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 six years ago 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 6 years sharing my personal journey and travel tips on this website with women around the world. I have traveled to over 70 countries and now split my home base between California and Cape Town, South Africa. READ MY FULL STORY

Favorite Destinations For:

Nature
South Africa, Iceland, Namibia, Vietnam, Australia, Hawaii, Belize
Wildlife
Galapagos, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia
Beaches
Seychelles, British Virgin Islands, California, Greece, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Maldives, Indonesia
Sailing / Cruising
Croatia, Italy, Greece, British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, Sardinia, Corsica, European River Cruise
Photography
Iceland, Bolivia, Morocco, Indonesia, Jordan, South Africa
Scuba Diving
Indonesia, Mexico, Maldives, Belize, Panama
Luxury
French Polynesia, Seychelles, Kenya, Maldives, Cruises
Skiing / Snowboarding
Whistler, Mont Tremblant, Austria, Park City

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:

Food
Bali, Croatia, Thailand, South Africa, Mexico, Japan
Culture
Thailand, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Spain, Turkey
History
Jordan, Cambodia, Peru, China, Italy, Czech Republic
Adventure
Bolivia, New Zealand, Hawaii, USA, Canada
Shopping
Tokyo, Bali, Morocco, Rome, Istanbul
Road Trips
California, UK, Bolivia, Iceland, Namibia
A Girls' Trip
Tokyo, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, The Yacht Week
Nightlife
Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Berlin, New York, Tokyo, London, Amsterdam

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

Instagram

My favorite backseat driver! 🐶
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# ad Bailey used to hate the car as a puppy — he would cry and cry, and I really didn’t understand why. After some research, and learning more about dog motion sickness, it made sense to me. I really hadn’t associated his fear of the car with potential motion sickness.

A lot of pet owners don’t bring their dogs along on road trips or travels because their pup gets uncomfortable or sick— - but who wants to leave their best buddy behind?!

Now, Bailey is the BEST travel dog. He goes everywhere with us from the scooter to the car to the plane– - but his favorites are long road trips with the wind blowing through his hair!

Read more about the signs of dog motion sickness, what you can do to better the experience for your pup, and ways that @ZoetisPetcare can also help on my blog! Plus, they have an online community, Ralph’s Amazing Adventures, full of information for pet owners and a place to share your dog’s adventures. LINK IN BIO
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#RalphOnTheGo

I was feeling really down about missing my 6th Bur

I was feeling really down about missing my 6th Burn this year. Lord knows I needed it more than ever. But, upon “scrolling” down memory lane on IG, I stumbled upon the caption from this photo that I posted 2 years ago... and it was just the reminder I needed...

“Home is where you hang your heart 💙
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The first thing I was told upon arriving to my first Burn back in 2013 was “Welcome Home.” An older man in nothing but a tutu immediately ran up, gave me a huge hug like we were long lost friends, and then told me to roll around in the dust. I won’t lie, the experience was completely jarring. I immediately thought, “What the hell did I just sign up for?!” I always thought I was an open minded person, but was this going to be totally beyond what I could handle? That week was one of the most uncomfortable, awe-inspiring, emotional, carefree, and life-changing experiences in my life. 5 Burns later, I’m proud to say that not much has changed. It still takes me at least 24 hours to shake the real world off, to stop thinking the word “weird” and to, if I’m being completely honest, stop judging. We all judge others based on what’s beautiful, what’s acceptable, what’s “normal,” and what’s cool, when those beliefs might not even be what we really feel. It’s just what we’ve been conditioned to think. If there’s any takeaway from #BurningMan that I try to carry with me, it’s that we’re all weird. There is no normal. Life is weird. Love is weird. The internet is REALLY weird. So why not be silly? Why live in fear of being uncool? Wear the tutu, roll in the dust, cry when things are sad and dance when everyone’s watching. You only have one life. How do you wanna spend it?”
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#burningman

What do you get when you... get engaged, move acro

What do you get when you... get engaged, move across the world, buy a home, go through the immigration process towards citizenship, and can't work... during a global pandemic?

A stressful financial situation.
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# Sponsored Like many of you, this year has had a lot of highs and lows for us. We've had to make some crazy life choices while we await Meyer's green card, and because he's not able to work in the meantime, budgeting has been the "fireside chat" of 2020.

When it comes to planning for the future, making BIG investments, and starting new life chapters, you need to sit down and make smart choices together. Right now, we're budgeting for what will be one of our biggest investments—a destination wedding back in South Africa!

We've started using @YouNeedABudget to navigate our shared expenses, work through big financial decisions, and ultimately, save for our future! It's an easy-to-use software and app that teaches you how to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck, get out of debt, and save more money so that you can spend it on the things that matter most to you.

For us, that's putting lots of love into our new home, organizing a destination wedding and dreaming up an epic honeymoon!

Check out my tips for budgeting for a destination wedding PLUS get a free 34-day trial to #YNAB so you can start saving — LINK IN BIO!
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#YouNeedABudget

I’m giving away over $4000 in prizes— because

I’m giving away over $4000 in prizes— because we ALL need some extra love and excitement in 2020... #AMIRIGHT??
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In case you missed it — I'm giving away some incredible prizes through the end of the month!

I wanted to shine light on some of my favorite small brands and share the chance to win some incredibly cool goodies.

I’m giving away everything from educational courses, to lifestyle essentials, to car camping tents, to luxury bedding—a little bit of everything to help make this chapter in our lives a bit brighter!

There is a new 48-hour giveaway going live EVERY day, so be sure to check back DAILY and enter to win!

>>>LINK IN BIO<<<
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#giveaway

Hiking Silver Falls 🌲
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Oregon is such a beautiful state and I’ve been lucky to explore quite a few hikes in the Portland/Salem area over the years! On our recent trip to the PNW, my family and I hiked the Rim Trail to the North Falls — it was dog and kid friendly — and absolutely stunning!
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#oregon #silverfalls #nature #cockapoo #cockapoosofinstagram #cockapoopuppy #outdoors #adventure

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