Helping you lighten your luggage so you can lighten your life.

Hi, I'm Katherine, your guide to packing light, solo travel, mid-life adventures, and most recently, the recipient of the JourneyWoman Solo Travel Wisdom Award 2026!

I believe that lightening your luggage is the first step to lightening your life. I help travellers find the freedom from travelling with a carry-on bag only.

I was approaching 50 in 2017, when I ventured on a solo trip for four weeks in Croatia and Italy.

This picture is me with all my belongings - just over 5 kilos (11 pounds) in my carry-on day bag about to depart Charlotte, North Carolina, bound for Dubrovnik in Croatia, while my family flew back to New Zealand. (You'll have to read the book to find out what happened soon after this photo was taken.)

I was all set to head off on my very first mid-life travel adventure. At this point I was so nervous!

What was I doing leaving my family behind?
Would I survive?
Did I have enough gear?
Had I gone completely mad??!!
Had I really thought this travel light thing through??

That first trip wasn't just about packing a bag; it was to become a trip about reclaiming my independance, believing in myself and finding a peace and calm I hadn't known for decades.

Just a girl & her bag. Day 1

The freedom I experience when I travel lightly is unbelievable.

Escaping the normal routines of home life, I relish every travel opportunity that comes my way. The joy I feel is incredible.

I meet amazing locals and travellers of all ages and stages. I become a surrogate Mum to the young female travellers. I avidly listen to their stories and their zest for life. I think I inspire them to keep travelling.

After 30 years of nursing in Australia, London, New Zealand, and on the Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone and Madagascar, I've learnt that life is far too short to be weighed down, literally or figuratively.

I wrote Dare to Travel Solo - a memoir on my solo and light travel adventure!

Dare to Travel Solo: Exploring Croatia and Italy with a light carry-on bag and a ton of determination.

It's about stepping outside your comfort zone, believing in yourself, and making your dreams happen. Plus, you'll feel like you're on holiday as you read it!

This trip was the gift that keeps on giving. I started to believe in myself, found an inner strength that had diminished over the years, & have absolutely flourished since!

The book is just the beginning of a huge life transformation.

Read the memoir that started the movement.