一位34岁的女性， Kaitlyn Rosati，已独自旅行至90个国家，并将此作为职业。她分享了为何放弃传统的“成家立业”观念，转而追求环游世界的梦想。尽管面临外界关于经济来源和生活方式的质疑，她通过经营社交媒体和博客，成功将爱好转化为事业。文章强调了独立旅行带来的自我成长、社群建立以及打破刻板印象的经历，并表达了对社会未能同等庆祝个人成就（如旅行）的遗憾，但她对当前独立自主的生活状态感到满足和自豪。

🌍 **独立旅行的职业化与生活选择：** 作者 Kaitlyn Rosati 在34岁时已实现独自旅行90国的成就，并以此为职业。她放弃了社会普遍期待的婚姻和育儿，选择将对地理的热爱转化为一种生活方式和事业，通过Instagram和博客分享旅行经历，证明了个人选择的多样性和实现的可能性。

💰 **质疑与经济能力：** 尽管作者努力在预算内旅行，并分享了利用Skyscanner等工具省钱的技巧，她仍频繁被质疑旅行费用来源，常被暗指有他人资助。作者对此感到不解，并反思为何抚养孩子的高昂成本不被同样审视，同时指出男性旅行者似乎不会面临“伴侣允许”的说法。

🤝 **社群建立与自我认知：** 独自旅行让作者更容易结识新朋友，无论是通过旅舍、酒吧、飞机上的偶遇，还是线上的社群互动。这种经历不仅拓宽了她的社交圈，也让她更了解自己，学会独立应对未知，并有机会打破对一些地方的负面刻板印象，同时提醒自己不必等待伴侣便可享受生活。

✨ **个人成就的社会认可：** 作者对社会更倾向于庆祝婚姻和生育等传统里程碑，而对个人在独立旅行等领域取得的成就（如打卡90国）未能给予同等重视感到些许失落。但她也学会了成为自己的支持者，在前往最后一洲前举办了“南极送行”派对，体现了对自我价值的肯定。

💖 **对未来生活的看法：** 尽管目前对婚姻和伴侣关系持开放态度，作者表示对目前34岁时独立自主的生活状态非常满意。她认识到孩子和婚姻是选择而非必须，她的人生梦想是活在当下，通过旅行不断学习、开阔视野，并享受独处的时光。

When I was younger, I thought I'd be settling down, getting married, or having kids in my early 30s.Instead, I developed a passion for — and made a career out of — solo travel. I love my life.I wish people celebrated my travel achievements the way they celebrate wedding rings.

Growing up, I was always enamored with geography, so it's no surprise that I developed a passion for solo traveling.

In my 20s, I assumed I would solo travel for a few years to "get it out of my system" before settling down. Instead, my destination bucket list grew while my desire for things that felt like societal norms at my age — kids and marriage, for example — dwindled.

By 30, it dawned on me that both of those things are choices, not requirements. While some women successfully balance it all, I'm not personally willing to swap spontaneous trips for dirty diapers.

My solo ventures have led me to experiences like road-tripping in Madagascar and seeing all 20 regions in Italy. Recently, they led me to my 90th country, Mauritius, where I snorkeled with colorful fish and ate street dholl puri.

What Mauritius really provided, though, was a moment to reflect on all that comes with solo traveling as a single, childless 34-year-old woman.

The judgmental comments are relentless, but I don't let them deter me

I've built a business around solo traveling through my Instagram and blog, so I am no stranger to unsolicited comments.

My earliest trips were funded through my work as a bartender, and I quickly became skilled at traveling comfortably on my budget. I finessed systems like SkyScanner's "Everywhere" search feature to find inexpensive flights, and I slept in affordable hostels.

Still, everyone from strangers online to coworkers in real life constantly insinuated that a man was paying for my trips — or my parents were.

I was taken aback by how frequently people asked how I could afford to travel, when I would never dare ask how someone could afford to raise a child.

I received other nosy questions, too. Whenever I dated someone, people asked if my partner was mad that I traveled alone, or said it was nice that he "let" me go on trips without him.

It made me wonder how often solo-traveling men are told it's nice their partner "lets" them travel.

Naysayers aside, solo traveling has led me to a community of like-minded people

In my experience, it's much easier to meet people when you're traveling alone since you're not stuck in your own group.

Solo traveling has led me to plenty of friends that I've met naturally in hostels, bars, and even on airplanes, and through my online community via social media.

Although solo travel — like babies and marriage — isn't for everyone, I have found my footing in this world because of it. For me, it's empowering to be in an unknown part of the world with nothing but myself to rely on.

Even as a seasoned traveler, I still learn something new on every trip, whether I'm dismantling negative stereotypes about places I'd been taught were unsafe or reminding myself I don't need to wait for a partner to enjoy typical honeymoon destinations.

Solo travel has fed my curiosity, opened my mind, and given me the gift of enjoying my own company.

I wish that my life, passions, and career were celebrated in the way that marriage and kids are

If you had asked me when I was a kid where I saw myself in my 30s, "solo traveling the world" would not have been on my radar.

I assumed my life would consist of a stable career and a house in the suburbs with my husband and kids. However, looking back, I don't know that I ever actually wanted kids — rather, it was something that was simply expected of me.

Now, I know that I don't have the desire to have children, although I'm still open to marriage or a long-term partnership with the right person one day.

I recognize that for many, having a family is a dream come true. My dream life, however, is the one I'm living right now.

Perhaps that's why it's disheartening that my accolades, like visiting 90 countries alone, will never be celebrated by society the same way having a baby or a ring on my finger will.

Knowing this, I threw myself an "Antarctica send-off" party the night before leaving for my final continent — because, if nothing else, solo travel has taught me to be my biggest supporter and my own best friend.