If there’s one thing I learned from over 30 years of actively exploring the Earth, it’s that travel is a gift that’s best when shared. I’m 51 and grew up before the internet and cell phones. The influencers, such as they were, had a calling list they would dial from their wall phone in the kitchen.
I lived by one principle—big world, short life. I craved experiences and was an OG slow traveler, switching ski resorts every few years over a 20-year professional ski career instructing and pro-patrolling.
As Ol’ Blue Eyes said – “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention, and more, much more than this, I did it my way.” I lived and skied at some of the best resorts across America. I lived a life that was full as I traveled each and every highway, teaching private powder lessons before the first chair at Alta and hiking Glacier National Park under the midnight sun.
Continued Travel in Life 2.0
Photo Credit: Coleman Concierge.
I continued my life on the slopes until my knees gave out, but I swore I would return to the road again and continue exploring this big, beautiful world. Only in life 2.0, I would do it bigger and better, which is why I started Coleman Concierge almost a decade ago. I wanted to travel the world experience and adventure first, but it was more than that.
Every time I showed up at a new mountain, I called myself “Jenn No-Friend” because I left my old circle of friends behind. In my new life, I found myself gravitating to small-group travel. Each trip came with a built-in circle of friends to share the experiences with, many of whom became lifelong friends after the vacation ended. I discovered that seeing these experiences through the lens of my fellow travelers helped better my understanding. Their observations, questions, and sometimes unbounded joy created a shared experience in the moment that lives on today through our friendships.
Solo Female Travel to Egypt
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
I traveled to Egypt as a solo female traveler with a small group of other women for a guided antiquity tour coupled with a Nile River cruise. I was fascinated with Egyptology as a kid, but was a bit hesitant because I fell asleep in every history class I had ever taken. Plus, I would be alone – a stranger in a strange land.
A few women from my group were already at the hotel when I arrived, and a couple more joined us throughout the day. By dinner time, there were six of us gathered at the table. We told stories about our family and lives back home, but it wasn’t until our first shared adventure that these new friends became my travel family.
New Friends in Very Old Places
Photo Credit: Coleman Concierge.
Seeing the Giza Pyramids for the first time figuratively took my breath away. Instantly, they transformed from ubiquitous objects and iconography to an awe-inspiring presence bigger than I ever imagined. Climbing the narrow staircase of the Great Pyramid in the hot desert air literally took my breath away. I was standing inside the cool, dark tomb room that was reserved for gods, pharaohs, and kings for centuries and sharing this adventure with five new friends.
There were guides everywhere around the antiquity sites, but ours was masterful. He interpreted the hieroglyphics with practiced precision and just the right amount of dramatic flair. Also, after a few days of touring with us, he knew which storylines we were interested in hearing and how to weave a complete narrative across sites like the Giza, the Necropolis, and Luxur. There was no way I was falling asleep in this history class, although it filled my dreams for weeks and months afterward.
The High Road to Abu Simbel
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
We sailed from Luxor to Answan and stopped at the Aswan Dam, the historic boundary of Ancient Egypt for almost 1,500 years. Below that was the wild Nubian Desert, where threats and dangers abound. The rise of the New Kingdom saw Egyptian rule extending deep into traditional Nubian lands. The great pharaoh Ramesses II built Abu Simbel at the second cataract to impress the Nubians with Egypt’s might, just 10 miles north of the modern border with Sudan.
It’s a beautiful temple that was miraculously moved stone by stone to high ground when the Dam formed Lake Nasser. It would certainly be a highlight of every Egyptian tour, except it’s precariously close to the dangerous border with Sudan. I’m sure if it weren’t for the expert logistics from our in-country guide, our group of solo female travelers would have opted out of this trip. Instead, we saw a monument to Nefertari, one of the most powerful women in history.
Reuniting on the Wild Atlantic Way
Photo Credit: Ed Coleman.
Small group adventure travel has been essential to reconnecting with my husband as well. We both lead busy professional lives, so these trips help clear our minds and build shared memories. One of our favorites was an adventure cycling and hiking journey down the Wild Atlantic Way.
The Wild Atlantic Way is one of the world’s premier defined routes. It stretches over 1,600 miles along Ireland’s west coast and connects lands beyond the Pale and imagination. Here, the nearly extinct Gaeltacht language is returning to daily use, and vestigial remnants of Ireland’s temperate rainforest cling to the sides of craggy peaks. It’s a land where myths and legends still hold power—circles of stones tell secret stories and fairy trees are revered enough to reroute motorways.
Uncovering the Secrets of the Burren
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
We rode on the Great Western Greenway through County Mayo, which the New York Times calls one of “the top three cycle trails in the world,” and visited the surfing town of Rossnowlagh, where 60-foot waves crash off Mullaghmore Head during the winter. However, a guided walk through the limestone pavement of the Burren showed us how Ireland’s apparent contradictions can blend together into her unique culture and heritage.
Arctic-alpine and Mediterranean Basin plants live side by side in the karst, and low-impact herding techniques were used to fight the expanse of invasive shrubland in an area deforested by overgrazing over 1,000 years ago. In many ways, it’s a living metaphor for the classic Irish juxtaposition of joy and poverty. Western Ireland was never fully conquered by Roman Law or subjugated by Puritan English. Patrician Catholicism blends Celtic folklore and classic scripture, with the old ways resurfacing in a subtle but distinct cultural current.
Discovering my Pura Vida
Photo Credit: Coleman Concierge.
When I married Ed, one of my first goals was to show his teenage daughter that I was not an evil stepmother. Our home was filled with endless distractions from friends and screens, so we selected a private small-group adventure in the rainforests of Costa Rica. We wanted to find Pura Vida and make it a part of our everyday life.
The first few days were brutal, but slowly, the wonders of this land worked their magic. It’s hard to be sullen when you’re ziplining off a volcano or canyoneering down a lush jungle stream. The wildlife travel through Costa Rica was amazing, especially during night hikes through the jungle, where a thousand frogs were croaking a natural lullaby.
The big adventures opened the doors, but the little things redefined our relationship. The sweet taste of tree-ripened mangoes and a blaze orange sunset over a sleepy town square convinced her that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t so bad after all. I got my first heartfelt hug at the airport as she flew back to her mother’s house — Pura Vida!
Choose Wisely For No Regrets
Photo Credit: Becca Eve Young.
People always ask me how I choose my trips. My secret is to travel experience and adventure first, then fill in the rest. Small-group adventure travel is an ideal way to make adventures accessible, especially with a well-trained guide. Plus, experiences are like love; they grow stronger when shared. This principle holds true whether you are making new friends on solo travel or traveling with your oldest and closest loved ones.
St. Augustine says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” It is also true that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, which is why I look for companies that prioritize ethics, sustainability, and authenticity as much as a flashy itinerary. You want to spend your hard-earned travel dollars with a company that hires local guides and understands that a destination is part of the local culture and not a snapshot on a postcard.
If there’s one thing I learned from a decade of being a travel professional, it’s that ethical travel isn’t a pleasant afterthought. It’s the foundation of an authentic experience. If you agree, we’d love to have you follow along on our adventures! Bonus points if it’s over a cup of shade-grown coffee in a small cafe in some quiet yet scenic corner of the world.
Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of amazing adventures through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.
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