Big Girl Adventures

One year ago I traveled solo to Thailand for three weeks. I received a lot of comments from people about how brave and courageous I was to travel alone, and to travel alone as a woman. For me, though, the bravery wasn’t needed as a woman or as a solo traveler, it was needed because I was at least 50 lbs heavier than anyone else who travels solo through these nomad/backpacker style hubs like Thailand.

Think about these location independent, remote work nomads that are taking the world by storm. Most are in their twenties, they are super active and very fit, carrying only the minimal necessities with them as they explore the planet and encourage a free-range lifestyle everywhere they go, plastering their Instagram feeds with photos of gorgeous bodies on glistening beaches or performing impossible yoga poses on remote mountain peaks. They are young, healthy, adventurous, athletic build. I do not fit that mold. I am 38 years old, 5'8" and weigh 230 lbs. with a very curvy build. I wear at least a size 18 in most pants, sometimes up to a size 22. Traditional build, curvy, “more to love”… call it what you want. I’m a big girl and I own it.

Traveling is a challenge for big girls. From the guy next to you on the plane who can’t figure out why the arm rest won’t go all the way down (“yes, sir, that really is my thigh”) to the pain of going to buy yourself something cute to memorialize your trip and realizing the “one-size-fits-all” label really means “one-size-fits-everyone-else.” It’s not easy. I’ve hidden many tears of frustration as well as embarrassment while trying to live my dreams. Thankfully my heart is bigger than my backside.

I’ve decided to start sharing stories randomly for what I’m going to call the Big Girl Adventure series… moments, frustrations, triumphs, etc. Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date, and I’d love to hear stories from other traveling, adventuring big girls!