Post by @nataly.port

For years, travel was something I did with my family. Then the kids grew up. My marriage ended. And suddenly I had something I hadn’t had in years: freedom. The funny thing is, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I wanted to travel again, but arriving somewhere completely alone still felt intimidating. And most of my friends have their own partners, families and plans. I didn’t want to spend another year waiting for someone to be free. Then I found GoPlaces.Club. ✅ They have small retreats for solo travelers, and one in Portugal caught my attention. Just 7 women over 50. Everyone comes alone. You meet in a private group chat beforehand, so by the time you arrive, you’re not really walking into a room full of strangers. And these aren’t women looking for someone to entertain them. They’re women who’ve built careers, businesses and families — and are now figuring out what they want from the next part of life. That is exactly the kind of company I want right now. The retreat itself is 10 nights in a beautiful private place in the Algarve: great food, Pilates, training, recovery, long dinners and plenty of time to yourself. And the host, Tatjana, has had quite a life herself — from the Dutch national synchronized swimming team to working with Cirque du Soleil performers to becoming an entrepreneur. I feel like there’s a lot I could learn from her — and from the other six women. So I applied. I’m still nervous about going alone. But maybe that’s the whole point. I don’t need to find someone to travel with. I just need to find the right place to meet them. Would you do something like this on your own?