who still get where we need to go, but not as quickly as we used to and who still know how to have fun, but prefer not to suffer for it the next day.

… I hope to hear from all of you who have travel experiences, humorous stories, recommendations for things to see, or tips to share. Just please be respectful of this site and those who visit here … Thank you.