The "Solo-ish" Journey to Spain
Registration opens August 1 and you get first dibs
It's my pleasure to announce the newest addition to Big Story Living Curated Journeys...the "Solo-ish" Journey. With one wildly successful group journey under our belts and another one approaching fast this November, it continues to be a thrill to set the table for people to explore the world in affordable ways while experiencing the freedom to move and explore at the pace of Jesus.
Big Story Living Journeys are less about guiding you towards faith teachings, theology, and specific ideas (actually there's none of that) and more about providing intentional space and freedom for each person's personal faith within to inspire and guide them towards exactly what they need to know, see, do and hear each day. Together, we simply slow the pace, turn down the noise, and listen for prompts to turn left or turn right in every city where our bucket list leads. By practicing being present to the Presence, a typical getaway can be transformed into a bucket list adventure AND a personal spiritual journey. It's pretty awesome.
Big Story Living journeys pack in a lot of goodness. From traveling the world for almost free, learning the ins and outs of creating itineraries, using local transportation, saving big travel bucks, and taking each day as it comes...you get it ALL when you sign up for a Curated Journey. Until now, this experience has happened in small groups of seven who spend about seven months learning, planning itineraries, getting to know each other via Zoom, and then ultimately traveling together from all over the US to multiple cites in Europe. Traveling with one eye on the world and the other eye on Jesus continues to be the heartbeat of Big Story Living. Now we're adding something new because....
Another passion of mine is female solo travel. In my opinion, it is one of the most brave, transformative, empowering things any woman can experience and do for herself. Solo travel changed my life, and I am a fierce advocate towards encouraging every woman that she can and should give it a try. But I know traveling solo, and especially traveling solo as a woman, can be a little nerve-wracking the first time. Enter Big Story Living "Solo-ish" Journey! This is the newest addition to our growing Curated Journey inventory of offerings.
So here's the deal...it just so happens that I am planning to be in Seville, Spain, in March 2024, and I'd like to invite you to join me.
You'll have the opportunity to flex your solo traveling muscles, but in the safety and assurance of knowing that a friend is close by. That's what I mean by "solo-ish."
The structure of this new journey will look a bit like this:
You will purchase your own airline ticket to Seville, leaving the US from your local international airport on March 8 and arriving in Seville March 9. I'll meet you there.
I will assist you in booking affordable lodging in the city center and make sure you have all the information you need to get there once you arrive. Depending on the group size, we might even stay together, but that can be your choice.
I will be in Seville March 9 - March 14. We will not spend our days together, but I will always be close by 🙂 and available for a coffee and cake or text.
Leading up to and during the journey I will be at your disposal to teach you, encourage you and guide you in two ways:
How to make your way as a solo (budget) traveler as you purchase tickets and set your itinerary, as well as being available in the city
How to do it while keeping one eye on the world and the other eye on Jesus
Then, after a few days in Seville, it will be your decision if you want to continue the solo journey completely on your own or go home on the 14th as well. If you want to continue your journey, you can literally go ANYWHERE you can dream in all of Europe, and I'll help you plan how to get there and teach you everything you will need to know for your continued journey.
Doesn't that sound FUN!!??
You're already feeling a little bit braver, aren't you?
Just imagine an entire week or more where YOU and only YOU get to go, do, see and experience absolutely anything and everything your heart desires with NO ONE to consider but yourself! If that's the dream, this journey is for you.
So what's the catch?
There isn't one.
Everything offered by Big Story Living is given as a gift for you to take or leave. By traveling with us you will be offered prompts in the form or journals or daily texts that will serve to encourage you to be curious, slow the pace and be present to the Presence. These are never mandatory and no one will be checking in to see if you have completed each task. This is a journey for you and Jesus. That's it. But I'm always around, offering the gift of space, curiosity and encouragement, and always happy to chat if you need that.
As for the cost, this journey is different from the others. It will be your responsibility to purchase your own airplane tickets and get yourself to Seville, Spain, on March 9. In our original Curated Journey we work together as a team to gather frequent flyer miles and fly for "almost free." This journey does not offer this assistance.
BUT I am personally available to give you all the training you would need to get your airplane ticket much, much cheaper. There are ways to accomplish this and make your trip extremely affordable. Therefore, anyone can choose to pay for my services, and I can guarantee to save you hundreds of dollars on your flight. This service is for a fee of $250,and you will surely save that much and more on your flight AND learn the skills you'll need to fly for "almost free" again and again.
Beyond that, Big Story Living is currently collecting a non-refundable deposit of $225 upon registration for our "Solo-ish" journeys. This covers my cost of planning, organizing and traveling with the group. For this fee you will receive:
An introduction and vision of solo female travel via phone call with Amy and an opportunity to answer all your questions.
One one-hour Zoom to meet the travelers who will be in the city at the same time as you
A journal and daily prompts that will assist in keeping you present to the Presence of Jesus and the world as you move into each day
Assistance in booking affordable, city center lodging (depending on the size of group we can choose to stay together in an Airbnb or solo in a hotel. Your choice. If we use Airbnb, you can Venmo your part of the cost to Amy)
Help understanding public transit and how to get from point A to point B
Many budget travel tips to cut your daily costs even more
Someone to have coffee and cake with if you need a chat during your adventure
Assistance in planning a day trip out of the city
Constant availability to Amy for questions via text while in Seville and beyond
Assistance in planning your onward journey if you choose to continue your solo adventure beyond Seville.
What might my "Solo-ish" Journey cost overall?
Well, the answer is a little tricky because so much of it is up to you to decide.
Here's a good guesstimate for your days in Seville if you want to keep it budget friendly. Then you would just want to add on the cost from there of extending your adventure to another city or country. (I can personally help you with that.)
$225 Registration Deposit
$300 - $1700 Airline Ticket (dependent upon many factors and whether or not you choose to take advantage of my services to make the cost as low as possible or "almost free.")
$65 - $100+ nightly for Lodging 5 nights in Seville (dependent upon if you choose to lodge alone or with another traveler)
Personal cost of food, city transit, day trip, attractions (this can range from low budget of $40/day if you want to use all the budget tips up to as high as you can dream)
$250 service to learn how to make airfare less expensive (optional)
Bottom Line: Decide on the budget you have available and we will figure out how to make it work. I would suggest AT MINIMUM an overall budget of $2000 if using my flight hacking services. With certain flight hacks or the use of any frequent flyer miles you already have, you can potentially make that minimum even lower.
Intrigued? Next Steps
Take a day or two to let all of this sink in.
In the meantime, send me an email at amycolon@gmail.com to let me know that you are interested. Registration is always first-come, first-served. I am happy to schedule a complimentary 20 minute phone call to answer your questions.
Registration will be open August 1 - August 31 with only 10 spots available.
When registration opens there will be a Google Form you can fill out to register and payments will be received via Venmo @Amy-Colon-88.
*Remember...this is a solo journey, meant just for YOU. Big Story Living will continue to offer other journeys in the future that you can take with friends and family.
Happy Travels!!
Amy