Women Who Wander: Grace Ayazi

Hi everyone! This is the first post in a new series I’m doing called Women Who Wander. This series is going to be centered around women and their travels. In this post, I’m excited to share my good friend Grace’s experience solo traveling in Southeast Asia. 

Grace and I met in the fall of 2021, when we were both living in Hawaii. We quickly grew close and have stayed very close despite the physical distance between us. I tell everyone she is my long-distance Canadian best friend. Grace recently spent two months traveling in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. We called this her “Eat, Pray, Love trip,” and she got to do some amazing things. When I was thinking about starting this series, I immediately texted her and asked if she’d be interested in sharing her story. I’m so glad she said yes.

Where She Stayed

During her trip, she mostly stayed in hostels. She did a lot of research before booking her hostels because she wanted to stay in the safest ones. She said lovely things about the friends she met through hostels. However, she mentioned that her experiences varied depending on the people staying there and the type of hostel. She did end up booking a hotel for a few nights because she was starting to get overwhelmed by the social aspect of the hostels and wanted some personal space for a bit. 

For those wondering, these are some of the hostels Grace stayed at:

• The Funky Village (Cambodia)
• The One Hostel (Vietnam)
• Loft Hostel Koh Tao (Thailand)
• Echo Beach Hostel (Thailand)

Highlights of Her Trip

The highlight of her trip was the kids she met. Grace has been a nanny for many years, so she has a soft spot for the kiddos. Despite the kids not knowing English, she could tell they were enthusiastic about seeing tourists in their country. She told me a story about a group of kids who spent the day playing hide and seek with her and teaching her card games. While she was telling me this story, I could tell that this was an extremely special and wholesome day for her. 

The people she met also made a huge impact on her. She described everyone as welcoming. She spoke kindly about the Vietnamese women who worked at a tailor shop she went to. One woman even took her out to lunch, and Grace was so appreciative of the fact that someone who didn’t know her would go out of their way to spend time with her. Some other highlights she mentioned were seeing the beauty of nature in a place she’s not familiar with. This really taught her to be present and appreciative of the fact that she had this opportunity to travel.

What She Struggled With

One thing she struggled with on her trip was the solo aspect. She was initially not supposed to be going on the trip by herself. This became a mental block for her that she had to overcome. She also said there were days she didn’t feel like being social and would isolate herself. One thing that really helped her was self-help books. She highly recommends The Power of Now and The Four Agreements. She would preach the things she was learning in these books to herself. Furthermore, she found the importance of taking self-care days and didn’t guilt trip herself when her social battery ran out. 

What She Did

The most beautiful thing she did was the Ha Giang Loop. She was on the back of a motorbike in the mountains for four days and said that the views just kept getting better. She highly recommends booking with Road Kings if you plan to do the Ha Giang Loop. She recalls seeing communities of people who were truly living off the grid. People who looked like they had the bare minimum to survive. But she was amazed at how happy these people were. They worked together, and they were grateful for the little possessions they did have. She said this really put things into perspective for her.

During her trip, she got to see Angkor Wat. This temple in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world. She also described the sunrises and sunsets as some of the best she’s ever seen.

What She Learned

This trip made her realize many things about herself. She discovered that she was capable of doing so many things, and she doesn’t give herself enough credit for it. She decided that she’s going to stop being so hard on herself and stop talking herself out of doing things that will better her. Like many others, Grace always felt like she had to stick to a strict timeline when it came to life. Meeting other travelers made her realize that she needs to throw that timeline away. She became more present and less anxious about the future.

Her Advice

Grace’s advice is to just do it and don’t second guess yourself. It can be scary, but it is so worth it. She is so happy that she went through with it and thinks you will be too. Most of all, she wants you to know that you can do anything. She also says not to stress about money because you have your whole life to make money. 

Grace, I am so incredibly proud to call you my friend. Your story truly inspires me, and I hope it inspires others. I am so grateful that you have given me this opportunity to share your “Eat, Pray, Love” story, and thank you for providing me with the most beautiful pictures to use in this post. I can’t wait to see what other adventures the future holds for you.