About me.

Kia Ora,

I’m Gina – the founder of Wanderlust Solo Women Tours.

I am passionate about ensuring our tours and retreats are a wealth of information, while building connections, new friendships and making sure you have a good laugh along the way!

How it all began:

I was nearly 40. Yes, 40 years old. Where did the time go?! Wasn’t I supposed to have figured it all out by now?

I had a house, I had a job, I had my own business, yet I wasn’t happy or fulfilled. I felt the lack of what I “should” have in my life.

Then it all changed over night. A bad long term relationship breakdown left me reassessing everything, wondering why I had all the material things yet felt so empty. I had worked hard and made sacrifices. I had the dream house and a good business, but a huge mountain of debt after the separation and a lot of unresolved emotions. This left me craving for more.

A whirlwind romance saw me visit Thailand for the first time where I fell in love – with travel. This trip was a catalyst for me – travel was what made my heart beat faster, travel inspired me, travel made me feel alive! Most of all it re-built my confidence.

I sold up, downsized and booked a one-way trip to Paris with barely any money, plenty of nerves, and loads of determination.

That dreaded 40th birthday was amazing! I celebrated in France with newfound friends and lots of wine. My fortieth year was spent wandering through bazaars in Turkey, sampling tagines in Morocco, cathedral-gazing across Europe, and wandering quaint cobbled English lanes. It wasn’t all holidays and cocktails – I worked and volunteered my way around Europe, as I had very little money. But this enabled me to really get beyond just the tourist attractions, form lasting friendships, and truly absorb the atmosphere and culture of these new locations.

Not only did I experience a plethora of scents, textures and tastes, see wonders of the world and nature, and meet amazing people, but I also learnt so much more about myself, and my approach to life. I learnt that improving my life wasn’t only about changing my location, but also how I approached things. As I discovered my own happiness and the world, I appreciated where I came from and what I had at home.

I learnt that my life wasn’t stagnant, or over at 40 just because I hadn’t followed the same path as others. I didn’t need to settle for something I didn’t want.

It’s been a few years since that first trip to Thailand, and since then I’ve explored, holidayed, worked and volunteered in more than 23 countries, and have no intention of stopping. I realized how to turn my passion into a living – by founding Wanderlust Solo Women’s Tours, with the aim of encouraging any and all women to find confidence, and friendships through travel and experiences. I knew I wasn’t alone in feeling the way I had, and my goal is to empower women to live their lives to the fullest.

The last thing I learnt?

Nothing is certain. We don’t know what will happen next week or next year. So with that philosophy in mind, I try to live in the moment, or at least try to! Whilst keeping my eye on long-term goals, making sure I have someone to love – and yes, sometimes that is myself! – something to do, and something to aim for.

Dream big ladies!