These Women Are Traveling The World Alone — And Having The Time Of Their Lives

“She Commended Me For My Gumption To See The World Alone While I’m Young”

Venus Wong, a travel contributor for Refinery29, took the birthday trip of a lifetime – but she took it by herself. Wong shipped off to Salzburg and couldn’t have predicted that celebrating her birthday alone would be far from lonely.

“The idea of dining alone on my birthday didn’t intimidate me,” she wrote. “But, to my surprise, I was seated in the middle of a huge Israeli family of 20 who, as luck would have it, have came to the Mozart concert to fête the family matriarch’s 75th birthday. As soon as I mentioned that I happened to share the same birthday, the whole family made sure that I felt included in all the ensuing cake-and-song hoopla. As the songs played, my elderly birthday twin grabbed my hand, and we had a sweet exchange where she commended me for my gumption to see the world alone while I’m young.”