Soft Life

A truly solo-friendly hotel makes you feel centered in the space. Not secondary. Not temporary.

Valentine’s Day was yesterday. For some people, it was reservations and flowers and soft lighting. For others, it was quiet. And if you were alone, by choice or by circumstance, it may have felt heavier than you expected. Not necessarily because you’re lonely, but because Valentine’s Day is one of the few cultural moments that aggressively centers partnership as proof of worth. The messaging is subtle but powerful: if you are loved, someone is doing something for you. So whe

Traveling alone can feel intimidating, but once you try it, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. There's something incredibly freeing about exploring at your own pace and following your curiosity wherever it leads. From Lisbon's hills to Kyoto's temples, Melbourne's coffee scene to Bali's beaches—these ten destinations make solo travel feel less like a risk and more like the adventure you've been craving. Pick one, book that ticket, and trust yourself. The world is wait

Solo travel isn't just trending—it's booming. And the travel industry is racing to keep up. The global solo travel market, valued at $482.34 billion in 2024, is projected to more than double to $1.07 trillion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. That represents a compound annual growth rate of 14.3%, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in the travel industry. For context, the U.S. solo travel market alone generated approximately $95 billion in 2024, with proje

Many people imagine going solo as simply being alone or independent. Yet, the reality is more complex and often misunderstood. Choosing to go solo means stepping into a space where you rely on yourself, face challenges without a safety net, and discover parts of your identity that only solitude can reveal. This post explores what it truly means to go solo and why most people hesitate to take that step. Finding peace in solitude on a rocky cliff What Going Solo Really Means Go

No system is perfect. You'll forget something. Something will go wrong. A reservation will be messed up. But having a system means when something goes wrong, you have a foundation to work from. You have backup plans. You have documentation. You have structure.

I had a good job. A really  good job. Four years as a Finance Manager at Coca-Cola. The kind of position people congratulate you for landing. Steady paycheck. Benefits. A 401k. The corporate ladder stretched out in front of me, clear and predictable. My parents were proud. My friends were impressed. On paper, I had it made. But I also had a secret: I was running out of vacation days. Not because I was lazy or didn't manage my time well. But because every spare moment, every l

The hardest part of solo travel at our age isn't navigating foreign airports or eating alone at restaurants. It's giving yourself permission to do it. For decades, we've been the ones taking care of everyone else. But go do something for ourselves? It feels selfish. Let me save you some time: it's not selfish. It's necessary.