Episode 85: Reflections on Turning 40: The Power of Gratitude and Solo Travel

In this special episode of the One Girl Travel podcast, I’m back after a short hiatus, excited to share some big life updates and travel insights with you. Celebrating my 40th birthday has given me a chance to reflect on my journey over the past year, especially the bold decision to leave my 14-year corporate career and dive into full-time entrepreneurship. Honoring this milestone has been incredibly meaningful, and I decided to celebrate with a spontaneous solo getaway to a beautiful boutique hotel on Long Island—a perfect way to reconnect with myself and savor this special time.

In this episode, I also share some tips on self-reflection and gratitude, practices that have become so important to me. I encourage you to write a thank-you letter to yourself, create lists of what you’re grateful for, and even jot down things you’re ready to let go of. I’m also passionate about celebrating solo birthdays, and I talk about the joy and freedom of creating solo birthday traditions, something I believe everyone should try at least once.

As we step into November, I’m introducing special content around the theme of gratitude and offering a limited-time promotion for the One Girl Travel Club membership. If you join, you’ll get free access to my Solo Selfie Masterclass, a great opportunity for those looking to boost their travel and photography skills while connecting with a supportive community.

I’m so excited to share this time with you and hope it inspires you to embrace your own adventures!

Key Moments:

• Reflections on my 40th birthday celebration and a year of transformation
• Tips for solo travel, self-reflection, and gratitude practices
• Announcement of my upcoming solo cruise and the perks of last-minute travel deals
• Introduction of November’s gratitude-themed content
• Limited-time offer for the One Girl Travel Club membership and access to the Solo Selfie Masterclass

Catch this episode to get inspired to make the most of your travels, celebrate your achie

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Chapters

• 0:00 Solo Travel Birthday Celebration Retreat
• 17:30 Gratitude and Positive Thinking Reminder

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, episode number 85.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, your passport to the world of solo travel with certified life and travel coach, alessia Tenebruso. Join Alessia as she shares her own journey of self-discovery through solo travel, while also focusing on topics such as life coaching insights and travel tips along the way. Now here's your host, alessia Tenebruso.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Hello, my friends, and welcome to episode 85 of the One Girl Travel Podcast. I'm back. It's been a while. I miss you. I'm sorry for the long gap. Time is going fast. Time's going really fast.

Speaker 1: 0:47

Like we are in mid-November, I feel like it just started. I feel like this year just started and my last podcast episode, I think, was the end of September. And don't get me wrong, I've been trying. I actually recorded an episode and it just got. I don't know what happened to it, but it was not possible for me to upload it. It was very choppy and I'm hoping this one works and there's no issues so we can get back on track with this podcast, because I do love making these episodes for you. I do love having this line of communication to speak with you, answer questions, offer any advice or tips that I can, and it's just a fun way to connect and just grow the One Girl Travel community. So I thank you for your patience, your understanding and for you being here with me. We have a lot to talk about because it's been a month.

Speaker 1: 1:47

I am a year older now. I turned 40 at the end of October and it was a big birthday. I mean 40. When I think about it. When I was younger and I thought about becoming 40, I thought I would have my shit together. I'll tell you that much. I thought life would look very different from what it is now, but I am so grateful for this life I have created for myself and this bold year that has happened. In 2024, as you may know, I left my 14-year corporate career in January of this year, something I've been wanting to do for a very long time, and I finally had the courage to do so in January. And this year was my first time ever being a full-time entrepreneur and having full responsibility for my livelihood with this business, and it has been exciting. It has had its ups and downs. I am learning as I go, but I still would not trade it for anything. I am so happy with this decision and I acknowledge that big step when I turned 40, because it took a lot of courage and being bold and believing in myself to take that step away from security and safety and the known and going into the unknown and figuring it out and making it work, and that's a big thing. When you're celebrating your birthday, I really hope you take the time to acknowledge how far you've come in your life and to celebrate all of the achievements that you've made in your lifetime, but especially in the past year, because with each year, as we age, we grow, we develop, we're learning. There's just so much to celebrate and I really made it a point for my 40th, as it's a milestone, to celebrate life and celebrate all the achievements I have made in this lifetime. I actually celebrated my 40th birthday in true one girl travel fashion form, is that right? In true one girl travel form.

Speaker 1: 3:55

I decided to take myself on a little solo getaway, and this was a trip that was not planned. I decided the morning before my birthday that I wanted to spend my last day in my 30s by myself. I wanted to bring in my 40th year alone and doing exactly what I wanted to do and truly, that's the beauty of solo travel in general, like getting to do whatever it is you want to do. Getting to do whatever it is you want to do. And I was craving that alone time and I wanted time by myself to just honor me and my life and bring it in alone. So I decided that morning that I was going to take myself away. I wanted to go somewhere that was new, somewhere I would enjoy.

Speaker 1: 4:44

And all I did was a quick Google search and I found this beautiful boutique hotel out east on Long Island, about an hour from where I live not far at all and I saw the aesthetic of this place. It was gorgeous, like I really want to host a retreat there. It's stunning. I have to share more pictures, but I did share a lot on social media, so definitely go check them out. But I found this boutique hotel and I booked it and the price was great because it was the middle of the week and I reached out to the hotel after I booked it and I recommend this for all of you also, that I reached out to them. I let them know hey, I'm celebrating my birthday, I'm doing something special for myself. Is there any way? I let them know? Hey, I'm celebrating my birthday, I'm doing something special for myself. Is there any way I can get an early check-in? That was my first question and I also asked hey, is there any way that you can offer me an upgrade? And I put that in my notes when I booked it. I didn't say that on the phone. Actually, I just asked for the early check-in because check-in is at 3 pm and I wanted to get my day started and it was beautiful For late October. It was like high 70s sunny, gorgeous. So they allowed me to come early. I was able to check in at 1 pm.

Speaker 1: 5:58

I drove out there. I got myself a birthday pie. If you're familiar with the east end of Long Island, we have this great pie place. It's called Briarmere Farms. Out in the Riverhead area of Long Island we have a lot of wineries. There's so much to see Like go check it out if you've never been out there. It's the north, the north end of Long Island.

Speaker 1: 6:20

And I got this birthday pie. I got myself a beautiful bouquet of flowers and I checked into this hotel and, oh my gosh, it was the most perfect way I could ever imagine celebrating my birthday. The place was just so Instagrammable. Like every detail of this hotel was gorgeous and so thought out. And when I got there, I was told that they upgraded my room to the rooftop suite, where I had the entire rooftop for myself. I walked in. This beautifully decorated suite was waiting for me. I actually also booked an in-room masseuse to come the morning of my birthday the next day, and yeah, I'll tell you about that.

Speaker 1: 7:07

So I spent my last day of my 30s, I put my bathing suit on, I went out by the water they were on the bay of Long Island and I just sat out on a lounge chair on the sand looking at the water and I journaled, and I want to share some of the journal prompts that I used, because I think that everybody should really be reflecting on their lives on their birthday, as I said, and having these prompts will really help you, and you don't have to wait for your birthday. You can do these now. But the first thing that I wrote was a thank you letter to myself. I thanked my past self from my future self and I thanked her for all the things that she's done and for getting me to this place in my life. And writing that thank you letter will truly help you appreciate you as a person, all of your achievements and also where you want to go in your life, and it will help you remind yourself of what your goals are and how far you've come and how proud you should be.

Speaker 1: 8:16

So I started there and then I made a list of all the things that I will not be bringing with me in my 40th year, all the things I want to let go of and I wrote those out. And then I wrote a gratitude list of all the things I was grateful for, all the people in my life that I was grateful for and that just filled me with so much happiness when I did that. And then I also just wrote a few just journal entries to myself. I also recorded a video to myself that evening, where I will look back at that video later on in life and just have that reminder of who I am now and where I want to go, and I love doing videos like that. If you haven't done a video to yourself, it's a great reminder when you look back at it to see your progress and to see who you once were and the hope that you had and just that sense of gosh, the sense of excitement, the sense of hope that you carry with you. I do recommend just documenting those moments for yourself and keeping them on file.

Speaker 1: 10:08

So I did that and then I just relaxed outside, watched the sunset it was beautiful and then I did a little photo shoot. You might have seen it on Instagram or TikTok. And then the next morning I woke up, went down to the hot tub, went to the sauna, I took some pictures. I spoke to some people. I came back to my room and a beautiful, like freshly made picnic basket breakfast was delivered to my door and I had that. And then the masseuse came and I had a 90 minute massage in my suite, which I can't imagine anything better, and that was how I brought in my 40s.

Speaker 1: 10:55

After that, I relaxed for a bit and then came home and spent time with my family and my loved ones and celebrated with them, and I just felt so filled with joy, with calm, relaxation, hope, gratitude, that 24 hours felt like a week away, like it was something that fed my soul, fed my heart, and I felt like a better version of myself. I felt more prepared for going into this new decade of life and I just I can't imagine celebrating a better way, and if you have a birthday coming up and you don't know how to celebrate, or you're craving that time for yourself or wanting to do something special for yourself, take yourself away. I I started this tradition three years ago. I took myself into Manhattan to go to a beautiful French lunch and then to go see Hamilton on Broadway, and while I was there, I went to this bar and met this couple and they were the sweetest people. They sang happy birthday to me like on the top of their lungs. It was so cute. The bartender gave me a glass of champagne for my birthday. It was just such a beautiful day out by myself, honoring the things that I wanted to do, honoring myself. And then the following year I took myself to a day spa. So I started this tradition where I have these solo birthday dates and I highly recommend them to all of you to try out for yourself. And you know, make it a quarterly thing and do it however much that you need that time for yourself.

Speaker 1: 12:42

And then I also had a 40th birthday party. It was basically a wedding for one. It was a hall. I had two outfit changes. The theme was travel and sparkles, very on brand for me. When you came in, the seating cards were these motel key rings and I had the table number and people's names on there and they were set up on this sparkly board I made. And then that, when they sat down at the tables, I had these passport covers where I customized them with the person's name on them, and these cute gold airplane bottle openers.

Speaker 1: 13:29

And I did the flower arrangements myself up in the centerpieces. That were like beautiful flowers and had globes and sparkles and lights. It was in a wicker luggage basket. It was so cute and gosh. I had a staging company come and put all this beautiful lighting and rhinestones. I had a photographer. I had this incredible DJ. We had this amazing photo booth and I love the photo so much. It just brought me so much joy bringing my close friends and family together to celebrate.

Speaker 1: 14:04

It was a very small party and we partied hard. It was so much fun and I just I felt so loved. I'm so grateful for the people in my life and also you all for just being a part of my life as well. But that was my 40s. That's what happened at the end of October and early November and now we are here in mid-November and I actually just booked a solo trip which I've been craving. It is six days away. I booked it today. I'm going on a cruise in six days and I booked it for under $400 and that is something I've never done before. The last minute.

Speaker 1: 14:51

Travel is a luxury of being an entrepreneur and being able to travel whenever you want and not requesting time off. So I understand that not everyone could do that, but if you do have that flexibility with travel. Look into last minute trips because you're going to find incredible deals. I booked through Norwegian. This is very much a full circle moment for me because I'll be cruising on the same ship that I started my journey on 12 years ago and it's a five-day cruise and I spent under $400 for it, like all in price. And I'm really excited because I just I need that alone time.

Speaker 1: 15:33

I am a true solo traveler at heart, even though I love group trips. I love traveling with my friends, my family, my boyfriend, but I crave that alone time and it's so important to honor that for yourself. If you are craving something, if you're desiring something, you need to allow yourself to have that. And it's funny because I have been contemplating this for a while and I didn't know where I wanted to go and this time of year gets a little crazy with the holidays and everything but I, um, I've been thinking about it and then I got a message from one of my dear friends whose husband passed and she was telling me she had a message for me from him and he said that I needed to take a solo trip for myself, not for work, not, not with anybody, but to go and just have fun by myself, and it would help me answer some questions that I've been contemplating, and I already knew that in my heart. But to have that validation from a loved one and from their loved one and having that message sent to me, it was so just, it was everything, and it was such a great reminder. I'm like I need to do this. So I just booked it and I'm very excited to share it with you. Even though I'm not going to make this a super you know, work trip, I want to enjoy myself. I do want to document it for all of you because I love that. That's something I enjoy and it is fun for me. So I will be taking along on that journey. But yeah, just a heads up If you're looking for last minute travel, look into cruises and you will be shocked at the prices. So make it happen for yourself, and I can't wait to share more about that in the next podcast episode.

Speaker 1: 17:31

So this episode's really a catch-up about life, life's updates. Also reminders for you that the newsletter for November went out this month and it is themed around gratitude. Gratitude is something that you should have all year long, but especially in November it's a great reminder to have an attitude of gratitude, to be thankful for the people in your life, the things in your life, the experiences that you have had, and really focus on that. When you focus on the things that you are grateful for, more of that is going to come. When you set your intentions on the things that you want and that you love, more of that is going to come. I very much believe in the power of your thoughts, how thoughts become things, how putting good vibes into the universe will help you on your journey of life and to help you achieve the things that you want. I believe in positive thinking.

Speaker 1: 18:39

The Secret is something that is very much part of my life. If you're not familiar with the Secret, it is a book. It's also like a movie. Then they made like an actual movie about the Secret too, but it's basically about the law of attraction and how what you focus on grows and what you put your intentions on is what is going to create more of it, and I don't want to get into it too deeply, because everyone has their own beliefs right. This is just something that I believe in.

Speaker 1: 19:14

I do believe in the power of attraction. I do believe on focusing on the things I want, and I have personally experienced the success of this and I have held this as a big part of my life for a very long time. It has gotten me through many things in my life and it's a great reminder to focus on the good and focus on what you want and to reduce or eliminate as much noise of the things that do not bring you joy, that do not make you feel good, and to really set that red velvet rope policy for yourself, as my mentor, tanya Lee, loves to describe it the red velvet rope of your life. Put those limits around yourself to protect yourself from the things that you don't want and just focus on the people, the things, whatever that you do want, and just focus on the people, the things, whatever that you do want. And that goes. You know you can go down the rabbit hole of that with anything you consume and surround yourself with. You want it to make sure that it feels good to you, and I just want everyone to feel good and again, this is a perfect time to do it. This is a perfect time to tell people thank you or I love you and appreciate them and appreciate yourself.

Speaker 1: 20:30

Also, we're getting into the holiday season and you know it can go in a few different directions and if you aren't intentional about how it's going to go, it can sweep you up into. You know the consumerism and you know the hustle and bustle of all of it. And it's fun. It's all fun, it's all beautiful. But take time for yourself too. Take time to just appreciate what you have already and the people in your life, and just enjoy the moments rather than just the things. Just enjoy the moments rather than just the things.

Speaker 1: 21:14

But I'm going to leave you here because I have a lot to talk. I have a lot to talk to you about, but this is already getting over time and I will save it for the next podcast episode, which will be very soon and I do look forward to, which will be very soon, and I do look forward to continuing on this journey with you. So if you did not receive the copy of the One Girl Travel Manifesto for November, go get your copy. Go to onegirltravelcom forward slash freebie and you can sign up for it there. You will also get my free guide 10 Tips on how to Begin Solo Traveling. I just made it revised so it is new and improved, so you can go get your copy there, and there's a lot to look forward to this November.

Speaker 1: 21:56

Also, in the manifesto, I announced a special gift from me to you for this holiday season. I am offering you my solo selfie masterclass for free with your purchase of the annual membership for the One Girl Travel Club. Now the solo selfie masterclass is valued at $397. It is an in-depth course on how to take incredible selfies of you, so that way you are confident in front of the camera when you are traveling, at home, whenever I want to make sure that you feel good in front of a camera, that you are the main character of your life and you're being captured and you're not the one hiding behind the lens or hiding behind other people in pictures or not feeling comfortable in pictures. I want you to feel good and confident and know how to take these photos by yourself, and in this course we go through all the steps on how to do that from your phone, so you don't have to have a fancy camera or equipment for this, and I go through everything from the basic features of your phone camera to the full editing of photos. So that is something that I feel strongly about and you probably know this about me already. I love taking my own pictures and I believe in the power of photography and the confidence building aspect of pictures. So you will get that full course when you sign up for the One Girl Travel Club, which is only $197 right now.

Speaker 1: 23:24

I don't know how long I'm going to keep it at that price point. It's drastically lower than what it used to be. It used to be $9.97 for the year, so I lowered it because I want to have as many of you in this community as possible, because I want this to be a social and fun community where we get together and we talk about traveling. We do live calls where we talk about everything. We have so much fun on these live calls. I absolutely love them. And we have a community on Facebook. It's a private community where you can ask any questions you have.

Speaker 1: 23:57

You have access to this insane library of resources. I have been building this for years. It has over 100 items in there, from workbooks, guides, lessons, everything from getting started with solo travel to more advanced traveling, to mindset work, to photography, social media it's all in there for only $197 for the year. Plus, you're getting the Solo Selfie Masterclass, valued at $397, for free. So this is a no-brainer to join now. This is just for the holiday season and then I am not going to be offering this anymore. So join us now, join the community, be a part of our live calls, our live sessions. Of course, the community members will have first dibs on the One Girl Travel group trips. Right now I am in the process of creating a trip for Greece for next spring, so the members will have first access to that. So come, join us. Go to onegirltravelcom and you will have all the information or check out the show notes.

Speaker 1: 25:03

If you have any questions about the membership, feel free to reach out to me. We can jump on a quick call if you want, or I can write you an email, whatever you need. I am here for you to help you through whatever it is you're going through, and you do not need to aspire to solo travel to be a part of this community. You can be a regular traveler with other people. But I do want you to just step outside your comfort zone, do new things, make the world your playground and just enjoy your life and have an amazing community of women by your side. So I thank you for being here with me. I can't wait to talk to you again soon and share this solo trip and many more updates and news with you. I missed you. Thank you for being here and I will talk to you soon.

Speaker 2: 26:03

Have a great day, bye. You can find out more about your host on our website, onegirltravelcom, or follow her on Instagram, facebook, pinterest and TikTok. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode.