Solo Travel Adventures: Faith-Rooted Intentional Travel for Christian Women Over 50

Cheryl Esch-Solo Travel Advocate/Certified Travel Coach/Freedom Traveler
  • 4.6 (40)
  • Places & Travel
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Faith-Rooted Solo Travel for Christian Women Over 50 Have you found yourself in a season you didn’t choose? Maybe your marriage ended.Maybe you lost your spouse.Maybe the house is suddenly quiet after years of raising a family. And now you’re asking the question many Christian women over 50 quietly carry: “Who am I now?” Solo Travel Adventures is a podcast for Christian women navigating life after divorce, widowhood, empty nest, or unexpected transition — and who feel a quiet pull toward something new. Hosted by solo travel coach Cheryl Esch, this show explores how solo travel can become a catalyst for renewed identity, restored confidence, and deeper trust in Christ. Each week Cheryl shares faith-centered encouragement, practical solo travel guidance, and honest conversations about what it means to rebuild your life in midlife. Inside this podcast you’ll discover: • How to rebuild confidence after 50 and major life changes• How solo travel and faith can help you hear God more clearly• Practical steps to plan your first solo trip after 50• Encouragement for Christian women navigating divorce, loss, or empty nest• Stories and insights about reinventing yourself after 50 as a Christian woman This isn’t just about travel. It’s about becoming. If you’re a Christian woman over 50 navigating life transition who feels the stirring for something more — a new chapter, a renewed sense of purpose, and the courage to step forward — you’re in the right place. So pack your bags, open your heart, and come discover what God might do when you say yes to the journey. https://www.cherylbeckesch.com Instagram: @solotraveladventures50

  1. 1d ago

    Solo Travel for Women 50+: Discover America's Most Charming Small Towns//194

    Small towns can feel like a time machine and a deep breath at the same time. I’ve been drawn to quieter places lately, and I want to share what I’m learning as I explore small town travel in the USA as both a solo traveler and a travel coach. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to trade traffic and endless errands for a slower pace, friendlier hellos, and a main street you can actually walk, you’ll feel right at home here.  We talk about why so many of us default to the kind of place we grew up in and why that can change as we get older, especially in an empty nest season or after downsizing. I also share one of the smartest “try before you buy” travel strategies I’ve seen: doing an extended stay to test a lifestyle before moving, because a quick vacation rarely shows you the real daily experience.  Then I highlight small towns that deliver charm and calm, including Jefferson, Texas with its antiques and bed and breakfast warmth, Woodstock, Vermont for covered bridges and Green Mountain views, Chagrin Falls, Ohio for a walkable downtown and waterfall, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia for history and river scenery, and Mackinac Island, Michigan where there are no cars and the quiet is the whole point. If you’re craving a reset, pick one town and stay more than a night. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a change of pace, and leave a review with the small town you’d try first. Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  2. Jul 21

    Are You Using Travel to Escape Your Problems? How Faith, Travel, and Reflection Bring Real Healing//193

    You can feel it building for weeks: the pressure in your chest, the restlessness, the thought that if you could just get away everything would finally make sense. We’re talking about that temptation to use travel as an escape and the sobering truth that your deeper struggles don’t stay behind when the trip ends. I share a personal story from a June road trip and what I’ve been wrestling with around my living situation after years of nomad life. I’ve been longing to settle down, put down roots, and stop “flitting around,” and I realized how easy it is to call constant motion a lifestyle when it’s sometimes a way to avoid what hurts. Through prayer and daily guidance, I found clarity about what to do next and, more importantly, a sense of peace even before anything changed on the outside. We also explore the healthier side of travel: how intentional travel can give women the space to heal from trauma, reset mentally, and see a problem for what it really is. When you step out of the day-to-day noise with purpose, you can come home renewed, able to face your real life with a fresher mind and stronger direction. If you’re in a messy middle season and you know you need a break without running away, this conversation is for you. Listen, share it with a friend who keeps saying “I just need to leave,” and subscribe and leave a review so more sister travelers can find intentional, healing travel. Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  3. Jul 7

    How the World Cup Inspires Travel: Finding Purpose and Adventure Through Global Events//192

    The World Cup is not just a tournament, it is a moving map. Watching fans show up with songs, costumes, and total pride for their home countries reminded me how quickly a game can turn into real travel inspiration. Even if soccer is not your thing, the feeling is hard to miss: community, curiosity, and that sudden urge to look up a country you had not considered in years. We talk about how big global events shine a spotlight on places you might never have put on your travel list. Japan’s culture of respect, Scotland’s all-out fun, Norway’s crowd energy, and a first-time underdog like Cabo Verde can spark a brand-new “I want to go there” moment. That is where better travel planning starts, especially for solo women travelers: not with what is trendy, but with what genuinely pulls you in. Then I zoom out to a practical framework I love: travel with a why. Your why can be pure fun, but it helps to choose something you already care about and let it guide the destination. Think festivals, lantern nights, tulips in Amsterdam, cherry blossoms in Japan, the Northern Lights, music you would cross an ocean for, or even writing retreats if you prefer quieter experiences. When you build a trip around an event, you get the best kind of bonus, the experience you came for plus a deeper taste of local culture. I also share what I am dreaming about next, from future World Cup plans in Portugal, Spain, and Morocco to the butterfly migration in Mexico, plus an important update on the podcast schedule and where you can hear me as a guest soon. If this sparked a destination idea, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more sister travelers can find their next adventure. Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  4. Jun 30

    How Travel Changes After 50: We Are No Longer in Our 20's//191

    Your 23-year-old self might have measured a trip by how fast you could pack, how far you could drive, and how many friends you could squeeze into a weekend. But as we hit midlife, travel often stops being about proving we are adventurous and starts being about getting honest with what we need. I’m Cheryl Esch, and I’m exploring a question that keeps coming up when I watch younger travelers move through the world with pure spontaneity: how would you travel differently now, as a woman 50 and up? We talk about why last-minute plans can feel exciting at 23 and oddly stressful later on, and how that shift is not a loss of fun, it’s growth. We dig into identity, confidence, and the real reason some of us avoid being alone, especially on holidays. Then we move into intentional travel planning for solo travelers: the mental, emotional, and even spiritual prep that can turn “time off” into genuine renewal. I share three grounding questions to ask before you book anything: How am I feeling right now in my body and mind? Do I feel comfortable giving myself permission to step away? What do I want to feel during the trip and when I return home? Whether you crave a quiet retreat, a break from social media, or a purpose-filled adventure, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of what meaningful travel looks like in this season. If you want support creating a purposeful solo trip, I also share how one-on-one coaching can help. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs time away, and leave a review telling me: what do you want your next trip to give you? Coaching Invitation If you’re feeling drawn toward solo travel but unsure where to begin, this is something I support women with through 1:1 coaching. Together we can explore what kind of travel experience fits your season of life and create a thoughtful plan that reflects the woman you are becoming. https://cherylbeckesch.com/workwithme/ Apply for the Set Free to Become: A Spirit-led Travel Journey Coaching https://forms.gle/CG6K2pXEQmiXwfBW8 Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  5. Jun 23

    Divine Guidance on Solo Road Trips//190

    What would change if you treated your next solo road trip like a daily conversation with God instead of a race from one stop to the next? I just got back from a 15-day U.S. road trip that surprised me in the best ways, and it started with one intentional prayer: give me a truth, a promise, a word each day while I travel. I didn’t expect how clearly those “daily nuggets” would show up once I made the space to listen.  A week before I left, my friend canceled, and I had to scramble to rework my plans, my lodging, and my budget. That disruption could have derailed everything, but it became part of the gift. Road trip travel is flexible in a way air travel isn’t, and that flexibility created room for rest, reflection, and real communion with God. I share how I journal each day, how I catch quick notes while driving, and how guidance can come through surprising places like a random autoplay song or a simple daily meditation that confronts worry and calls me back to trust.  I also talk about the deeper side of travel memories, including what it felt like to return to the Badlands as an adult and how nature helps us savor the moment and carry it forward. Along the way, I recap the route (16 states and 4,600 miles), a personal answer I felt God gave me about where to live, and why intentional solo travel can strengthen faith and clarity. If you’re craving a meaningful road trip, Christian encouragement, and practical ways to travel with purpose, this one is for you.  Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What’s one thing you’d ask God to show you on your next trip? Coaching Invitation If you’re feeling drawn toward solo travel but unsure where to begin, this is something I support women with through 1:1 coaching. Together we can explore what kind of travel experience fits your season of life and create a thoughtful plan that reflects the woman you are becoming. https://cherylbeckesch.com/workwithme/ Apply for the Set Free to Become: A Spirit-led Travel Journey Coaching https://forms.gle/CG6K2pXEQmiXwfBW8 Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  6. Jun 9

    The Loneliness Nobody Talks About After Divorce and Empty Nest | Finding Yourself Again Through Solo Travel // 189

    Loneliness can sneak in after divorce and an empty nest, not as a dramatic breakdown, but as a quiet feeling you carry while you still do your job, return calls, and tell everyone you’re okay. I’m Cheryl Esch, a travel coach and solo travel advocate, and I’m sharing what I wish more women said out loud: you can be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone. When big life transitions pile up at once, grief does not always look like tears in public. Sometimes it looks like isolation, numbness, and the exhausting work of pretending you’re “strong.” I talk about how my divorce collided with empty nest life, how depression can drain your motivation, and how winter and seasonal affective disorder can make everything heavier. We also get into the social side of healing: what happens when you finally get vulnerable and someone shuts you down, and why that moment can teach you to stay surface-level even when you desperately need support. If you’ve felt dismissed, too much, or hard to love during a transition, you’re not alone, and you’re not broken. We close with practical ways to rebuild community and confidence, including women-to-women support, divorce support groups, church groups, and the surprising power of a small women’s travel group (think 12 or fewer). Solo travel does not have to mean being lonely. It can be a bridge back to yourself and to friendships that feel real. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s starting over, and leave a review. What kind of support would change everything for you right now? Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  7. Jun 2

    Solo Travel for Healing After Loss | Remembering Who You Are Again // 188

    You can do everything “right” and still wake up wondering who you are. When your identity has been stitched to relationships, responsibilities, and everyone else’s expectations, a major life change can leave you feeling emotionally numb, stuck, and exhausted. We get real about that moment and why it’s more common than most of us admit. We talk about how solo travel can become a practical path to self-discovery, not as a glamorous escape, but as intentional time away that pulls you out of survival mode. Cheryl shares her own turning point after divorce, why a simple solo road trip created the solitude she needed, and how the goal is not to forget your life for a week but to remember who you are at the core. You’ll also hear concrete tools you can use right away: a phone-free reset, time in nature to quiet your brain, and journaling that works even when your thoughts feel messy. We explore how joy and laughter can return in small moments, and how faith can feel clearer when you finally stop living under constant noise. If you’ve been telling yourself you “just need a vacation,” this is your sign to choose something deeper. Listen, share this with a friend who feels lost, and subscribe and leave a review so more women can find the freedom to rediscover who they really are. Coaching Invitation If you’re feeling drawn toward solo travel but unsure where to begin, this is something I support women with through 1:1 coaching. Together we can explore what kind of travel experience fits your season of life and create a thoughtful plan that reflects the woman you are becoming. https://cherylbeckesch.com/workwithme/ Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

  8. May 26

    Budgeting for Solo Travel Without the Shame or Stress [ft. The Budget Besties] // 187

    Travel keeps getting blamed on “not enough money,” but that excuse falls apart the moment you can actually see your numbers. We sit down with Vanessa and Shana from Budget Besties, master financial coaches who work with women earning good money and still feeling stuck, stressed, or ashamed about budgeting. They make the B-word feel less like a punishment and more like a plan that gives you real permission to spend on what you love, including a trip you have been postponing for years.  We talk through their practical, modern approach to a budgeting system that works in a digital world: a simple one-page layout, automatic money separation, and savings buckets that keep goals clear without tracking every single transaction. They share why most people are not failing at money because of “mindset,” but because nobody taught them the mechanics. Once the system is set up, confidence follows fast, and travel stops being a vague wish and becomes a funded category.  We also dig into the truth about credit card points, travel guilt, and vacation debt. A credit limit is not a budget, and points are not worth the heaviness of a balance that steals the joy when you get home. You will hear why a high-yield savings account and a dedicated travel savings bucket can beat the stress of overspending, and how you can pay off debt while still making memories now, not in retirement. If you want budget travel tips, a realistic debt payoff plan, and a clear way to save for vacations in cash, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who keeps saying “maybe next year,” and leave a review so more women can travel with confidence. Find out more on how the Budget Besties can help you. https://budgetbesties.com/ Financial Coaching For Women Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/financial-coaching-for-women-how-to-budget-manage-money/id1562683557 Support the show https://www.cherylbeckesch.com hello@cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50

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Faith-Rooted Solo Travel for Christian Women Over 50 Have you found yourself in a season you didn’t choose? Maybe your marriage ended.Maybe you lost your spouse.Maybe the house is suddenly quiet after years of raising a family. And now you’re asking the question many Christian women over 50 quietly carry: “Who am I now?” Solo Travel Adventures is a podcast for Christian women navigating life after divorce, widowhood, empty nest, or unexpected transition — and who feel a quiet pull toward something new. Hosted by solo travel coach Cheryl Esch, this show explores how solo travel can become a catalyst for renewed identity, restored confidence, and deeper trust in Christ. Each week Cheryl shares faith-centered encouragement, practical solo travel guidance, and honest conversations about what it means to rebuild your life in midlife. Inside this podcast you’ll discover: • How to rebuild confidence after 50 and major life changes• How solo travel and faith can help you hear God more clearly• Practical steps to plan your first solo trip after 50• Encouragement for Christian women navigating divorce, loss, or empty nest• Stories and insights about reinventing yourself after 50 as a Christian woman This isn’t just about travel. It’s about becoming. If you’re a Christian woman over 50 navigating life transition who feels the stirring for something more — a new chapter, a renewed sense of purpose, and the courage to step forward — you’re in the right place. So pack your bags, open your heart, and come discover what God might do when you say yes to the journey. https://www.cherylbeckesch.com Instagram: @solotraveladventures50

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