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        • Dubai
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  • Solo travel benefits solo travel lessons
    Self-growth,  Solo Travel

    The Life-Changing Power of Solo Travel: 20+ Lessons I’ve Learned From Solo Travelling and How It Transformed My Life

    If you are hesitating about trying solo travel or wanting to understand why solo travel can be a life-changing experience, or you find yourself at a stage in life where you are uncertain about what’s next and want to seek…

About Author

solo travel girl

Hello! I’m Samantha, a 152 cm tall Taiwanese shorty who unexpectedly took the first solo trip after finishing my summer job in the USA in 2012, and it greatly transformed my life and mindset. Since then, I have explored 21 countries, attained a Master’s degree in the UK, worked in Palau, Shanghai, and Dubai.

I believe that everything starts with an idea and one step. Therefore, I created this blog to share my journey and tips in exploring the world and self-growth. My hope is to connect with like-minded souls & aspiring solo travelers and provide a little help, inspirations for your next adventures.

As I’m crazy about ocean views, rooftop/outdoor bars/cafes, aesthetic vibes, and hidden gems recommended by locals. You’ll easily find information on all of these in my blog.

Let’s explore, grow and heal together! xx

Contact & Work With Me: [email protected]

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“The EARTH without ART is just EH” 😬😂 S “The EARTH without ART is just EH” 😬😂 So, here are 2 places in Dubai for people who enjoy artistic vibes👉Courtyard & Alserkal Avenue. Courtyard is small but it’s like a little garden, really cute and has cafe, stores, restaurants & galleries. The best part is, it is so close to Alserkal Avenue where you can find more art galleries, unique vendors, cafes, vintage car store & cinema. Loved walking around both places, and getting surprise by what I could encounter. 📍 @courtyarduae & @alserkalavenue 🧚🏻‍♀️ #streetphotography #arts #dubaitourism #courtyard #travelphotography #travelblogger #streetart #aesthetic #dubaitravel #passionpassport #spicollective #dreaminstreets #sheexplores
“We keep moving forward, opening up new doors an “We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” — Walt Disney . Doors📍 Al Seef & Al Fahidi Historical District, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 @samanthavoila #doorsandwindows #collageedit #travelreels #spicollective #streetfinder #tdmmag #alfahidihistoricalneighbourhood #art #alseefdubai #collage #bbctravel #collageartwork #dreaminstreets #travelphotography #adventure_culture #doorsoftheworld #doorsandwindowsoftheworld #streetphotography #travelblogger #myvisionprecisely
Be careful what you are thinking because, “Thoug Be careful what you are thinking because, “Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency. As you think thoughts, they are sent out into the universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency. Everything sent out returns to the source - you.” ― Rhonda Byrne, The Secret All these quotes were the sharp reminders for me when I was in the low mood and thought things were not great. But the day I read 《The Secret》 again at Seva Experience was the day some energy changed. And I even got everything that I asked for the rest of that day, even just tiny little things like “I need to buy a book 《The Power of Now》because I forgot to bring it” and then I randomly found a kiosk on the street that actually had it 🦋🙀 “Remember that you are a magnet, attracting everything to you” 📍 Seva Experience, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 👉A peaceful cafe with lots of great energy, where you can see people coming here alone to read, sketch, think, and recharge. I thought I was entering a secret garden when I visited! And didn’t think I was still in the city at all🚪 🧘‍♀️ They also have a yoga studio and a little wellness shop. #aestheticcafe #dubai #uniquecafe #thesecretgarden #plantcafe #plantaddict #plantdecor #peacefullplace #peacefulmind #mindsetquotes #thesecretbook #mindsetbooks #wellnesstravel #travelblogger #dubaicafe #wellnesstravel #wellnesstravelblogger
To see is to believe, and we can learn so much by To see is to believe, and we can learn so much by exploring places deeper. Want to point out 5 things I learned about the UAE/Dubai that surprised me the most, let me know which ones you’ve already known.  1️⃣The percentage of the expat living in the UAE is high👇 Approximately 85% of the total population in the UAE are expats, and MAJORITY of them are from Asia (India, Pakistan, Philippines etc) & other middle eastern countries. There are also many British people and Africans living there. 
 2️⃣The gap of the salary is HUGE👇 While there are lots of wealthy people, there are also people earning less than 600 USD/month.
 3️⃣The UAE is only 50 year old in December 2021. 👇 And they’ve already become so well known, advanced, achieved lots and have already attracted so many people going there. I personally believe other than having the natural resources, having rulers that are ambitious, strategic, and really care about the development and the future of their country is a crucial factor in this. 
 4️⃣This place has something for everyone, either they are wealthy people or not👇 I heard stories from expats who earn less than 600 USD/month that they are still able to send money back home, pay the rent (for a room that is shared with 8 people), live in Dubai, and SAVE UP(!!??)And you know what? They are already super grateful for what they have now and happy for the SAFETY, the FREEDOM, the OPPORTUNITY and the SALARY that the UAE can offer them which THEIR HOME COUNTRIES FAILED to provide 🥹
 5️⃣The gap between the quality of people is big, probably the biggest I’ve ever experience for one place👇 There are many super kind, generous, ambitious, smart people, and people with high tolerance and always help others/their families, countries, or work hard on their own business/dreams. BUT there are also LOTS of rude (that called waitress like she is a dog), dodgy or shallow ones (that constantly talk about fancy stuff and gossip). Also some weird men on the street randomly asking girls to be their wife 🤷‍♀️ 
. #dubai #travelphotography #traveldeeper #travelblogger #streetphotography #welivetoexplore #unpopularopinion
🍦The most difficult ice cream to get on earth👉Turkish ice cream!!! Luckily (for him) the ice cream tasted good!! Otherwise …🤔 吼，想吃一個冰淇淋那麼難🤡還好很好吃不然這人就完蛋了！ 📍 Souk Madinat Jumeirah #turkishicecream #turkishicecreamtrick #dubai #soukmadinatjumeirah #culture #travelgram #travelreels #travel_drops #travelreels
Martin Garrix’s music has magic power to cheer u Martin Garrix’s music has magic power to cheer us up and make us incredibly happy! 🤩 Let me just save my Martin Garrix Dubai night here. The night that everyone went wild. The night that made my cheeks, jaw, neck sore because of smiling, laughing & moving too much😹 The night I understood that music has healing power. It even made me completely forgot how tired I was and washed away all my stress. @martingarrix fans anyone? Feel free to listen to it x100 times! I still feel it and have goosebump when listening and watching these raw videos. 🎵 1 & 6: High On Life 🎵 2: Poison 🎵 4: I won’t let you go 🎵 5: Lewis Capaldi - Someone you loved (Martin Garrix Remix) 📍: Coca Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 🗓: 17, Dec, 2021 #martingarrix #top100djs #dubai #cocacolaarena #artist #artheals #musicthatinspires #musiclover #musicforhope #musicforlife #art #liveconcert #happymoment #travelmemories #travelgram
When enjoy a cocktail while dining wasn’t as eas When enjoy a cocktail while dining wasn’t as easy as in other countries I’ve been to, finding places that have licenses to sell alcohol became like a treasure hunt 🧞‍♂️ Other than hotel bar/ hotel owned beach bars, Pier 7 in Dubai Marina was one of our favourite places to enjoy dining & have a bit of cocktails 🍹.  At Pier 7, there are 7 restaurants that provide alcohol, each of them is with different vibe & food. And 💫 Mama Zonia was one of my favourite because of their🦜🌿 jungle vibe/interior design and amazing & diverse food options!! All the food and drinks we tried was perfect, honestly! And that’s why this is the place many of us kept going back while we were there.  Highly recommend it if you visit Dubai Marina and are looking for fusion food, great cocktail & jungle vibe.    For the atmosphere you may need to check their account @mamazoniadxb for it, I forgot to capture it 😅 📍 Mama Zonia, Pier 7, Dubai Marina, UAE 🇦🇪 #dubaicocktails #dubai #dubairestaurants #uniquebar #uniquerestaurant #mamazonia #fusionfood #foodietravel #travelphotography #food #alcohol #travelblogger #pier7dubai #expatblogger #dubaitourism #passionpassport #dubaibars #travelguide #exploredubai #worldtraveler
Dining, drinking at beautiful waterfront restauran Dining, drinking at beautiful waterfront restaurants, listening to live music with a modern Arabic vibe & the view of one of the most iconic Dubai landmarks, Burj Al Arab. There are way too many restaurants to choose from, I only got to try 2 - Maria Bonita 🇲🇽 🌮 & The Meat co @themeatcome. Both got great food, especially the steak at the latter one, if you fancy a steak, you know where to go when you come here.   📍 Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 . . #soukmadinatjumeirah #dubairestaurants #visitdubai #burjalarab #dubai #restaurant #middleeast #travel #travelblogger #dubainightlife #travelphotography #vibe #arabictypography #dubaipics #travelgram #arabicarchitecture
💫 “Life is your mirror. What you see as your 💫 “Life is your mirror. What you see as your outside, always comes from your inside”. 🧘‍♀️ 📍 Kite Beach Centre UAQ, Umm Al Quwain, UAE 🇦🇪 #dailyremindertoself #lifequote #tropicalparadise #innergrowth #wellnesss #sheexplores #quoteoftheday #inspirationalquotes #thoughtsbecomethings #higherconsciousness #traveltogrow #growthquotes #mindsetquotes #innerwisdom #tropicalvibes

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“The EARTH without ART is just EH” 😬😂 S “The EARTH without ART is just EH” 😬😂 So, here are 2 places in Dubai for people who enjoy artistic vibes👉Courtyard & Alserkal Avenue. Courtyard is small but it’s like a little garden, really cute and has cafe, stores, restaurants & galleries. The best part is, it is so close to Alserkal Avenue where you can find more art galleries, unique vendors, cafes, vintage car store & cinema. Loved walking around both places, and getting surprise by what I could encounter. 📍 @courtyarduae & @alserkalavenue 🧚🏻‍♀️ #streetphotography #arts #dubaitourism #courtyard #travelphotography #travelblogger #streetart #aesthetic #dubaitravel #passionpassport #spicollective #dreaminstreets #sheexplores
“We keep moving forward, opening up new doors an “We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we are curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” — Walt Disney . Doors📍 Al Seef & Al Fahidi Historical District, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 @samanthavoila #doorsandwindows #collageedit #travelreels #spicollective #streetfinder #tdmmag #alfahidihistoricalneighbourhood #art #alseefdubai #collage #bbctravel #collageartwork #dreaminstreets #travelphotography #adventure_culture #doorsoftheworld #doorsandwindowsoftheworld #streetphotography #travelblogger #myvisionprecisely
Be careful what you are thinking because, “Thoug Be careful what you are thinking because, “Thoughts are magnetic, and thoughts have a frequency. As you think thoughts, they are sent out into the universe, and they magnetically attract all like things that are on the same frequency. Everything sent out returns to the source - you.” ― Rhonda Byrne, The Secret All these quotes were the sharp reminders for me when I was in the low mood and thought things were not great. But the day I read 《The Secret》 again at Seva Experience was the day some energy changed. And I even got everything that I asked for the rest of that day, even just tiny little things like “I need to buy a book 《The Power of Now》because I forgot to bring it” and then I randomly found a kiosk on the street that actually had it 🦋🙀 “Remember that you are a magnet, attracting everything to you” 📍 Seva Experience, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 👉A peaceful cafe with lots of great energy, where you can see people coming here alone to read, sketch, think, and recharge. I thought I was entering a secret garden when I visited! And didn’t think I was still in the city at all🚪 🧘‍♀️ They also have a yoga studio and a little wellness shop. #aestheticcafe #dubai #uniquecafe #thesecretgarden #plantcafe #plantaddict #plantdecor #peacefullplace #peacefulmind #mindsetquotes #thesecretbook #mindsetbooks #wellnesstravel #travelblogger #dubaicafe #wellnesstravel #wellnesstravelblogger
To see is to believe, and we can learn so much by To see is to believe, and we can learn so much by exploring places deeper. Want to point out 5 things I learned about the UAE/Dubai that surprised me the most, let me know which ones you’ve already known.  1️⃣The percentage of the expat living in the UAE is high👇 Approximately 85% of the total population in the UAE are expats, and MAJORITY of them are from Asia (India, Pakistan, Philippines etc) & other middle eastern countries. There are also many British people and Africans living there. 
 2️⃣The gap of the salary is HUGE👇 While there are lots of wealthy people, there are also people earning less than 600 USD/month.
 3️⃣The UAE is only 50 year old in December 2021. 👇 And they’ve already become so well known, advanced, achieved lots and have already attracted so many people going there. I personally believe other than having the natural resources, having rulers that are ambitious, strategic, and really care about the development and the future of their country is a crucial factor in this. 
 4️⃣This place has something for everyone, either they are wealthy people or not👇 I heard stories from expats who earn less than 600 USD/month that they are still able to send money back home, pay the rent (for a room that is shared with 8 people), live in Dubai, and SAVE UP(!!??)And you know what? They are already super grateful for what they have now and happy for the SAFETY, the FREEDOM, the OPPORTUNITY and the SALARY that the UAE can offer them which THEIR HOME COUNTRIES FAILED to provide 🥹
 5️⃣The gap between the quality of people is big, probably the biggest I’ve ever experience for one place👇 There are many super kind, generous, ambitious, smart people, and people with high tolerance and always help others/their families, countries, or work hard on their own business/dreams. BUT there are also LOTS of rude (that called waitress like she is a dog), dodgy or shallow ones (that constantly talk about fancy stuff and gossip). Also some weird men on the street randomly asking girls to be their wife 🤷‍♀️ 
. #dubai #travelphotography #traveldeeper #travelblogger #streetphotography #welivetoexplore #unpopularopinion
🍦The most difficult ice cream to get on earth👉Turkish ice cream!!! Luckily (for him) the ice cream tasted good!! Otherwise …🤔 吼，想吃一個冰淇淋那麼難🤡還好很好吃不然這人就完蛋了！ 📍 Souk Madinat Jumeirah #turkishicecream #turkishicecreamtrick #dubai #soukmadinatjumeirah #culture #travelgram #travelreels #travel_drops #travelreels
Martin Garrix’s music has magic power to cheer u Martin Garrix’s music has magic power to cheer us up and make us incredibly happy! 🤩 Let me just save my Martin Garrix Dubai night here. The night that everyone went wild. The night that made my cheeks, jaw, neck sore because of smiling, laughing & moving too much😹 The night I understood that music has healing power. It even made me completely forgot how tired I was and washed away all my stress. @martingarrix fans anyone? Feel free to listen to it x100 times! I still feel it and have goosebump when listening and watching these raw videos. 🎵 1 & 6: High On Life 🎵 2: Poison 🎵 4: I won’t let you go 🎵 5: Lewis Capaldi - Someone you loved (Martin Garrix Remix) 📍: Coca Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 🗓: 17, Dec, 2021 #martingarrix #top100djs #dubai #cocacolaarena #artist #artheals #musicthatinspires #musiclover #musicforhope #musicforlife #art #liveconcert #happymoment #travelmemories #travelgram
When enjoy a cocktail while dining wasn’t as eas When enjoy a cocktail while dining wasn’t as easy as in other countries I’ve been to, finding places that have licenses to sell alcohol became like a treasure hunt 🧞‍♂️ Other than hotel bar/ hotel owned beach bars, Pier 7 in Dubai Marina was one of our favourite places to enjoy dining & have a bit of cocktails 🍹.  At Pier 7, there are 7 restaurants that provide alcohol, each of them is with different vibe & food. And 💫 Mama Zonia was one of my favourite because of their🦜🌿 jungle vibe/interior design and amazing & diverse food options!! All the food and drinks we tried was perfect, honestly! And that’s why this is the place many of us kept going back while we were there.  Highly recommend it if you visit Dubai Marina and are looking for fusion food, great cocktail & jungle vibe.    For the atmosphere you may need to check their account @mamazoniadxb for it, I forgot to capture it 😅 📍 Mama Zonia, Pier 7, Dubai Marina, UAE 🇦🇪 #dubaicocktails #dubai #dubairestaurants #uniquebar #uniquerestaurant #mamazonia #fusionfood #foodietravel #travelphotography #food #alcohol #travelblogger #pier7dubai #expatblogger #dubaitourism #passionpassport #dubaibars #travelguide #exploredubai #worldtraveler
Dining, drinking at beautiful waterfront restauran Dining, drinking at beautiful waterfront restaurants, listening to live music with a modern Arabic vibe & the view of one of the most iconic Dubai landmarks, Burj Al Arab. There are way too many restaurants to choose from, I only got to try 2 - Maria Bonita 🇲🇽 🌮 & The Meat co @themeatcome. Both got great food, especially the steak at the latter one, if you fancy a steak, you know where to go when you come here.   📍 Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪 . . #soukmadinatjumeirah #dubairestaurants #visitdubai #burjalarab #dubai #restaurant #middleeast #travel #travelblogger #dubainightlife #travelphotography #vibe #arabictypography #dubaipics #travelgram #arabicarchitecture
💫 “Life is your mirror. What you see as your 💫 “Life is your mirror. What you see as your outside, always comes from your inside”. 🧘‍♀️ 📍 Kite Beach Centre UAQ, Umm Al Quwain, UAE 🇦🇪 #dailyremindertoself #lifequote #tropicalparadise #innergrowth #wellnesss #sheexplores #quoteoftheday #inspirationalquotes #thoughtsbecomethings #higherconsciousness #traveltogrow #growthquotes #mindsetquotes #innerwisdom #tropicalvibes
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