The Blonde Abroad • Solo Female Travel Blog

An award-winning solo female travel blog featuring travel tips, packing guides, videos and photography from around the world.

An award-winning solo female travel blog featuring travel tips, packing guides, videos and photography from around the world.

featured from the blog

Where to Travel in 2025
Based on Your Zodiac

Learn More

The Ultimate Guide to Starting
a Successful Travel Blog

Learn More

Travel Bucket List
for 2025

Learn More

About Kiersten

You can call me Kiki! I'm a California native who left my career in corporate finance to explore the world. I split my home between South Africa and San Diego and have traveled to over 70 countries!

View the full story

travel for free

Learn how I use travel reward credit cards to book free flights and hotels around the world

Bucket List experiences

Road Trip

Solo Trip

Summer in Europe

African Safari

A Girls' Trip

Trips to Take in Your 30s

Backpack Southeast Asia

Go to a Festival

Explore By Destination

Click to expand

1 Africa

2 Asia

3 The Caribbean

4 Central America

5 Europe

6 The Middle East

7 North America

8 Oceania

9 South America

California

Packing Guides

Not sure what to pack for your next trip? I've put together packing guides and outfit inspiration for everything from tropical vacations to multi-day treks!

Read More

Whether you’re just starting out with photography or have been shooting for years, these easy-to-use photo filters will instantly add a beautiful aesthetic to all of your images!

Whether you’re just starting out with photography or have been shooting for years, these easy-to-use photo filters will instantly add a beautiful aesthetic to all of your images!

As a female entrepreneur, I love helping other women with their businesses! Grow your blog, improve your photography skills and get tips from a fellow freelancer!

Instagram

Everything you’ll need for an African Safari 👉
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
It can be intimidating to know what to pack and how to dress for your first African safari.

After countless safaris in multiple countries in Africa, it’s safe to say that I have the packing thing down—and safari style is my absolute favorite!

For my complete packing guide and more outfit inspo, comment PACK for a direct link!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#whattowear #big5safari #africansafari #safari

607 160

Everything you’ll need for an African Safari 👉
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
It can be intimidating to know what to pack and how to dress for your first African safari.

After countless safaris in multiple countries in Africa, it’s safe to say that I have the packing thing down—and safari style is my absolute favorite!

For my complete packing guide and more outfit inspo, comment PACK for a direct link!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#whattowear #big5safari #africansafari #safari

Sometimes the most simple travel experiences are the most magical ✨
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
If you want a step-by-step guide on how to find this “honesty” farmhouse and Prosecco vending machine in Italy, comment CHEERS and I’ll DM you exactly where you can find it!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#italy #prosecco #charcuterie #roadtrip #travelsecrets

1485 512

Sometimes the most simple travel experiences are the most magical ✨
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
If you want a step-by-step guide on how to find this “honesty” farmhouse and Prosecco vending machine in Italy, comment CHEERS and I’ll DM you exactly where you can find it!
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
#italy #prosecco #charcuterie #roadtrip #travelsecrets

Short on time? 3 nights in Cairo is all you need 🐪🗺️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
If you want to see the pyramids of Egypt, you can do it on a short stopover — Cairo works as the perfect base to explore!

I did this exact trip by routing my flight from Cape Town, South Africa to Los Angeles through Cairo so I could see the pyramids.

TIP: Use Google flights and change the search from “round trip” to “multi-city” to choose your layover city! A lot of airlines also offer free extended stopovers in select cities (eg. Turkish Airlines in Istanbul, Icelandair in Rykjavik, etc.)

In just three days you can get your fill of museums and ancient Egyptian history!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
For a more in-depth guide, comment TIPS and I’ll send you a link to my ultimate Egypt travel guide with itineraries, packing tips, top photo locations, and more!

#egypt #cairo #pyramidsofgiza #Sphinx #WorldWonders

453 65

Short on time? 3 nights in Cairo is all you need 🐪🗺️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
If you want to see the pyramids of Egypt, you can do it on a short stopover — Cairo works as the perfect base to explore!

I did this exact trip by routing my flight from Cape Town, South Africa to Los Angeles through Cairo so I could see the pyramids.

TIP: Use Google flights and change the search from “round trip” to “multi-city” to choose your layover city! A lot of airlines also offer free extended stopovers in select cities (eg. Turkish Airlines in Istanbul, Icelandair in Rykjavik, etc.)

In just three days you can get your fill of museums and ancient Egyptian history!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
For a more in-depth guide, comment TIPS and I’ll send you a link to my ultimate Egypt travel guide with itineraries, packing tips, top photo locations, and more!

#egypt #cairo #pyramidsofgiza #Sphinx #WorldWonders

This is your sign to book your dream African safari in 2025! 🐘🐆🦓
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Here’s a more breakdown of the best African safari destinations for each month of the year:

🗓️ January
⭐️ Best for: Lush landscapes, fewer tourists, calving season
📍 Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa & Uganda

🗓️ February
⭐️ Best for: Calving season, birdwatching
📍Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda & Uganda

🗓️ March
⭐️ Best for: Lush landscapes, fewer tourists
📍Tanzania & South Africa

🗓️ April
⭐️ Best for: Early dry season, great for birdwatching
📍 Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia & South Africa

🗓️ May
⭐️ Best for: Dry season begins, great for wildlife sighting, and “safari under the sea”!
📍 Mozambique

🗓️ June
⭐️ Best for: Dry season, ideal for big game viewing
📍 Zimbabwe, Namibia & South Africa

🗓️ July
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, Great Migration, big game viewing
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania & South Africa

🗓️ August
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, river crossings, Great Migration
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe & South Africa

🗓️ September
⭐️ Best for: Dry season, game concentration, migration peak
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe & Mozambique

🗓️ October
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, game concentration, migration continues
📍 Kenya, Tanzania, & Zimbabwe

🗓️ November
⭐️ Best for: Transition to rainy season, fewer tourists
📍 Botswana & Tanzania

🗓️ December
⭐️ Best for: Transition to rainy season, fewer crowds, lush landscapes
📍 Tanzania & Kenya
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Comment “SAFARI” for my detailed overview of when to visit different safari destinations in Africa throughout the year.

Whether you’re seeking the Great Migration, a lush green landscape, or an action-packed predator experience, each month offers something unique across Africa’s vast safari destinations!

2122 179

This is your sign to book your dream African safari in 2025! 🐘🐆🦓
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Here’s a more breakdown of the best African safari destinations for each month of the year:

🗓️ January
⭐️ Best for: Lush landscapes, fewer tourists, calving season
📍 Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa & Uganda

🗓️ February
⭐️ Best for: Calving season, birdwatching
📍Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda & Uganda

🗓️ March
⭐️ Best for: Lush landscapes, fewer tourists
📍Tanzania & South Africa

🗓️ April
⭐️ Best for: Early dry season, great for birdwatching
📍 Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia & South Africa

🗓️ May
⭐️ Best for: Dry season begins, great for wildlife sighting, and “safari under the sea”!
📍 Mozambique

🗓️ June
⭐️ Best for: Dry season, ideal for big game viewing
📍 Zimbabwe, Namibia & South Africa

🗓️ July
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, Great Migration, big game viewing
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania & South Africa

🗓️ August
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, river crossings, Great Migration
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe & South Africa

🗓️ September
⭐️ Best for: Dry season, game concentration, migration peak
📍 Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe & Mozambique

🗓️ October
⭐️ Best for: Peak dry season, game concentration, migration continues
📍 Kenya, Tanzania, & Zimbabwe

🗓️ November
⭐️ Best for: Transition to rainy season, fewer tourists
📍 Botswana & Tanzania

🗓️ December
⭐️ Best for: Transition to rainy season, fewer crowds, lush landscapes
📍 Tanzania & Kenya
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Comment “SAFARI” for my detailed overview of when to visit different safari destinations in Africa throughout the year.

Whether you’re seeking the Great Migration, a lush green landscape, or an action-packed predator experience, each month offers something unique across Africa’s vast safari destinations!

What to wear when traveling Egypt 🐪🗺️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
My two “c”s to remember when packing for a trip to Egypt are cool and conservative.

Both of my trips to Egypt were in April, and even then, it was HOT. And, yes, my second trip I was VERY pregnant lol.

Summer temperatures in some cities can reach around 122°F. With that in mind, packing light fabrics like cotton and linen is best. If you’re traveling to Egypt in the cooler months, keep in mind that it gets quite chilly once the sun goes down, so make sure to pack a jacket.

As a woman traveling to a conservative country, I find it’s best to respect those cultural norms (remember, you are the visitor!), and to not draw any unwanted attention.

What does this mean for Egypt?

Opt for garments that hit below the knee, keep your shoulders covered, and the looser your clothing, the better.

Some of my packing essentials for Egypt:

•Jumpsuits & Linen Overalls
•Midi & Maxi Dresses
•Skirts & Breezy tops
•Hats
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Comment PACK and I’ll send you a link to my complete guide with packing tips and more outfit inspo!

1347 396

What to wear when traveling Egypt 🐪🗺️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
My two “c”s to remember when packing for a trip to Egypt are cool and conservative.

Both of my trips to Egypt were in April, and even then, it was HOT. And, yes, my second trip I was VERY pregnant lol.

Summer temperatures in some cities can reach around 122°F. With that in mind, packing light fabrics like cotton and linen is best. If you’re traveling to Egypt in the cooler months, keep in mind that it gets quite chilly once the sun goes down, so make sure to pack a jacket.

As a woman traveling to a conservative country, I find it’s best to respect those cultural norms (remember, you are the visitor!), and to not draw any unwanted attention.

What does this mean for Egypt?

Opt for garments that hit below the knee, keep your shoulders covered, and the looser your clothing, the better.

Some of my packing essentials for Egypt:

•Jumpsuits & Linen Overalls
•Midi & Maxi Dresses
•Skirts & Breezy tops
•Hats
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Comment PACK and I’ll send you a link to my complete guide with packing tips and more outfit inspo!