The Blonde Abroad

Popular travel and lifestyle blog featuring travel tips, fashion, food and photography from around the world. Follow Kiersten on her adventures!

About

The Blonde Abroad is the go-to website for solo and female travel around the world—for all women, by women.

Meet The

Blonde

Abroad

Hi, I’m Kiki, a California native, who left my career in corporate wealth management in 2011 to embark on a summer of soul-searching that would change the course of my life forever.

My Favorite Beach

Like many people, I was taught to go to college, get a job, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Not once did I consider that chasing the societal idea of “success” would lead me to an unfulfilling and unhappy life. Back in 2011, I took a hiatus from my career and spent 3 months traveling through Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali and New Zealand and experienced the empowerment of solo travel for the first time.

Since embarking on that first world tour, I've spent the past decade sharing my personal journey and travel tips on this website with women around the world. I have traveled to over 70 countries, lived in Cape Town, South Africa, and have settled down in California—and I'm not stopping there! READ MY FULL STORY

Favorite Destinations For:

The Most Remote Place I've Been

My Biggest Adrenaline Rush

My Happy Place
“

I hope to inspire you to live a life you love

Silk pillowcase, compression socks, bikini, camera, passport

Favorite Destinations For:

That one time I ate rotten...

Most incredible hotel I've ever stayed in

Where I’ve Been

71
Countries Traveled
500
Flights Boarded
989,690
Miles Flown

View All Destinations

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What if you could travel the world… without paying for accommodation? Sounds too good to be true, right?
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Here’s the secret—@homeexchangecom. It’s a social network where you swap homes with fellow travelers, whether it’s an apartment or a house.

While we stayed in a gorgeous, centrally located apartment in Manhattan to celebrate the holiday season, our guests enjoyed a sunny winter in Southern California while staying in our cozy home. It’s a win-win!

No expensive hotel stays, no home sitters needed. Home exchange saves you thousands by giving you a free place to stay in someone else’s home.

You can filter your search for homes with a pool or something pet-friendly or kid-friendly to find your perfect home away from home.

We left a little welcome basket and some local travel tips for our guests to make it extra special for them.

So whether it’s a modern apartment in the city or a beach house getaway, this travel hack can make your dream vacation a reality.
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Bonus: When you sign up using the link in my bio, you’ll get free GuestPoints! These let you experience the magic of HomeExchange as a guest first—even before you host anyone in your home.

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What if you could travel the world… without paying for accommodation? Sounds too good to be true, right? ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Here’s the secret—@homeexchangecom. It’s a social network where you swap homes with fellow travelers, whether it’s an apartment or a house. While we stayed in a gorgeous, centrally located apartment in Manhattan to celebrate the holiday season, our guests enjoyed a sunny winter in Southern California while staying in our cozy home. It’s a win-win! No expensive hotel stays, no home sitters needed. Home exchange saves you thousands by giving you a free place to stay in someone else’s home. You can filter your search for homes with a pool or something pet-friendly or kid-friendly to find your perfect home away from home. We left a little welcome basket and some local travel tips for our guests to make it extra special for them. So whether it’s a modern apartment in the city or a beach house getaway, this travel hack can make your dream vacation a reality. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Bonus: When you sign up using the link in my bio, you’ll get free GuestPoints! These let you experience the magic of HomeExchange as a guest first—even before you host anyone in your home.

A fairytale stay 🏰
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I highly recommend staying a night or 2 at @themanor_house in The Cotswolds.

It’s located in the tiny, picturesque village of Castle Combe—one of my favorite stops of our trip.

We had the entire village to ourselves early in the morning and at sunset which was so magical!
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#themanorhouse #cotswolds #castlecombe

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A fairytale stay 🏰 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I highly recommend staying a night or 2 at @themanor_house in The Cotswolds. It’s located in the tiny, picturesque village of Castle Combe—one of my favorite stops of our trip. We had the entire village to ourselves early in the morning and at sunset which was so magical! ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #themanorhouse #cotswolds #castlecombe

I can confirm—The Cotswolds are a dream! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🍂
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I took a spontaneous trip with my friend to the countryside of England and it was everything I dreamed it would be!

The Cotswolds feel like stepping back in time with historic villages and adorable cottages). While these places might seem similar at first glance, each village was actually quite unique. These are some of the cutest villages we visited:

- Castle Combe
- Bourton-on-the-Water
- The Slaughters
- Stow-on-the-Wold
- Broadway
- Snowshill
- Bibury

Some amazing villages and towns not featured but also worth visiting include:

- Broadway
- Burford
- Daylesford & Daylesford Farms
- Chipping Campden
- Cirencester

Are The Cotsworlds on your bucket list?
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#cotswolds #england #uk

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I can confirm—The Cotswolds are a dream! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🍂 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I took a spontaneous trip with my friend to the countryside of England and it was everything I dreamed it would be! The Cotswolds feel like stepping back in time with historic villages and adorable cottages). While these places might seem similar at first glance, each village was actually quite unique. These are some of the cutest villages we visited: - Castle Combe - Bourton-on-the-Water - The Slaughters - Stow-on-the-Wold - Broadway - Snowshill - Bibury Some amazing villages and towns not featured but also worth visiting include: - Broadway - Burford - Daylesford & Daylesford Farms - Chipping Campden - Cirencester Are The Cotsworlds on your bucket list? •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #cotswolds #england #uk

The most luxurious family-friendly stay at Four Seasons Boston @fsboston 🏢
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If you’ve been following along, you know we recently took a trip through New England for leaf-peeing and sightseeing amidst the crisp, Autumn foliage.

We concluded our 10-day roadtrip at the amazing Four Seasons property in the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts.

Four Seasons is known for their luxury and incredible service, but they really kick things up a notch for families here:

🧸 The Mystery Toy Closet: As part of the VIK experience (aka Very Important Kid Experience), guests are given a large golden key that grants access to an AMAZING toy closet behind the front desk. Filled with trinkets like rubber ducks, slinkys, coloring books, and–Ollie’s favorite–wiggly frogs, this was SUCH an amazing and one-of-a-kind treat to experience.

🍭 The Vault: One of the newer features to the Four Seasons Boston: a small room on each guest floor filled with complimentary snacks, candy, and beverages to grab-and-go!

🛎️ Amenities: Once again, Four Seasons has outdone itself with its amazing service. This city retreat offers a complimentary coffee bar for guests (and hot chocolate for the little ones), 24-hour gym, a pool with a fantastic view, a world-class spa, and even a morning run club to get your Boston marathon fix in!

🦞 The Food: Whether it’s in-room dining you’re after, quaint tea service in-between sight-seeing, or you want to experience New England’s famous seafood, Four Seasons treats your tastebuds with exquisite table-side service at their restaurant, Coterie.

This was truly such a luxurious end to our trip, I wish we could have extended it just so we could enjoy more time at this fantastic property.

A huge thank you to @fsboston for hosting us on our dream trip to New England and concluding our stay with memories that will last a LIFETIME!
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#fourseasons #boston #familytravel #newengland

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The most luxurious family-friendly stay at Four Seasons Boston @fsboston 🏢 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• If you’ve been following along, you know we recently took a trip through New England for leaf-peeing and sightseeing amidst the crisp, Autumn foliage. We concluded our 10-day roadtrip at the amazing Four Seasons property in the historic city of Boston, Massachusetts. Four Seasons is known for their luxury and incredible service, but they really kick things up a notch for families here: 🧸 The Mystery Toy Closet: As part of the VIK experience (aka Very Important Kid Experience), guests are given a large golden key that grants access to an AMAZING toy closet behind the front desk. Filled with trinkets like rubber ducks, slinkys, coloring books, and–Ollie’s favorite–wiggly frogs, this was SUCH an amazing and one-of-a-kind treat to experience. 🍭 The Vault: One of the newer features to the Four Seasons Boston: a small room on each guest floor filled with complimentary snacks, candy, and beverages to grab-and-go! 🛎️ Amenities: Once again, Four Seasons has outdone itself with its amazing service. This city retreat offers a complimentary coffee bar for guests (and hot chocolate for the little ones), 24-hour gym, a pool with a fantastic view, a world-class spa, and even a morning run club to get your Boston marathon fix in! 🦞 The Food: Whether it’s in-room dining you’re after, quaint tea service in-between sight-seeing, or you want to experience New England’s famous seafood, Four Seasons treats your tastebuds with exquisite table-side service at their restaurant, Coterie. This was truly such a luxurious end to our trip, I wish we could have extended it just so we could enjoy more time at this fantastic property. A huge thank you to @fsboston for hosting us on our dream trip to New England and concluding our stay with memories that will last a LIFETIME! •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #fourseasons #boston #familytravel #newengland