I realized that I am getting older when my mum told me I should slow down a notch cause “quote…you are middle-aged after all…unquote”. The shock of being referred to as middle-aged had no relevance to the fact that my brain still triggered the same stimulus as when I was thirty. But my bones sometimes reminded me otherwise.  Therefore, I prefer to think of myself as a young woman trapped in ageing packaging.

I have had a full-on life.  I am a successful entrepreneur and have travelled in more than 50 countries during my working life. I have always managed to combine my business with pleasure – and have mostly travelled solo.

This is the reason I have decided to let go of my day-to-day executive job and continue to just travel solo for pleasure.

I will share my experiences and destinations.  If you are looking for excitement, safety and stylish travel tips, you have landed on the right page.

A Little Story About My Life

I was a precocious child with a very curious mind. I am 5ft 2″ and being so “petite” – which sounds nicer than downright short – I was always in the front row of my class.  Being a jack-in-the-box this earned quite a few black marks.  Learning came easy and by the age of 23, I had graduated in Finance and had a great position in one of the local banks.

I was born and bred in the little Island of Malta – which we fondly call “The Rock” – with good reason because it is really a rock in the Meditteranean. Despite the fact that people from small Islands are labelled as having “the Island Mentality” – I realized at a very young age, that I needed to get out of Malta and discover more of the world.

My first travel adventure happened when I was 13.  I went to Bavaria on a youth exchange for a month and discovered my love for fresh cream and long walks.  The food, the culture, the language were all alien to me as a 13-year-old.  But that first trip gave me wanderlust.

I did several other trips in Europe – but my breakthrough trip – one which irrevocably changed my life happened when I was 24.

I speak fluent Italian – due to the proximity of Malta to Italy and also growing up with Italian TV Stations blaring out of the box.  I jumped on an opportunity when some Italian acquaintances asked whether I would go with them to Hong Kong and Taiwan for a Trade Fair and act as their interpreter. I jumped at the opportunity and took two weeks off work from the bank and went packing.

My first trip to Asia literally changed my life. I will tell you the story in another post.  But on my return from Asia, I quit my job at the bank and started an import/export business selling pearls and furniture.

Since my first fateful trip to Asia, I have returned to different parts of Asia every single year of my life bar one.  I am currently living my dream in Bali. I have travelled to Africa, North America, Central America, South America too.  My bucket list is nowhere near complete and I plan to continue travelling and writing and of course FISHING!

Why I want to travel and Write

Throughout my working life, I have learnt to travel solo. I learnt how to stay safe when travelling alone and how to combine business and pleasure. Every single business trip I took, always ended with a few days of holidaying and discovering the country as a tourist.

My brick and mortar business – a chain of furniture and home furnishing store called ORIENTA is now a well-structured business which is run by the rest of my family.

In the past thirty years, I have amassed a wealth of information on sourcing goods from all over the world.  I have made many errors but also made scoops that have earned me a very nice income.

What I would like to share with my readers is my experience in travelling and how to turn every opportunity during your trips into an income stream.

Finally, I will share the adventure and my love for life.

My Promise to Females Flying Solo

Although today many women are independent and travelling solo is much easier – I still meet very successful women who are uneasy to travel on their own.  Coming from a small island like Malta, I understand the challenges and the fearmongering of women heading abroad alone. I have started this blog to dispel the myths and to show women how to travel alone, safely, in style and have a lot of fun.  For the keen-minded, I am also happy to share my wealth of knowledge into how to turn your travels into business opportunities.

Feel free to drop comments and ask any questions and I will be sure to come back to you with an honest answer. And remember Carpe Diem!  Live the Day
All the best,

Mariella

https://femaleflyingsolo.com/