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Hi Reader,
How is your summer going?
I can't believe we are almost half way through!
I am finally getting some rest, but it is shocking to see that it took my body practically 7 weeks of rest & recuperation to finally "detox" from the stress of constant travel and to sleep the amount of hours I need each night, even though I never set an alarm.
I hope you are also getting some rest, and enjoying some time off wherever you are π
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In this week's email π©:
- Our 2026 calendar of tours is pretty much all live with two exceptions: Argentina and Armenia. Some tours are almost sold out already, so take a peek and safe the date!
- Summertime makes meeting handsome strangers easier, so I wanted to share a PSA on safe dating on holidays
- UNESCO, the UN agency in charge of preserving our world heritage, has released the list of new sites added in 2025. Inspiration coming right up!
Our 2026 calendar of tours is live!
Our 2026 complete calendar of tours is live and only missing Argentina (after Antarctica, for NYE 2026) and Armenia (immediately after Georgia) π₯³
If you are looking to travel with us next year, check the list of tours below and start requesting for that personal time off!
Pst! You can also see which tours I or Meg will accompany, so we can meet in real life.
πΈ Indicates a tour will be accompanied by a professional photographer who will take candid photos of you and the group for you to keep.
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- π Tuscany: 13 to 20 Jun || 5 to 12 Sep >> Book hereβ
- β©οΈ Japan: 28 Mar to 7 Apr πΈ || 13 to 23 Jun || 13 to 23 Oct >> Book Japanβ
- π¦ Galapagos: 5 to 12 Dec >> Book here πΈ
- π§ββοΈ Bali: 20 to 28 Jun || 29 Aug to 6 Sep πΈ || 3 to 11 Oct >> Book here
- π Xmas markets: 21 to 29 Nov || 5 to 13 Dec >> Book here
- π· Georgia 5 to 13 Sep >> Book here
- π¦ͺ Croatia & Montenegro 31 May to 6 Jun >> Book hereβ
- π° Scotland 10 to 18 Oct >> Book hereβ
- π Iceland: 11 to 18 Oct >> Book hereβ
- βοΈ Swedish Arctic 28 Mar to 3 Apr [2 SPOTS LEFT] >> Book hereβ
- π¦ Australia: 11 to 22 Oct >> Book here [Meg will host this trip]
- π₯ Barcelona & Beyond: 6 to 14 Jun || 20 to 28 Jun >> Book hereβ
- ποΈ Kilimanjaro climb on Intl Women's Day: 1 to 10 Mar or 1 to 15 Mar with safari extension >> Book here.
- β΅ Greek islands sailing trip: 29 May to 5 Jun πΈ >> Book here [I will host this trip]β
- π Cuba: 14 to 22 Feb πΈ || 14 to 22 Mar || 12 to 20 Dec || New Year's Eve >> Book hereβ
- πͺπ¬ Egypt: 3 to 12 Apr [2 SPOTS LEFT] || 30 Oct to 8 Nov >> Book here
- πͺ Morocco: 2 to 12 Oct πΈ || 6 to 16 Nov >> Book hereβ
- π¦ Tanzania Value safari + Zanzibar: 28 Aug to 7 Sep (Great Migration) || 11 to 21 Sep (Great Migration) || 23 Dec to 2 Jan, 2027 (Xmas + NYE) >> Book hereβ
- πΉπΏ Tanzania Luxe safari + Zanzibar: 25 Sep to 5 Oct, 2026 (Great Migration) || 1 to 10 Nov, 2026 >> Book hereβ
- π¦πΆ Antarctica: 13 to 27 Dec >> Book here [I will host this trip]β
- π¬ Ecuador & The Galapagos: 5 to 17 May [I will host this trip, SOLD OUT] >> Join the waitlistβ
- π΄ Caribbean island hopping: 13 to 20 Feb, 2027 πΈ >> Book here [Both Meg and I will host this trip]
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Safe dating on holidays
More tourism = more solo travel = more people on the road = more opportunities to meet others.
Plus, locals are a great source of recommendations: "Best way to get insider tips and to see secret spots only the most in the know of locals know."
Whether you intend to date or just meet someone serendipitously, below are some tips to bear in mind to do so wisely and more fun:
- Connect with locals before your trip with apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge which let you change your location in advance so you hit the ground running when you land instead of spending time swiping and chatting. Read about all the dating app options here.
- Be upfront on expectations so there are no misunderstandings.
- Meet in a public place and do something you already had on your plans like a museum or a walk. Start small with a hard stop (eg. you have an appointment later) so you're not stuck on a boring date.
- Share the details of your date, the person you are meeting and your location with a trusted friend. Schedule a health-check call in case you need an out. Some members go as far as asking their date for a photo of their ID to send to a friend.
- Keep personal details (phone number, where you are staying) private. Consider if you want to link your social media channels and if you do, avoid posting live updates so nobody shows up unexpectedly where you are.
- Be your own private investigator. Reverse search photos and details of your date to detect catfishing or lies.
- Follow your instincts and don't put any negative gut feelings aside. If a situation or person does not feel right, remove yourself from it. The gift of fear is a fantastic book to learn more about this.
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Looking for more?
βRead all our wise dating tips here.β
New list of UNESCO sites
26 new sites have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List of preserved sites in 2025. The list now contains 1248 sites around the world.
Here are some fun facts about the lis:
- There are 972 cultural, 235 natural and 41 mixed properties. You can see the complete list here.
- 170 countries (as per the UN definition) have at least 1 UNESCO world heritage site within their borders. 26 countries have no inscribed property, these tend to be really small countries like Nauru, Monaco or Brunei.
- 52 sites are transboundary, meaning they span more than one country
- Almost half of the sites are in Europe (580 / 1248)
- Italy has the most number of sites at 61, followed by China (only 1 site behind), Germany, France and Spain.
- The UNESCO World Heritage list started in
- 53 of the sites are considered "endangered" and could be removed from the list is measures are not taken to ensure their preservation. While sites are added every year to the list, some are also removed if they aren't taken care of.
These are the new sites added in 2025:
- Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection, Cambodia
- Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, Brazil
- Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the BijagΓ³s Archipelago β OmatΓ MinhΓ΄, Guinea-Bissau
- Cultural Heritage Sites of Ancient Khuttal, Tajikistan
- Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains, Cameroon
- Faya Palaeolandscape, United Arab Emirates
- Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor, Malaysia
- Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia β The domus de janas, Italy
- Gola-Tiwai Complex, Sierra Leone
- Maratha Military Landscapes of India, India
- Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan, France
- Minoan Palatial Centres, Greece
- Mount Kumgang β Diamond Mountain from the Sea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape, Malawi
- MΓΈns Klint, Denmark
- Murujuga Cultural Landscape, Australia
- Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream, Republic of Korea
- Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave, Russian Federation
- Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe, TΓΌrkiye
- The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal, Jamaica
- The Colonial Transisthmian Route of PanamΓ‘, Panama
- The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee, Germany
- The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley, Iran (Islamic Republic of))
- WixΓ‘rika Route through Sacred Sites to Wirikuta (TatehuarΓ HuajuyΓ©), Mexico
- Xixia Imperial Tombs, China
- Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Landscapes, Vietnam
You can get more details of each site on the UNESCO world heritage website here, or on this article on the Lonely Planet website.
Last availability for 2025
Here are the last few spots left on this year's tours:
- π 3 SPOTS left on our Georgia tour 20 to 28 September => BOOK GEORGIAβ
- π 1 SPOT opened up on our Morocco tour 6 to 16 November => BOOK MOROCCOββ
- π 1 SPOT left on our Australia tour 12 to 23 October => BOOK AUSTRALIAβ
- π 2 SPOTS left on our Iceland tour 28 September to 5 October => BOOK ICELANDββ
- π 3 SPOTS left on our Oaxaca 12 to 18 October tour => BOOK OAXACAβ
- π 1 SPOTS left on our Xmas markets tour 22 to 29 November => BOOK XMAS MARKETSβ
- π 4 SPOTS left on our Cuba tour for New Year's Eve, the celebration you needed! => BOOK CUBA (PS Yes, Americans can travel to Cuba legally, directly and without any issues, reply to this email and ask us for details)
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=> You can also see the FULL CALENDAR of tours with all the destinations.
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In case you missed it
Travel news and interesting stories and conversations in the group from this last week
- As the list of new UNESCO world heritage sites gets released, the US has just announced its departure from the organization. This is the second time the US departs, the previous one being under Trump's last administration. This is what it means for travelers.
- Trips to plan a year in advance. Read here.
- Not new but, have you seen the Travel+Leisure magazine Best Hotels awards for 2025? Lots of inspiration in there. Read here.
- China now grants visa-free access to citizens of 74 countries for up to a month. More here.
- 200 hours solo traveling across the US by train. Read here.
- New Passport strength ranking: Singapore tops the list, followed closely by japan, South Korea, Spain, Germany, Finland, France, Denmark, Ireland, and Italy. The US passport drops to record low. Read here.
- The Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) are getting their own visa. Read more.
- A new electronic sentry system is being rolled out in Europe. Full details here. This is NOT the new travel pre-authorization system yet, but the step before that.
- Best cities for nightlife (4 are in Africa!). Read here.β
- Crazy tent Airbnb - would you try it or not? More here.
- How we have created fake natural sites while destroying nature. A great reflection into our contradicting love relationship with the natural world. Read here.
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Have an amazing rest of the week wherever you are π«Ά and send this email to a friend who may find it useful.
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Take care,
SFT Co-Founders
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Solo Female Travelersβ
C/ Europa 18 5-2, Sitges, 08870
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Have questions? Hit reply to this email and we'll help out!
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