Flash sale: 50% off the best Halloween alternative!

Hi Reader,

I am so happy to be back home after a month of travel.

A month may not look like so much travel, but when you are changing hotels almost every night, running out of clean clothes (and limited options to wash them) and trying to run a business while also meeting lots of people, visiting many places and , it eventually is exhausting.

Plus I am not 25 anymore and menopause makes some days extra challenging...

I am only home for 4 days and off again to London!

In normal circumstances, I would not be excited to set off so soon after a long trip, but in this situation, I am.

In case you haven't heard me talk about this before, London is a very special city for me.

My first ever solo trip was to London in 2001, and without that trip, I would not be here today.

I would not have started on a life of travel, I would not have the international career I enjoyed for the last 25 years, I would not have worked in more than 30 countries and I would have certainly not visited 145.

I would also not have started Solo Female Travelers.

My life would have been completely different had I not spent the summer of 2001, as a fresh 20 years old, in a city where I barely spoke the language.

That summer opened my eyes to a diverse and multicultural world that did not exist in the Spain of the 90s where we were all the same.

It taught me independence, self reliance and above all, to speak English, without which I would not have got a summer internship in investment banking at JPMorgan in the city the following summer.

I asked my mum if she had any photos of that summer but she only had them of 2002 when I worked at JPMorgan and she came to visit me.

I have returned to London a few times since then, but have not been back since 2018 and I am told London has changed a lot.

I will also reconnect with old friends I have not seen in a while and meet lots of interesting people at World Travel Market, the conference that brings me to the city.

But the part I am most looking forward to is the full day of exploration of London's past, present and diverse neighbourhoods on Saturday.

Women in Travel CIC has put together a fantastic full day of tours especially for us, with 2 half day experiences that you can book and join, and they are now offering 50% Off on a flash sale. If you were on the fence, this is your chance to book a spot.

Magic happens when women get together, and I know we will create some of that on Saturday.

Plus you get to meet Alessandra, the founder of Women in travel CIC and an absolute fun and amazing woman who has been in travel for 30 years and is a powerhouse.

She has dedicated most of her professional career to bridging the gender gap in tourism, starting at the European Commission and now with her own not for profit organization that provides mentorship and training to women wanting to join the travel industry or already in it and trying to break the glass ceiling.

I will also love to meet you!

What else will be part of the day?

Laughter, fun and good times
Lots of food, drinks, coffee...
The company of inspiring women
An alternative to Halloween that does not involve dressing up, come as you are, we love you like that!

Ready to join us?

Use code WIT50 at check out to get 50% off if you book before the end of Wednesday 28th October midnight PST.

Here are the 2 experiences you can book:

Morning - 10,30am to 2,30pm: Ethiopian food + Arabian fun

We will start with an Ethiopian food and coffee tour, learning about this unique gastronomy not found anywhere else and the birthplace of coffee with Sefanit.

What we will do:

🫓 Sample Ethiopian flavours, including the traditional injera

☕ Learn about the importance of coffee in everyday life

🫘 Finish with a traditional coffee ceremony

We will end the morning with a belly dancing class and introduction to Arabian music and perfume with Amal. To show us what we will do, she has recorded this video. I can't wait to try even though I have no coordination!

We continue in the afternoon.

Afternoon - 2,30pm to 9,30pm: Arabian fun + Empire on a plate

Start with the Arabian music and perfume intro by Amal followed by a belly dancing class and continue with a food tour that will take us throughout the origins and influence migration and colonisation has had in what we today consider British food.

Along the way, we will:

🍹 Taste our way through 2,000 years of London’s migration story
🥘 Share generous food and drinks, just as communities have done for centuries
👩‍🍳 Hear surprising stories of women brewers, refugee bakers and migrant restaurateurs
☕ Discover how tea, curry and even “traditional” British dishes have global roots
🤝 Experience London through flavour, heritage and human connection

I know we will have a great time, but don't take my word for it!

Here is Amal telling you more about the experience in her own words. She recorded this just for us: