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Dare to Travel Solo: Exploring Croatia and Italy with a light carry-on bag and a ton of determination
Life's too short not to be daring!
A white pebbly beach in Croatia. A rustic fishing village in Italy. A perfectly clipped garden overlooking the Amalfi Coast. What would it take, Katherine wonders, to get there?
Approaching the big five-oh, juggling teenagers and family commitments, plus the exhaustion of nursing and nightshift, Katherine has dedicated her adult life to helping others. Now it’s her turn.
She’s unsure if people are more worried about her gallivanting off to Europe by herself or her travelling light with a ridiculously small carry-on bag. She begins to wonder whether she has gone completely mad, and at the very start, she almost turns back.
Will she cope by herself? And will she have enough?
As she gets out of her comfort zone and into her adventure zone, what starts out as “I just need a break” becomes way more than she bargained for.
Written with light-hearted wit but also deep reflection, this is a true story about grabbing life’s opportunities, believing in yourself, living life to the full and turning dreams into reality. Join Katherine on her one-month escape, where she swoons at the freedom of travelling at her own pace.
Be warned…this book will have you booking your own liberating adventure.
The adventure that kick-started The 5 Kilo Traveller.
A white pebbly beach in Croatia. A rustic fishing village in Italy. A perfectly clipped garden overlooking the Amalfi Coast. What would it take, Katherine wonders, to get there?
Approaching the big five-oh, juggling teenagers and family commitments, plus the exhaustion of nursing and nightshift, Katherine has dedicated her adult life to helping others. Now it’s her turn.
She’s unsure if people are more worried about her gallivanting off to Europe by herself or her travelling light with a ridiculously small carry-on bag. She begins to wonder whether she has gone completely mad, and at the very start, she almost turns back.
Will she cope by herself? And will she have enough?
As she gets out of her comfort zone and into her adventure zone, what starts out as “I just need a break” becomes way more than she bargained for.
Written with light-hearted wit but also deep reflection, this is a true story about grabbing life’s opportunities, believing in yourself, living life to the full and turning dreams into reality. Join Katherine on her one-month escape, where she swoons at the freedom of travelling at her own pace.
Be warned…this book will have you booking your own liberating adventure.
The adventure that kick-started The 5 Kilo Traveller.
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 30, 2023
13 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 11, 2023
As a keen traveller I really enjoyed Katherine’s travel story. However we both travel at opposite ends of the spectrum, as I’ve gotten older I like guided tours and nice accommodation and taking all forms of transport. Katherine has walked a lot of her month long holiday in Croatia and Italy, no mean feat!
It was meant to be two of them on this holiday but her friend decided later on that she could not go. Now Katherine had to decide if she could in fact go alone.
From so much self doubt at the start to her becoming a bolder, stronger person this is an amazing journey with just the pack on her back and the shoes on her feet. We get to experience her experiences, from the beautiful vistas to the people she met, to the hiking trails and scary incidents. Her commitment to travelling light with just the pack on her back saved her so much hassle and time.
I hope Katherine is going to follow this book up with another book on her time in Japan.
It was meant to be two of them on this holiday but her friend decided later on that she could not go. Now Katherine had to decide if she could in fact go alone.
From so much self doubt at the start to her becoming a bolder, stronger person this is an amazing journey with just the pack on her back and the shoes on her feet. We get to experience her experiences, from the beautiful vistas to the people she met, to the hiking trails and scary incidents. Her commitment to travelling light with just the pack on her back saved her so much hassle and time.
I hope Katherine is going to follow this book up with another book on her time in Japan.
March 2, 2024
As a fellow Kiwi of a similar age who also travelled in my 20's I found this very inspiring. I constantly dream of going back to Croatia and other parts of Europe that I haven't seen enough of or at all. The idea of travelling light really appeals too. I definitely would not be able to stop myself buying souvenirs though!
June 11, 2024
While Katherine didn't inspire me to pack light and travel solo (I don't think that is in my DNA), her story was inspirational. Daring to listen to your heart, challenge yourself and back that with self belief is something we can all do more of.
September 7, 2025
I enjoyed this book but would have given it an extra star if she hadn’t mentioned her 5.5/6/6.5kg back pack - and smugly at that - on nearly every other page. That aside the book was interesting and a quick read.
November 9, 2025
This book was so enjoyable to read and has really inspired me. I’m already a light traveller (game changer!) and am keen to do more solo travel. Katherine’s instagram had inspired me to walk the Queen Charlotte Track solo. And I loved it. Now my sights are set further afield.
October 23, 2024
inspiring!
This story of fear, resilience, growth and packing light will inspire you to face your own fears and do the same.
This story of fear, resilience, growth and packing light will inspire you to face your own fears and do the same.
September 7, 2023
DARE YOURSELF TO BE INSPIRED: AND POSSIBLY FOLLOW YOUR DREAM TOO...
There is an honest rawness to the writing and the author will no doubt inspire other readers to wonder ‘what if’. And maybe you'll even ‘plan and do similar’; travel solo. I’m totally captivated by this ‘bare all’ memoir of a life written by a woman who was always going to be a traveler. The personal revelations are heartfelt; written in a style that is page-turning and completely relatable. It’s the story of a woman who travels far and wide to find out how resourceful and independent she can be. And is.
Yes, there are real fears. Short term holiday friendships formed. And helping hands appeared when she desperately needed one or two sets - much to this reader's relief.
DARE TO TRAVEL SOLO is definitely the best non-fiction book I've ever read - hands down. And yes, while it's an interesting travel memoir (I stopped and googled several places to look at locations and specific scenery), it's much more than that and I have nothing but admiration for the writer who went away for one month and came home renewed, knowing she could tackle anything in the future.
There is an honest rawness to the writing and the author will no doubt inspire other readers to wonder ‘what if’. And maybe you'll even ‘plan and do similar’; travel solo. I’m totally captivated by this ‘bare all’ memoir of a life written by a woman who was always going to be a traveler. The personal revelations are heartfelt; written in a style that is page-turning and completely relatable. It’s the story of a woman who travels far and wide to find out how resourceful and independent she can be. And is.
Yes, there are real fears. Short term holiday friendships formed. And helping hands appeared when she desperately needed one or two sets - much to this reader's relief.
DARE TO TRAVEL SOLO is definitely the best non-fiction book I've ever read - hands down. And yes, while it's an interesting travel memoir (I stopped and googled several places to look at locations and specific scenery), it's much more than that and I have nothing but admiration for the writer who went away for one month and came home renewed, knowing she could tackle anything in the future.
October 4, 2023
Dare to Travel Solo is inspirational
A wonderful and inspirational journey that encompasses to much more than traveling solo. The process of daring to follow your dreams and the strength and richness that results is relatable on so any levels. Easy to read and hard to put down until the end...and now to be daring...
A wonderful and inspirational journey that encompasses to much more than traveling solo. The process of daring to follow your dreams and the strength and richness that results is relatable on so any levels. Easy to read and hard to put down until the end...and now to be daring...
October 18, 2023
This was a really great travel book! It didn’t pretend to be anything other than it was; a straightforward account of one woman traveling alone. I wish so much that it had included a packing list!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews